Senior Project Management Director & Dept Head

At Upstatement, we believe great project management empowers both creativity and client growth. As Senior Project Management Director, you’ll lead our Project Management Department, connecting creative teams, business objectives, and client experiences.

You'll guide a team of project managers through both strategic direction and tactical execution, moving fluidly between department leadership and hands-on project work. We're looking for someone who can set the pace, model excellence in both systems and execution, and shape the future of project management at Upstatement. In this remote role, you will:

• Lead the Department: Set the standard for a best-in-class project management function by defining practices that elevate delivery, while coaching and developing a team of talented project managers.
• Own Key Accounts: Directly manage and/or actively oversee a focused portfolio of key projects, modeling excellence in client engagement and project execution while collaborating with leadership to shape work, solve problems, uphold quality standards, and grow accounts.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Collaborate with other project leadership to shape the project, guide the team, solve problems, and ensure high-quality work.
• Enable Resourcing Decisions: Lead cross-functional resourcing process using our existing resource management framework, partnering with with BD and other department leadership to drive accountability for timely staffing decisions and escalate resourcing needs as projects move through the pipeline.
• Deepen Client Partnerships: Establish project management as a strategic partner in client relationships, not just project administration. Model how to co-own accounts alongside creative and engineering leads, positioning the discipline as integral to client success and growth.

Last but not least: People who succeed here are empathetic teammates who are candid, kind, caring, and embody our core values. We believe that diverse, inclusive teams make the most impactful work. Upstatement is deeply invested in ensuring that we have a supportive, growth-oriented environment that works for everyone.

Upstatement is a digital product studio with an editorial mindset. We use the tools of design, engineering, and journalism to enrich lives and create a more just society. Our 40-person team works with established industry leaders (MIT, Nike, PBS, Mozilla) and emerging companies who are about to change the world. We are members of the kyu Collective and combine the energy of a boutique studio with the business maturity of an established global innovation leader.

• Work with ethical and mission-driven organizations.
• Collaborate in a high-trust environment that empowers creative ownership.
• Build a portfolio you can be proud of.
• Blossom in a small studio culture full of top talent and peers who help you grow.
• Find your path at a place that prizes flexibility: We encourage experimentation, support role switching, and help people balance between maker/manager and lead/support.

• Learn Upstatement’s ways of working, core values, and project management practices.
• Relationship building with PM team and people management
• Relationship building with cross-functional partners
• Take on 1–2 client projects to understand the work, our team/clients, and how we PM.

• Lead the PM department: run processes, clarify practices, and establish expectations for delivery.
• Begin shaping department KPIs and success measures in partnership with leadership.
• Introduce improvements to existing tools, workflows, and documentation to bring greater clarity and consistency.
• Lead cross-functional resourcing process that operationalize staffing decisions, working in close partnership with BD and department leadership.

• Evolve the standard for a best-in-class project management function—codifying practices, playbooks, and growth paths for the team.
• Model excellence by managing a focused portfolio of key accounts, deepening client partnerships and driving account growth.
• Partner with BD and Department Heads to refine how we balance pipeline forecasts with staffing decisions, continuing to mature our cross-functional resourcing practices.
• Shape cross-functional collaboration by refining how our teams partner together to deliver cohesive client solutions.

• Evolve the PM department into a more strategic function—balancing delivery, resource management, and client engagement under one umbrella.
• Grow PM leadership, preparing the department to support larger, more complex accounts.
• Continue to refine and scale resource management systems, driving sustainable capacity planning across the business with cross-functional partners.

• You’re an inspiring builder and leader. You understand what motivates others and meet them where they are. You model the behaviors you want to see, leading with empathy, listening deeply, and fostering mutual respect and growth. You thrive on helping people and practices reach their full potential.
• You know how to deliver digital work at a high level. You’ve led teams to design, build, and ship digital products, and you bring clear opinions on how to do it well. You understand agile principles but adapt methods to fit the team, the work, and the client.
• You elevate both your PM team and projects. You lead by example, applying your skills to your own accounts while setting the tone, mentoring, and raising the bar for the department.
• You’re autonomous and proactive. You see problems and get to work solving them. You’re comfortable trying things you’ve never tried before. You know when to ask for help.
• You’re systems-minded and detail-oriented. You love designing processes that scale — from project workflows to resourcing models. You balance detail orientation with the ability to keep multiple projects and priorities moving forward.
• You’re empathetic and direct in addressing conflict. You challenge directly and care personally, framing difficult situations clearly and constructively. You bring optimism, clarity, and calm.
• You’re a strong communicator. You distill complex conversations into clear takeaways, guide difficult discussions with clients, and help others express their own thinking.

Upstatement is committed to helping our people grow and providing transparent salary benchmarks. This job fits two possible levels in our skill progression framework (something we’d love to share during the interview process). The level depends the candidate’s unique qualifications, to be determined during the interview process.

Official Title: Senior Project Management Director

Department: Project Management

Level: PML6

Salary Range: $150,000 - $170,000, plus bonus incentives

Location: Remote