Project Manager

Highland Group Culture

‘We are HG’ is more than a URL, it's a promise: A commitment that you’ll partner with a team of marketing professionals who love what they do, and who they do it with. Each tactic we touch reflects our mission to positively impact the hearts, minds and environments of our communities.

Grand Rapids, MI

Full-Time with Benefits

Hybrid

About You / What You’ll Need + Position Specifics

Project leader. Client advocate. Process enthusiast. Quarterback.

We’re seeking a person who thrives in the whirlwind of branding and marketing. Our clients use branding and marketing as a strategic lever to grow their business. You’re the one at HG who can break down their goals into tangible project work, run the process against a defined timeline and make sure creative has everything they need to deliver impactful, results-driven work. As part of the account team, you create the links between the client and creative execution. While the Account Executive sets strategy and manages the account relationship, you keep tabs on everything through our tracking software. You are the definition of project manager: running the process and communication between HG and the client, seeing the big picture and reveling in on-time, on-budget delivery. 

The Day-to-Day Experience

Here’s what this job looks like: New clients and projects. You bring the same enthusiasm, confidence and organization to a client’s first project that you do to their 1,000th. You are involved in onboarding new clients and projects, setting timelines and completing briefs. You help with research and discovery as needed. It’s your responsibility to acclimate clients to HG, our team and processes.

Day-to-Day: Internal. Clients put their trust in HG to be pragmatic, efficient, responsible and unbelievably creative. You make sure everyone at HG is delivering on that goal. Your organized task list is a thing of beauty. You develop creative briefs, manage project timelines, run internal meetings, keep track of budgets and expenses. Of course, you love proofreading and making sure everything that goes to the client is perfect. Creative wins are your wins.

Day-to-Day: External. Clients need confidence that their projects are on track. You’re the day-to-day contact with them, and they can count on your responsiveness. You schedule meetings, take amazing notes and make sure they leave with clarity about next steps and timing. Client wins are your wins.

As a Project Manager, you set the marching orders. We landed a rad project that has everyone excited? Step one: write a creative brief. Step two: set a timeline. Set three: huddle the team for a kickoff meeting. Your ride or die will be the account executive on this work. While they sets the strategy and maintain the client relationship, you’re the one sweating the details; meticulous notes, maintaining project management software and kicking rears into gear to meet deadlines to ensure that the project is on time and budget. It’s a job for those who love to get their hands dirty in marketing work and come up with unique solutions that truly move customers to action.

What does that look like, more specifically? You’re the Point Person: 

Day-to-day client contact for all projects on assigned accounts – own and build relationships to become an essential, trusted partner in the client business. You’re the glue holding the client projects together with the set strategy.

Project Management – Schedule, manage and run client status meetings, timelines + scheduling, meeting notes and follow-ups, purchase orders + task orders, presentation development, project estimates and budget tracking 

Build Strategy through Projects – Develop the creative brief, identify opportunities for HG to support client needs and manage client’s tactical marketing programs 

Meticulous Process – Attention to detail to ensure all pieces are properly proofread and ushered through process, manage the creative development process to consistently deliver on client expectations 

Team Player – Support a team-based, collaborative environment, working closely with the creative, production and digital teams to develop the best creative, backed in business-driven strategy as possible. Independently take action to keep projects moving smoothly, while working in collaboration with Account Executive on strategic decisions to successfully deliver on project expectations. 

Preferred Qualifications

  • If you’re a unicorn, you’d have a Bachelor’s Degree, 5 years experience, love writing for web and email, and speak fluent digital marketing. 
  • We’re looking for someone with 5-7 years’ experience in the agency world as a project manager or project coordinator, or in the corporate world as a marketing manager or marketing communications specialist. 
  • A person with a wide variety of experience but definitely accomplished in managing complex web development, digital marketing, content marketing and digital advertising projects.
  • A curious self-starter who loves learning about our clients and their good work. 
  • An awesome team member who gives their all, always. 
  • An essential client partner who loves being part of the team.
To apply please email your resume and cover letter via the link below.
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About HG

Highland Group is a creative studio delivering business results through brand strategy, marketing, graphic design and digital experiences. We work with action-oriented, entrepreneurial leaders -- local and global -- who are motivated to grow their organizations. Our work is smart, strategic and fun and we do it while exhibiting our core behaviors: be curious, be awesome, be essential. Since 2016, we've been a Certified B Corporation working for a more sustainably prosperous planet. 

Many of the world’s most prestigious creative competitions have recognized our work: Communication Arts, Print, How Magazine, Luerzers Archive, ADDYs, Telly Awards and Graphis. Our business has been selected by the State of Michigan as a “50 Companies to Watch Winner” and was awarded “101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For.”