Summary

Leads the creative and strategic direction of the project(s) or programmes in their remit. Owns the client relationship at a strategic level, sets the overall vision, and is accountable for the quality of what we produce and how it speaks to the client’s requirements.

This role is not programme responsible. Every Project Director is paired with a Lead Producer or Programme PM who owns the programme plan, budget and delivery. The Project Director is the creative and strategic counterpart to that delivery lead, and the two share accountability for the overall health of the project. In addition a technical director will be assigned, who is accountable for the proper design and delivery of the technical aspects of the programme. 

Key KPIs are as follows:  

• Client Happiness
• Team Happiness
• Creative Quality
• Project Margin on / above target 

Main Responsibilities

Vision, creative and quality

• Sets the early-stage concept and approach, shaping the project with the client and team against the agreed contractual scope and realistic delivery requirements.
• Holds the overall vision from pitch through to launch and keeps the work coherent as the project evolves.
• Oversees quality, technical and creative objectives, making sure client goals are met within the budget and schedule
• Leads regular reviews, balancing client objectives with commercial reality.

Client strategy and stakeholder management

• Owns the senior client relationship on strategy and quality 
• Builds a working knowledge of the client's business and translates their goals into a project vision the team can build against. 
• Leads senior stakeholder communication on creative and strategic matters, and is the escalation point when a client has concerns about the work itself. Commercial and scheduling escalations sit with the delivery lead 
• Prepares and leads the key client moments: vision presentations and milestone reviews

Technology

• Has a working understanding of the technology the project is built on: what is straightforward, what is expensive, and what is risky. For Mega App this means. Digital twins, CMS systems, Web front and back end.
• Can hold a credible conversation with engineering leads, and with the client, about technical trade-offs that affect the creative ambition.
• Does not need to be hands-on. Needs enough fluency to make informed calls and to know when to bring in a technical lead.
• Keeps current with creative technology and brings relevant developments into project and pitch thinking.

Working with delivery

• Paired with a Lead Producer or Programme PM who owns the programme plan, budget, resourcing and margin. 
• Also teamed with a Technical Director who owns the technical architecture, advises on approach and communicates back to the technical team on scope 
• Contributes to scoping and estimating: shapes what is being proposed and its level of ambition so estimates reflect what will actually get built.
• Raises changes in scope or ambition early, and works through the trade-offs with the delivery lead rather than presenting them as decisions already made.

Business Development

• Work closely with the allocated Account Director to maximise opportunities within this client and the wider client ecosystem
• Ensures they are managing and billing incremental work scope or making decisions to zero change order based on client relationship and value 

HR

• Line management of project team members, indirect management of adjacent departments or disciplines as it relates to the project
• Leads performance reviews 
• Ensures continued professional development / training of staff in their team
• Participates in the interview and selection process for all project team members alongside the Lead Producer 
• Serve as a role model and mentor within the project and externally; participate in knowledge shares and actively improve process

Experience and knowledge

• A track record of leading creative direction on complex digital projects, ideally including apps or product-style builds rather than campaign work alone.
• Comfortable owning senior client relationships and presenting to exec-level stakeholders.
• Working technical fluency relevant to the projects in their remit; for this project, Digital Twins, CMS systems, Web Front and Web Backend.
• Experience line managing and growing a team.

Character traits

• Genuinely interested in design and in new creative technology.
• Communicates a clear sense of direction and purpose for the team, in person and in writing.
• Sets the standard for behaviour and quality, and gives credit where it is due.
• Approachable and flexible, and adapts well to changing priorities.
• Up to date on industry trends and developments.

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract position, designed to provide full employee benefits and PAYE salary status for the specified duration.