Project Manager, Live Experiences

Role Overview

The Project Manager, Live Experiences is a mid-level role principally for our work on live communications for projects (both large and small) from brief to execution.

The Project Manager will work with colleagues and clients to create and deliver complex, multi-faceted experiences and events across North America. Taking diverse briefs from multiple clients, you’ll be able to translate them into clear direction for our creative and production teams, guiding the working group through the development and approval process and supporting flawless implementation on-site.

This means being a best-in-class Project Manager for live events and experiential programs with a broad knowledge base of account, digital, creative and production functions in relation to live experiences.

Organized, flexible and adaptable, the Project Manager should be able to build strong and durable relationships with both colleagues and clients who have the highest expectations of first-class creativity and delivery.

Our Team

Our primary responsibility is delivering connected experiences across channels, to help our clients engage with diverse audiences, external and internal. Our clients look to Imagination for breakthrough experiences, whether auto show exhibitions, product launches, media presentations or training programs. In addition to producing and managing such events, we generate the associated experience strategy, messaging, content, and collateral.

Detailed Responsibilities:

• To come to work each day to support Imagination doing epic sh*t that no other agency is doing.
• Understand and break down the creative, commercial and production parameters required to deliver a variety of diverse live experience projects (e.g., product launches, press conferences, media drive programs, virtual events)
• Lead the development of - and ensure teams’ adherence to - the project brief and scope of work
• Lead the resourcing of projects allocating internal team members and managing freelancers, tracking hours/fees against budgeted allocations
• Prepare and manage internal and client-facing timelines and project schedules
• Coordinate and lead internal team meetings. Coordinate client meetings, leading sections of the agenda where relevant
• Present project status updates to clients
• Coordinate the legal approvals process for creative content (scripts, videos, animations)
• Have a creative point-of-view with the ability to input on creative discussions
• Have a proficient working knowledge of the technical aspects of event production, to enable collaboration with production teams
• Work closely with relevant creative, design, production and logistics teams and third-party suppliers to brief them and collaborate throughout the lifecycle of the program for successful outcomes
• Assist in the formulation and management of budgets, purchase orders and invoicing
• Manage all aspects of on-site delivery; briefing crew and heads of department and running the live show elements
• Maintain administration and relevant reporting and planning systems
• Monitor all aspects of projects including proposal, budget, schedule development and delivery
• Understand and carefully manage the complexities of multi-agency scenarios
• Ensure strong commercial management of projects – focusing on time management and profitability
• Be able to quickly develop a strong understanding of the clients’ brands, products and competitive environment
• Demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain client relationships through a good understanding of client’s business environment and through superb project delivery
• Take the lead in complying with company policies and procedures, for example (but not limited to) ISO documentation, Information Security

Experience and skills required:

• 5+ years’ experience at an experience agency / production company in a project management focused role
• Cool portfolio of work & love what you do
• Fluent in Microsoft Office, G-Suite and project management tools like Teams, Frame.io, Airtable, Miro etc
• Excellent teamwork and strong communication skills
• Ability to work onsite and on weekends during install and events
• A proven track record delivering the successful conception and execution of high-profile live shows in a corporate setting (for example product launches or press conferences)
• Experience working on 360º experiential campaigns and amplification of experiential projects into other channels (earned, owned and paid)
• Understanding of PR communications, earned, owned and paid media
• Experience in the automotive sector
• Good copy writing and copy-editing skills
• Excellent presentation writing skills with proficiency in PowerPoint or Keynote and Google Slides
• Must be able to communicate well and build relationships with clients and other departments, have confidence and the proven ability to communicate face to face with senior management
• Demonstrate ability to effectively manage a portfolio of projects at one time
• Demonstrate successful onsite management and delivery ensuring projects reflect the brief and meets client/brand objectives
• Intelligent, ambitious and highly motivated team player with a commitment to quality and professionalism
• Calm in a crisis, extremely organized, pro-active with good interpersonal skills.
• Flexible, patient, able to prioritize and a good negotiator
• Must be able to travel domestically & internationally for periods up to two weeks at a time

Leadership attributes:

• Leads by behavior and attitude, not through position or tenure
• Thinks strategically – knowledge of Imagination’s and Client’s practices
• Inspires creativity and innovation – imagines creative solutions
• Drives results – achieves high levels of customer satisfaction

Residency Requirements

Candidates must have authorization to work in the US in order to be considered for this position.

Imagination

Imagination is an experience design company founded on the principle of Independent Creativity.

Independent of mind, spirit and action, we remain free to find the right answers to our clients’ strategic and creative challenges.

We build strategies, develop ideas and deliver at scale, creating experiences that change the status quo for some of the world’s most exciting brands - across our core offers of Consulting, Destinations, Content and Live.

To get to ground-breaking ideas, we start with unexpected combinations. Research shows that the greatest accelerator of creativity is the diversity of talent in the team, and we actively recruit for unique individuals who embody our core beliefs and demonstrate the behaviors that underpin Independent Creativity.

Our Work 

2022 Mustang Global Reveal, “The Stampede”: https://youtu.be/d8YGKZPz4eE

Accelerating Transformation https://youtu.be/sUljrHwgDBo

F-150 Lightning Global Reveal:  https://youtu.be/Yjisj5T0VqE

Our Core Beliefs

We have identified four foundational beliefs that underpin Independent Creativity. More powerful than generic corporate values, they motivate us to act, to foster the behaviors that lead to success:

We believe curiosity is the root of original insights and ideas... so we look at the world with fresh eyes, we experiment, invent and up-end conventions.

We believe rigor results in better choices... so we ask precise, provocative questions.

We believe bravery tames the unknown... so we demand ambition, confident that together we can meet ‘never been done before challenges’.

We believe respect builds stronger teams and continued success... so we recognize the uniqueness and unique potential in each individual, we are accountable to each other, we play as a team.

Imagination is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

Imagination believes that diversity, equity and inclusion are more than just words, and more than a legal framework or a moral obligation - they are guiding principles that, when acted upon, make us stronger, more innovative and more creative as an organization.

We commit to not only significantly increasing our efforts to effect change today, but also to ensure that our efforts will be sustained for the long-term. To support us on this journey we have appointed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board to help shape our plans to bring about positive change, to help us learn and keep us all moving forward together.

We believe the responsibility for a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace ultimately rests with all of us.

We believe that all employees should feel a sense of belonging at Imagination - regardless of their race, religion or belief, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability or background.

We believe racism has no place within our workplace or our work culture and we reject all forms of hatred, prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.

We believe that Black Lives Matter and it is our expectation that all employees become actively committed to making unbiased choices and are anti-racist in everything they do.

Our Imagination community must share and live these beliefs, as diversity makes us stronger.

Our priority is humanity and our efforts toward a more diverse, more equitable and more inclusive workplace are never done.