Program Manager

Overview

As a Program Manager, you'll be responsible for the day-to-day management of multiple packaging design projects, ensuring they're delivered on time, on budget, and at the quality our clients expect. You'll be the operational hub for your projects—coordinating timelines, managing resources, tracking budgets, facilitating communication between creative teams and clients, and solving problems as they arise. Partnering with a Client Success Director, you'll have the opportunity to learn agency operations from the ground up while making an immediate impact on project success. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, loves bringing order to complexity, and wants to build a career in creative operations.
Seeking candidates ideally in or near the following cities: Cincinnati, OH or Fairfield, CT.

Responsibilities

Day-to-Day Project Management:

Manage several packaging design projects simultaneously, serving as the central point of coordination for each. Includes leading project kickoffs, creating and maintaining detailed project timelines, scheduling meetings and reviews, tracking deliverables, following up on action items, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Maintain clear understanding of project status, risks, and required attention.

Resource Coordination & Scheduling:

Work with the Client Success Director to build project staffing plans, then coordinate the day-to-day workflow across assigned creative teams. Schedule designers, strategists, and production artists; manage workloads; communicate timeline changes; flag capacity constraints early; develop strong relationships with the creative team.

Client Communication & Relationship Support:

Serve as a day-to-day contact for clients, manage project communications, respond to questions, coordinate feedback cycles, and ensure clients feel well-informed and supported. Learn to navigate client dynamics and escalate issues when needed.

Timeline & Milestone Management:

Create realistic project schedules, monitor progress, identify delays early, and proactively problem-solve to keep projects on track. Develop solutions balancing client needs with team capacity and quality standards.

Process Execution & Quality Control:

Ensure projects follow established processes and workflows from intake to delivery. Prepare briefs, facilitate reviews, manage approvals, coordinate with production vendors, and ensure deliverables meet quality standards before reaching the client.

Meeting Facilitation & Communication:

Run efficient project meetings, prepare agendas, take notes, distribute recaps with action items, and follow up to ensure tasks are completed.

Problem-Solving & Escalation:

Address scope changes, resource conflicts, production issues, or client feedback requiring rethinking. Assess, propose solutions, and escalate to the Director when necessary.

Reporting & Documentation:

Maintain accurate project documentation (timelines, budgets, meeting notes, briefs) and provide regular status updates to the Director. Ensure files are organized and archived for future reference.

Continuous Improvement:

Contribute ideas to improve efficiency, identify bottlenecks, refine templates, and develop skills with input from the Director.

Qualifications & Experience

3-5 years of project or program management experience, preferably in a creative agency, design studio, or marketing environment

Experience managing creative projects from concept through delivery, with understanding of design and production workflows

Familiarity with CPG packaging design processes a plus, but not required

Experience working with Supercenter/Hypermarket business model

Proficiency with project management tools (Monday.com, Asana, Basecamp, or similar)

Basic understanding of project budgets and financial tracking

Experience with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace

Core Competencies

Exceptional organizational skills with ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously without losing track of details

Strong time management and prioritization abilities, knowing what needs attention now versus what can wait

Proactive mindset—you anticipate problems before they happen and take initiative to solve them

Process-oriented thinking with appreciation for why structure and methodology matter

Analytical skills with comfort working with numbers, tracking data, and identifying patterns

Problem-solving abilities, especially when faced with timeline conflicts, resource constraints, or unexpected challenges

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills

Diplomatic approach to managing different personalities, opinions, and working styles

Ability to build trust and rapport with both creative teams and clients

Comfortable facilitating meetings and keeping discussions productive

Active listening skills with ability to ask clarifying questions and truly understand needs

Grace under pressure—you stay calm and constructive when things get hectic

Working Style & Mindset

Detail-oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture

Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity—you can pivot when plans change

Collaborative team player who builds bridges between disciplines

Accountable and reliable—when you say you’ll do something, you follow through

Curious and eager to learn, open to feedback and committed to growth

Positive attitude with ability to bring energy and constructive problem-solving to challenges

Success Metrics

Project Performance: 90%+ of assigned projects delivered on time and within budget (with guidance from Director); positive client feedback on responsiveness, organization, and communication; and strong coordination signals from the creative team

Operational Excellence: Accurate, timely project status reporting with clear visibility into risks and issues; consistent adherence to agency processes and quality standards; timely escalation of problems with thoughtful analysis and potential solutions; clean, well-organized project documentation

Professional Development: Demonstrated improvement in capabilities over 6-12 months (better financial management, more strategic thinking, stronger client relationships); proactive contribution to process improvements

What Success Looks Like
In this role, you will have succeeded when your projects run smoothly, creative teams trust you to protect their time and set them up for success, and clients feel well-cared-for throughout the process. You’ll be known for attention to detail, clear communication, proactive problem-solving, and reducing the workload of others. Your Director will rely on you to manage your portfolio with minimal oversight, and you’ll be prepared to take on increasingly complex projects.

Why This Role Matters
Program Managers are the operational backbone of our agency—you're the reason great creative work gets delivered on time and on budget, the reason clients feel supported and informed, and the reason our teams can focus on doing their best work. This role offers the opportunity to learn agency operations from experienced leaders, work with talented creative professionals, and contribute to projects for recognized CPG brands. If you're energized by bringing order to complexity, enjoy checking tasks off the list, and want to build a career in creative operations, this is a strong place to start.

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