Senior Project Manager (Mat. Cover)

Greenpark; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Public holidays off

Birthday leave

Christmas closure

Entertainment subscription

EAP

Wellness initiatives

LinkedIn Learning

Work from abroad

Job summary

Greenpark is seeking a Senior Project Manager to strengthen the EMEA Delivery team. You will independently lead several complex digital projects from brief to completion, coordinating specialist teams, managing budgets, risks and documentation.

You will use approved AI tools with sound judgement and mentor junior PMs within Greenpark’s delivery standards. This UK-based role requires strong stakeholder management, budgeting, and cross-functional leadership to ensure successful delivery for global

Qualifications

• At least five years of project management experience in a digital, content, or media agency.
• Experience delivering for global brands with multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead multiple complex projects and workstreams, managing scope, timelines, budgets and quality.
• Define deliverables, estimates, assumptions, exclusions and acceptance criteria with Client Services and specialists.
• Lead project setup and kick-offs, maintain delivery plans with milestones and responsibilities.
• Anticipate risks, assess impact, and implement mitigation; resolve issues and plan recoveries.
• Build trusted client and internal relationships, communicate clearly, and negotiate priorities.
• Support pitches and scope extensions with realistic estimates, delivery approaches, and resource needs.
• Forecast skills and hours, coordinate specialist inputs and handovers, and manage resource conflicts.
• Track costs, forecast completion, monitor margins, and reconcile financial data.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Risk management

Stakeholder management

AI tools usage

Coaching teams

Tools

Paprika

CRM systems

Job description

Greenpark is a global, award-winning digital agency specialising in omnichannel search and social. Our raison d’etre is to create amazing content that people and algorithms love. How? Through data-led and performance-driven search and social content to help brands create meaningful connections that impact people's lives. Our unique expertise in Omnichannel Search & Insights, Creative Content and Performance Tech are delivered to our clients via an ad agency and in-house models. We do this for a global client portfolio including Unilever, Campari Group, AIA, Sanofi, Nestle, Lipton, Kimberly-Clark, Straumann, Ricola, Globe Telecom, and more.

Want the real inside scoop? Our Playbook gives you a peek into how we work, collaborate, and get things done at Greenpark. Check it out here

Our Values

As a company, we strive and act together in our ambition to make a positive impact for the people and brands we serve, we do everything with kindness and respect at the core. ‘We Strive’, ‘Acting Together’, ‘With Kindness’ are the values that guide us.

About the role

The Senior Project Manager strengthens the core of Greenpark’s EMEA Delivery team. You will independently lead several complex digital projects and workstreams from brief to completion, coordinating specialist teams and managing competing priorities. You will own project plans, resources, budgets, risks and documentation, keeping clients and colleagues informed and resolving problems proactively. You will use approved AI tools where they improve delivery, applying sound judgement and appropriate human review Working within Greenpark’s delivery standards, you will also coach less experienced PMs and contribute practical improvements based on project experience. This role is UK-based.

What you’ll do

• Independently lead multiple complex projects and workstreams, managing agreed scope, timelines, budgets and quality.
• Work with Client Services and specialists to define deliverables, estimates, assumptions, exclusions and acceptance criteria.
• Lead project setup and kick-offs. Create and maintain delivery plans covering milestones, dependencies, responsibilities, review stages and approvals.
• Anticipate risks, assess their likelihood and impact, and agree mitigation. Resolve issues and lead recovery planning, escalating matters beyond your authority with options and a recommendation.
• Assess the impact of scope changes on time, cost and resources, and obtain approval before committing to revised delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and internal teams. Lead clear delivery communications, secure decisions and negotiate achievable priorities.
• Support pitches and scope extensions with realistic estimates, delivery approaches, resource requirements and risks
• Forecast the skills and hours required for assigned projects, secure bookings through the greed resourcing process and coordinate specialist inputs and handovers.
• Identify resource conflicts early and work with resource and discipline leads to agree solutions.
• Build project estimates and budgets with specialists and secure approval before work begins.
• Track actual and committed costs, forecast cost to complete, monitor margin and act on variances.
• Maintain accurate project data and contribute reliable assigned-account revenue forecasts with Client Services and Finance, making assumptions and risks clear.
• Coordinate purchase-order and invoicing requirements, and complete project financial reconciliation with Finance.

