Program Manager

Who We Are VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel. For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on  LinkedIn #WeAreVML. VML Luxembourg VML Luxembourg is one of the leading Amazon consulting agencies in Europe. Offering 360° services for Amazon, we have a diverse range of products and services in various sectors to ensure long-term sales growth, ranging from creating multilingual content and listings to all aspects of advertising, including sales promotion, PPC and programmatic campaigns. We are part of WPP, the world’s largest digital media agency, and manage WPP’s European Center of Excellence for Amazon (ACE) dedicated to maximising performance, driving sales and building brands on the Amazon platform. The opportunity: The Program Manager leads complex, high-value client Programs and portfolios, overseeing multiple projects, workstreams, brands and markets to ensure coordinated and successful delivery. The role combines senior client partnership, strategic thinking and strong operational and commercial ownership. Acting as a trusted and credible partner to the client, the Program Manager builds lasting relationships, understands business priorities, provides strategic guidance and inspires confidence through proactive communication and sound judgement. At the same time, they maintain oversight of Program delivery, ensuring that teams, resources, priorities, timelines, dependencies, risks and budgets are effectively managed and aligned with client objectives, while driving quality, efficiency and profitability. Working closely with Client Leads, Project Managers, Content Specialists, and other team members, the Program Manager ensures alignment across disciplines, fosters collaboration and brings the right people together to deliver against client needs. This role is suited to an experienced professional who can operate confidently at both strategic and operational levels, lead complex delivery environments, influence stakeholders and bring together multiple teams and capabilities. What you’ll be doing:
• Program leadership & delivery | Lead complex, high-value and high-volume client Programs involving multiple brands, retailers, workstreams and markets. Maintain oversight of Program objectives, priorities, milestones, dependencies, resources and deliverables, ensuring coordinated and successful execution across all projects.
• Client partnership & relationship management | Act as a senior and trusted partner to the client, building strong, lasting relationships and developing a deep understanding of their business priorities and challenges. Lead senior client conversations, provide strategic guidance, proactively identify opportunities and inspire confidence through sound judgement, clear communication and consistent follow-through.
• Strategic & operational planning | Translate client business objectives and scopes into Program roadmaps, delivery strategies, governance structures and operational plans. Establish priorities, allocate resources and coordinate activities with the respective Project Managers to ensure effective execution.
• Integrated delivery & coordination | Oversee execution across internal teams, partner agencies, client stakeholders and external suppliers. Manage cross-project dependencies, resolve conflicts and ensure clear ownership, accountability and collaboration.
• Governance, performance & risk | Establish and maintain Program governance, reporting and performance frameworks. Anticipate and manage delivery, resource, quality and commercial risks, identifying corrective actions and escalating where necessary.
• Commercial ownership | Monitor Program budgets, forecasts, resource allocation and profitability, identifying commercial risks and opportunities. Based on evolving client needs and priorities, identify opportunities to adapt or expand the scope of work, proactively exploring upsell and cross-sell opportunities in partnership with the Client Leads.
• People leadership & development | Provide direction, guidance and mentoring to Project Managers and wider delivery teams, supporting accountability, consistent delivery standards and effective collaboration across teams and capabilities.
• Continuous improvement | Identify opportunities to improve Program efficiency, delivery models, processes, tools and workflows, driving consistency, scalability and operational excellence What we want from you:
• A university degree in business, marketing, communications or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Significant experience managing complex Programs or large client portfolios in an agency, consultancy or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Proven experience overseeing multiple projects and workstreams across markets, brands and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong client relationship management skills, with the seniority and confidence to build trusted partnerships, understand client business needs, influence stakeholders and provide strategic guidance.
• Strong strategic and operational planning skills, with the ability to translate business objectives into Program roadmaps, governance structures and actionable delivery plans.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, forecasts, resource allocation and profitability, as well as identifying opportunities for account growth through upselling and cross-selling.
• Excellent organisation, stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to manage complex dependencies, competing priorities and delivery risks.
• Strong leadership skills, with experience guiding and mentoring Project Managers and driving accountability and collaboration across teams.
• A proactive, solution-oriented approach, with strong ownership, sound judgement and consistent follow-through.
• Fluency in English is required. Additional languages are an advantage.
• Familiarity with e-commerce and Program/project management methodologies such as Agile and Waterfall is preferred. Recognised certifications, such as PRINCE2 or PMP, are an advantage. If you know some of this, even better:
• Additional languages are an advantage. What we can offer you: Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are. AT VML We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business. As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.