Senior Executive - Communications and Project Management

  • Dubai
  • Leo Burnett
Job Description A communications & project management executive is a project manager responsible for handling a company's ongoing projects. They report to the communications and Project manager and director and work closely with the communication consultants and the creative services manager. They're the core team for all 4 pillars (strategy, creative, content hub, production...) . They work to ensure that all project requirements, deadlines, and schedules are on track in addition to playing the lead role in planning the campaigns, resources , monitoring, and quality control until a project is closed. Responsibilities include submitting project deliverables, preparing status reports, and establishing effective project communication plans as well as the proper execution until the end product.  Technical & Product - Proven experience in project management. - Ability to lead project teams of various sizes and see them through to completion. - Strong understanding of formal project management methodologies. - Experience with project management tools (such as Asana, Monday.com, Trello , Basecamp ...) - Ability to complete projects in a timely manner. - Budget management experience. - Ability to develop, implement, and review policies and procedures. - Ability to oversee budgeting, reporting, planning, and auditing. - Ability to address problems and opportunities for the company. Business Acumen & Operational Efficiency - Working with the creative services manager and aligning on projects timelines - Managing the PMs and communications consultants on clients projects and organizing their projects from approval of concepts till the end. - Troubleshooting issues that could slow down the process efficiencies and cut costs  - Outsourcing and finding freelancers when needed. - Establishing effective project communication plans (CPS) and ensuring their execution on time  - Following the project's progress and bypassing problems .- Evaluating a post-project and identifying successful and unsuccessful project elements by preparing status reports - Submitting project deliverables and ensuring that they adhere to quality standards  - Facilitating change requests to ensure that all parties are informed of the impacts on schedule and budget. - Enforcing deadlines and maintains efficiency across teams. - Scheduling project-related meetings - Allocating tasks and responsibilities to PMs, traffic - Encouraging communication among team members Innovative & Analytical Mindset - Effective communication skills: being a good communicator so that he can connect with people at all levels.  - Strong leadership skills: having strong leadership qualities such as being able to motivate the team and drive them to maximum performance so that they can achieve their goals. - Good decision maker - Technical expertise: Since project management software and other related programs are essential in accomplishing the project goals, an effective project manager needs to have the knowledge to understand the issues that are related to the technical aspect. Knowledge of theory as well as the technical side can greatly help the manager in taking strategic initiatives when needed. - Inspires a shared vision: A visionary person can lead his people to the right direction as well as easily adapt to the changes that come in the way. They are good at empowering people to experience the vision on their own. - Cool under pressure. - Good negotiation skills: One of the qualities needed for effective project management is the ability to negotiate. In times that conflict arise due to differences in opinion, project managers need sheer negotiating skills to settle the issue and maintain harmony in the team. - Problem-solving mindset. - Self-motivation and innovation. - Time management skills and efficient. People & Leadership Seeks others' feedback to develop self-awareness, strengths and address development area. Is able to proactively raise issues to improve effective team working and collaboration. Is able to communicate confidently in a clear, concise and articulate manner. Collaborates with stakeholders and embraces an inclusive based environment. Is able to make valuable contributions to discussions and brainstorming sessions, providing insight and point of view. Able to build relationships quickly with others and engages personally with peers and clients. Treats others with respect, listens to other perspectives, especially when they are different from own. Able to tackle problems in a timely manner and develop contingency plans that focus on problem resolution. Drives a culture of trust with Peers, clients and all other stakeholders. Self Is able to take ownership for actions and deals with consequences in a mature manner. Able to adjust performance based on experiences and feedback and showcases agility and flexibility. Displays openness to the ideas of others and leverages them when beneficial for the business. Showcases curiosity and open mindset towards new ways of doing things. Is able to set high impact objectives and goes above and beyond to exceed performance. Demonstrates the Growth Mindset and is able to take ownership of personal development and growth. Capable of constructively challenging the status-quo and takes risks to challenge internal and external perspectives. Approaches situations and individuals with honesty, integrity and humbleness. Displays resilience and maintains drives and a positive outlook when faced with challenges. Qualifications Education and Experience Required A successful candidate should have a bachelor’s degree in business, management , advertising, marketing, or related field  Experience with project management theory and best practices 2+ years. Excellent organizational, prioritization, and decision-making skills. Strong analytical skills. Good communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Core Attributes Analytical Thinking Breaks down problems and issues into sub-components and then assesses the costs, benefits and risks of various options prior to selecting a particular approach.   