Vice President, Project Management
Edelman · Kuala Lumpur
Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum.
At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.
Why this role matters in APAC:
As the Project Management function grows in strategic importance across APAC, each market presents a unique opportunity to tailor how the function is introduced, supported, and embedded. This role is about meeting teams where they are – creating clarity without control, offering structure without friction, and supporting excellence through local relevance.
This role calls for a proactive and solutions oriented mindset – someone who can bring programme and project rigour without rigidity, implement operations and design processes that resonate across non-Project Manager audiences, and serve as part educator, part diplomat, and part operator. We are looking for someone with emotional intelligence, strategic patience, and the ability to build trust through relevant and consistent project delivery.
As a Project Director, you will:
- Lead a portfolio of programmes and projects across South East Asia and APAC markets
- Align business goals with delivery frameworks, partnering with Account and Specialty leads to define scope, success metrics, and governance
- Adapt global PM standards to regional expectations, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and cultural fit
- Act as a bridge across markets and teams, identifying delivery misalignments and driving collaborative solutions
- Support budget planning, staff planning, and budget reconciliations across markets to ensure transparency and consistency
- Mentor junior PMs, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust
- Advocate for the value of Project Management, driving awareness and adoption across client and internal teams
About Your Day-to-Day:
Edelman Project Directors serve as the delivery lead across accounts, overseeing project managers and collaborating with core team leads. They ensure structure, drive operational clarity, and guide teams toward shared delivery goals. They are responsible for:
- Intaking and evaluating new work, determining delivery approach and resource needs
- Defining scopes and staffing plans, generating estimates and aligning effort with deliverables
- Championing PM tools and standards, including AI tools and GPTs, ensuring consistency in briefs, schedules, budgets, documentation and delivery
- Leading large, complex projects independently and with team support
- Coordinating multi-market and regional teams
- Managing delivery risk and resolving escalations through proactive communication and problem-solving
- Overseeing financial health in partnership with Account and Finance teams
- Leading client discussions around plans, project performance, and delivery methods
- Partnering with Resource Management to forecast and align talent to program needs
- Establishing effective workflows and delivery practices that support integrated teams
- Ensuring quality and consistency across all project outputs
- Promoting flexibility in delivery to fit evolving client and creative needs
- Shaping project operations and contributing to PM team assignments and capacity planning
- Managing and mentoring PM team members, including coaching, performance reviews, and balancing workload
- Modelling steady, solutions-oriented leadership and communication
About Your Background:
- A 4-year degree or equivalent work experience
- 8+ years in a digital, creative, communications, advertising, or PR agency environment
- Deep knowledge of project and change management methodologies, tools, and best practices
- Familiarity with resource management platforms and planning workflows
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams across multiple projects and timelines
- Strong financial and business accumen
- Strong facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills
- Experience mentoring and developing talent
- PMP and/or Scrum certification is a plus
About You:
- Comfortable working independently and managing competing priorities
- Strategic thinker with a pragmatic, action-oriented mindset
- Strong communicator with the ability to lead through ambiguity
- Passionate about creative problem-solving and operational excellence
- Collaborative and calm under pressure
- Committed to fostering team growth and inclusive culture
What Will Set You Up for Success in This Role:
- Cultural adaptability – able to adjust leadership and management approaches to match regional working styles, decision-making norms, and communication preferences
- Leverage soft skills such as emotional intelligence to understand and respect the diverse cultural backgrounds of team members, in order to foster an inclusive and harmonious work environment, build strong relationships, and enhance team collaboration and performance
- Cultural sensitivity – recommended read: The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)
- Clear communication – especially across time zones and diverse teams; values clarity, follow-up, and context
- Strategic empathy – leads with listening, and builds alignment before introducing change
- Process fluency – able to translate complex delivery needs into accessible tools and documentation
- Courage in leadership – able to advocate for what’s right for the client, team, and business, even when it’s unfamiliar
We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.