Our client is a leading creative agency specialising in retail branding, display, VM and conceptual window design. They have a great opportunity for a mid-senior Project Manager to join their studio. Offices are based in London and they are in the office fulltime/5 days. They work with a wide range of clients/brands from fashion to department stores.
The Role
This role will suit an existing mid to senior Project Manager with experience of managing multiple projects in a hands-on and 360-degree fashion, ideally bringing with them direct experience from within the creative retail display industry. Managing the full end to end project process, with huge emphasis on client facing, this role will see the occupant either dedicated to one large multi-project client at a time, or working across multiple clients on jobs of varying scale
Reporting directly to the MD, this busy and dynamic role requires an energetic, creative and holistic approach to project management. We are looking for confidence, top class interpersonal skills, a detail orientated approach, and an absolute commitment to producing the highest quality customer experience and project delivery, no matter the scope of the project. Excellent levels of brand understanding, and awareness of client needs will be paramount for success within this role, as will the ability to work with, and manage, all stake holders in order to ensure that project outcomes provide maximum profitability and smooth running. We need a practical and solution-orientated thinker who is deadline driven, and a whizz with budgets
A good eye for aesthetic, and understanding of the design process is a must. This role will require the ability to work easily with 2D and 3D Designers, in-house production management and various external suppliers and collaborators. Previous exposure and understanding of briefing and managing artwork, and knowledge of print processes would be a benefit.
This person will need practical experience of autonomously managing both mass-production, for various brand window and in-store roll-outs, alongside bespoke installation projects.
Key Responsibilities
* Receiving briefs from clients, and working alongside Senior team on initial stages of interpretation and planning to define a project’s scope and goals
* Work with Designers to create any required visuals, ensuring that the brief is accurate and communicated with the Design team efficiently
* Effectively communicate client and design briefs to Production to enable the 3D sampling stage
* Management of stages of client sign off and approval processes
* Exploring, developing, sampling and costing with various external partners, material and print suppliers
* Point of contact for external material/fabrication suppliers. This may potentially involve managing international production, and some travel outside of the UK
* Lead in day-to-day communications with clients, from brief through to delivery
* Establishment of client budget allocation, with control and overseeing of spend and client unit cost generation / quotations.
* Planning and scheduling project timelines, with generation and management of all critical paths, both for internal use, and external scheduling with clients
* Maintaining and updating systems or documents to ensure all is on track on a day to day basis
* Placing orders in good time, and according to the internal critical path, in order to meet production and dispatch schedules and client delivery deadlines
* Monitoring large and small deliveries, and working on in-house production scheduling with Production/Ops team
* Working with Operations and Production management on effective packaging and dispatch solutions
* Planning and attending installations, often collaborating with Senior Project Manager. These are mainly overnight installations, and on rare occasions outside of London
* Attending site surveys for internal production requirements, or to introduce external partners to specific sites for planning installations


Essential skills and Experience
* Three years minimum within a similar business or creative retail display/production environment
* Understanding of 3D Visual Merchandising for retail, either via experience in another similar agency/industry or from working directly for a retail brand
* Strong demonstrable and successful client facing PM experience
* Experience with managing external suppliers and collaborators
* Comfort working with roll-out budgets of £250k plus
* Ability and ease with working across multiple projects running simultaneously
* Experience of task managing a team of one or more support staff (could be project by project)
* Demonstrable sense of responsibility and decision-making skills
* Excellent communication skills and high standards of verbal and written English language
* Good level of numeracy required
* Intermediate to advanced skills in Excel


Advantages (but not required)
* Graphic or computer-based design skills
* Adobe creative suite (illustrator/Photoshop/indesign) / Sketch-up / CAD etc
* Practical and hands-on creativity
* Project Management qualification
Please send CV stating your salary expectations.
Creative Recruitment is an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, gender identification, or physical ability.