Strategic Thinking Can analyze organizational strengths and weaknesses and then combine these with knowledge of the industry, market and organization to develop long-term strategy.   Product Knowledge Has a good understanding of product line features and benefits and uses that knowledge to optimize sales with each client. Understands the product market and uses this knowledge to increase personal credibility and product sales. Keeps abreast of competitors' activities and typically responds quickly to what the competition is doing.   Planning Develops the steps necessary to accomplish long-term goals. Identifies long and short-term goals and establishes realistic plans to reach them. Allocates required resources, allows for contingencies and ensures that plans fit with the larger needs of the organization. Sets milestones to measure progress along the way.   Presentation Skills Comes across as confident and well-prepared when making group presentations. Makes effective use of visual aids or presentation software and looks at ease while handling questions from the audience. His/her presentations hold the audience's attention and tend to be the right length for the amount of information covered.   Productivity Meets or exceeds productivity standards that have been established for his/her organizational level or position. Has successfully combined skills, ability and effort level to ensure that expectations related to results/output are achieved.   Teamwork Is an effective team player who adds complementary skills and contributes valuable ideas, opinions and feedback. Communicates in an open and candid manner and can be counted upon to fulfill any commitments made to others on the team.   Negotiation Skills Demonstrates the ability to negotiate compromises that leave various stakeholders feeling that their interests and positions have been understood and that the resulting solution is even-handed and fair to all parties. Accomplishes this through listening to differing points of view and taking each view into account. Looks for common interests and helps parties explore and reach middle-ground solutions.   Interpersonal Skills Shows genuine sensitivity to the needs, feelings and capabilities of other people. Deals with others in a pleasant manner. Treats others with respect and consideration.   Leadership Articulates a vision that others choose to follow. Models behaviors expected of others and inspires others to undertake challenging tasks and projects (leading by example).   Time management Prioritizes tasks and manages time to ensure that deadlines are met. Plans his or her time and sticks to those plans. Prevents or manages interruptions until the highest priority tasks are accomplished. As well as, keeping a work / life balance in perspective.   Communication Communicates effectively and appropriately. Uses good judgment as to what to communicate to whom as well as the best way to get that accomplished. Speaks in a clear and credible manner, selecting the right tone for the situation and audience. Listens to others and allows them to make their point.   Education and Self Development Makes it a practice to take charge of self-development by soliciting feedback, setting priorities, and then acquiring or strengthening skills and knowledge through coursework or other methods.   Initiative (Employees) Recognizes opportunities and initiates actions to capitalize on them. Looks for new and productive ways to make an impact. Demonstrates this characteristic when it comes to generating new ideas or processes, capitalizing on new business opportunities, seeking out and taking on increasing responsibility or resolving problems as they occur. Uses sound judgment about when to take action and when to seek guidance or permission. This is in contrast to those who fail to notice opportunities, wait to be asked or instructed before taking action, seldom offer new ideas or express reservations about taking on additional responsibilities.   Quality of Work (Employees) Has established a track record of producing work that is highly accurate, demonstrates attention to detail and reflects well on the organization. Is personally committed to high quality work and encourages others to have similar standards.   Creativity (Employees) Applies creativity and originality in the work setting, when appropriate. Suggests or applies new ways of addressing ongoing work issues and challenges. Sees possibilities that others have not yet seen, or combines ideas and approaches suggested by others in a unique manner that results in breakthroughs and improvements. Understands when to be creative and when to stick with what exists now.   Meeting Targets (Manager) Meets or exceeds financial goals while selling an appropriate product mix. The product mix reflects both a broad knowledge of the product line as well as successful efforts to educate customers or prospects.   Entrepreneurial Orientation (Managers) Takes an active role in identifying new business opportunities, assessing the risks involved and comparing these to the potential advantages of taking action. Influences decisions by examining financial costs and potential benefits and by providing realistic risk-assessments. This is in contrast to those who fail to look for new business opportunities or do an inadequate assessment of risks and benefits and/or either tend to avoid opportunities or embrace ventures that fail to produce the expected payback on the resources invested.   Encouraging Client Focus (Managers) Consistently conveys that clients are the highest priority. Respects clients’ needs and expectations and lets clients know if their expectations cannot be met. Refrains from complaining about (or speaking negatively about) client behavior or expectations. Communicates in a manner that promotes and sustains client satisfaction and encourages others to do the same. Achieves these outcomes by ensuring that client needs and deadlines are realistic and that they are met. Publicly recognizes those who deliver excellent client services.