Project & Operations Manager

The Talent Connection and Engagement (TCE) team at one of our largest AI/Tech clients, is dedicated to shaping and sharing our company's culture to attract top talent and support our high-performing employees. Our goal is to position the organization as a best place to work and engage employees at every stage of the employee lifecycle-from attracting candidates, onboarding, engaging our most tenured employees, and offboarding to alumni. We focus on Employer Brand Marketing, Employee Engagement, Recruiting Events, Employee Impact, and Communications and Strategy for Employee Success (HR).

Position Summary:

We seek a Project & Operations Manager to lead key initiatives, streamline operations, and drive cross-functional collaboration. This role requires project management expertise, event coordination for internal and external events, budget oversight, and operational process optimization, as well as strong communication skills to foster effective relationships across teams.

Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Execution: Develop and manage project plans with defined scope, timelines, and resource allocation. Oversee each stage from initiation to completion, ensuring alignment with Salesforce standards. Utilize tools like Slack, Quip, and others to support strategic projects through templates, documentation, and communication plans.

• Budgeting & Financial Oversight: Manage project and operational budgets, tracking expenditures to ensure optimal resource use within allocated budgets. Prepare and oversee Purchase Orders (POs), monitor expenses, report budget status regularly, and adjust as needed to align with financial projections.

• Event Coordination: Plan and execute internal and external events that align with Salesforce's objectives. Coordinate logistics, develop event timelines, manage vendor relationships, and ensure budget compliance. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align event themes with organizational priorities and engage employees effectively.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster strong communication and collaboration across departments. Build relationships with stakeholders to understand their business objectives and collaborate with subject matter experts to achieve both day-to-day and strategic goals.

• Risk & Issue Management: Identify, assess, and address potential risks or issues impacting project timelines or deliverables. Communicate risk mitigation strategies and lead issue resolution efforts to keep projects on track.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as the main point of contact for project stakeholders, providing regular updates, progress reports, and milestone briefings. Collaborate with Business Technology and other teams to align on dependencies, establish timelines, and manage risks for critical ES technology initiatives.

Required Key Skills

• Cross-Team Collaboration: Proven ability to develop strong relationships with diverse, geographically dispersed stakeholders, supporting major initiatives in a multicultural environment.

• Budgeting & Financial Skills: Strong experience in budgeting, expenditure tracking, PO management, and variance analysis.

• Event Coordination: Experience in planning, coordinating, and managing both internal and external events, including logistics and vendor management.

• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels.

• Problem-Solving: Proactive analytical skills for identifying challenges and devising solutions. Ability to collaborate with stakeholders to uncover broader project risks.

• Attention to Detail: Strong focus on data integrity and process definition.

Required Education & Experience

• Experience: 5-7+ years in project management and event coordination, ideally within a large, fast-paced technology environment.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, or related field and/or Project Management certifications are a plus.

Talent MUST BE able work onsite 3 days a week at one of the offices listed here: San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta Indianapolis, NYC, Seattle, or Austin. Talent not local to these markets will not be considered at this time.

Client Description

Aquent Studios is a global creative studio that delivers scale, speed and efficiency to the world's most recognized brands. We create the work that matters the most to them-work that has a real impact on their business. As an Aquent Studio team member, you'll have the opportunity to engage with the largest and most influential companies in the world, solving design challenges and extending their brands across tactic types and platforms, including digital design, UI/UX, video, motion, content, print design, web development, and more. If you want to do work that matters in a collaborative setting that values ingenuity and personal growth, you have found the right place!

Required Qualifications

The range provided is our reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The actual amount may be higher or lower, based on factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and location.

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