Team & practice

• Keep project documentation accurate, current and useful, including status reports, risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies, decisions, actions and change records. Remain accountable for accuracy and follow-through when updates are delegated.
• Apply Greenpark’s delivery standards and maintain reliable information in its project-management and job-costing systems.
• Build specialist quality reviews, relevant rights and claims checks, client approvals and launch readiness into project workflows. Coordinate measurement requirements with specialists where relevant.
• Confirm acceptance, complete handovers and lead project closure and retrospectives. Assign and follow through on agreed actions.
• Raise wider improvement opportunities with the Head of Delivery.
• Coach less experienced PMs and Project Executives, sharing practical guidance and providing clear handovers and agreed cover.
• Use approved AI tools where they improve planning, reporting, documentation or analysis, following Greenpark’s policies, protecting confidential information and checking outputs.
• Ensure AI-assisted content workflows include appropriate specialist QA and human approval.
• Share lessons and propose improvements through the Head of Delivery, supporting agreed changes within your projects.

Reporting and working structure

• The role has one designated line manager: a Digital Project Director, or the Head of Delivery where no Project Director is assigned. On individual accounts, delivery direction may come from an assigned Project or Programme Director.
• Your line manager will lead performance and development reviews, with input from the Head of Delivery where applicable.
• You will work closely with Client Services, resource and discipline leads, Finance and Operations. You will coordinate specialist delivery while discipline leads retain responsibility for specialist recommendations and quality sign-off.

About you

• At least five years of project management experience in a digital, content, creative or media agency, with proven ability to independently lead multiple complex projects and workstreams.
• Experience delivering projects for global brands, ideally in FMCG, healthcare or similarly complex sectors involving multiple stakeholders and approval requirements.
• Strong planning, estimating, resource coordination, budgeting, forecasting, risk management and change-control skills.
• Practical understanding of integrated delivery across relevant areas such as SEO, AEO, content, social, digital PR and paid media. You can coordinate specialist teams and manage dependencies; expertise in every channel is not required.
• Analytical thinking and sound judgement: you challenge assumptions, interpret project data, identify root causes and recommend practical solutions.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders, challenging constructively and negotiating achievable priorities.
• A proactive, organised approach, strong attention to detail and reliable follow-through when priorities change.
• Confidence using agency job-costing and project-management systems, such as Paprika or equivalent.
• Experience using AI tools to support delivery, with appropriate judgement, human review and protection of confidential information.
• Experience coaching less experienced PMs and sharing practical guidance.
• You live & breathe Greenpark’s core values ‘We Strive’, ‘Acting Together’, ‘With Kindness’ - championing openness, respect, innovation, and teamwork - so that every interaction, both internally and externally, reflects our commitment to our values.

How we’ll support you

• 25 days of paid holidays per year + ZA
• public holidays and your birthday off. holidays and your birthday off.
• Christmas Closure - (extra days on top of your holiday allowance)
• A monthly entertainment subscription paid by the company (e.g. Amazon Prime, Netflix, Spotify, etc)
• Access to VDU Eye Tests and
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
• Participate in wellness and peer recognition initiatives (e.g. On The Spot Awards and Value Champion Awards).
• LinkedIn Learning – Access to a leading online learning platform, which offers a wide variety of courses including business, creative and technical skills.
• Social Events – Join us for our major annual social events: Spring, Summer, Halloween and Christmas parties, plus many other ad-hoc events.
• WFA policy – work from abroad for up to 4 weeks per year.
• Yearly Calm subscription

At Greenpark, we believe the best ideas come from the widest range of perspectives. We welcome and celebrate every background, identity, and experience across our global workforce. By fostering a culture of respect, inclusivity, and collaboration, we’re committed to ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and everyone can thrive.

All applications shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status or any other protected characteristics.