Managing Director, Delivery

Managing Director, Delivery

Join to apply for the Managing Director, Delivery role at VML

At VML, Human First is our guiding creative philosophy: we create value for people first, knowing this drives authentic and sustainable brand impact. We are a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. We connect Brand Experience, Customer Experience, and Commerce to craft unified, emotionally resonant consumer journeys. Our 26,000 people across 50-plus markets are the heart of our company.

Their perspectives, local expertise, and cultural insights drive creativity and innovation, making talent our most critical competitive advantage.

• Lead | Oversee delivery of multiple concurrent projects for global CPG clients, from initiation to completion. Develop the required governance of the Delivery function to ensure best practices and proactively improve the program and project management tools, systems, and processes used by the team. Support the development of career and succession plans for the Delivery team.
• Pursue | Govern the adoption and application of business and operational processes and policies to optimize real‑time insights into current delivery and performance, pipelining potential needs. Ensure the full portfolio of project plans is correctly phased and planned to provide sufficient insight into forward‑looking capacity and resource requirements. These plans also inform our business revenue forecasts.
• Workflow | Review and regroup at the required cadence to ensure the teams deliver as per scope for the full portfolio of projects managed by the North American Delivery team. Escalate any major risks or resourcing constraints early and to the relevant stakeholders.
• Develop | Build and socialize reports that inform performance and drive adoption across the relevant stakeholders. Ensure that programs are properly scoped, resourced, and delivered upon, and that client expectations are managed and met across all programs.
• Communicate | Support the business development and client teams with Delivery input when completing business development activities by assisting with scope definition, project plans, costing, and providing insight into resources and availability. For large joint delivery across VML and other WPP operating companies, you must interface between internal and the external teams.
• Collaboration | Client‑facing role, requiring close collaboration with commerce, finance, resource management, operations to ensure effective project delivery. Experience working with international teams and collaborating with media agencies is highly desirable.

• A builder and unifier:
  Entrepreneurial attitude coupled with a strong business acumen. Ability and appetite to bring people together. Trains, mentors, and grows teams with versatile backgrounds and skillsets. A self‑starter with sound foresight and insight.
• Open and collaborative:
  Our team is close‑knit and supportive and we’re working with a lot of unknowns. You must champion a team, creating an environment that is comfortable and encouraging, but focused on a high level of performance.
• Optimistic and resilient: A can‑do attitude and an entrepreneurial approach, balancing rigor and process with the need to create the best work for our clients.
• Ego‑less Player/Coach Mentality:
  We all wear the hats that need wearing. You are willing to take on tasks that may seem too junior to your role from time to time in the interest of the team and the business. You are passionate about developing others and experienced at leading cross‑functional teams.
• A Lead:
  Acts as a practice lead, digging in and figuring out challenge areas. You are a go‑getter who takes initiative.

• 12+ years of experience working in a Creative agency, preferably within the Shopper/Commerce arm of an agency.
• Leadership experience within a Delivery or Project Management function, with strong commercial understanding. Global client experience a plus.
• Aptitude to cast and manage a large team for a CPG client in a commerce environment.
• Prior experience working within inter‑agency team structures is considered a…