Senior Project and Release Manager UK

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.

Senior Project Manager and Release Manager needed to join our Delivery Team on a contractual basis.

The opportunity

A Senior Project Manager, with a technical background, who has experience managing technical teams and releases across complex client environments. You encourage strong relationships with your team and have the ability the talk, at a technical level, with developers and senior technical team members (e.g., technical architects, solution architects etc). You follow best practices in development standards and coding reviews through having a good understanding of branching strategies, development standards and coding reviews through having a good understanding of branching strategies, development principals and CI/CD.

Please bear in mind that this is a contractual role.

What you’ll be doing

• Release and technical reporting regarding project/account technical deliverables, architecture and release pipeline
• Identify technical risks and issues & provide mitigation options to achieve resolution
• Knowledgeably communicate with stakeholders (internal/external) including chairing technical meetings as required
• Manage and co-ordinate Internal technical specialists
• Lead and inspire the team to achieve individual and team objectives
• Ensure the technical team(s) complete what is expected of them successfully and suggest improvements to processes as required.
• Provide support to Junior Technical Project Managers within your account or across WTC&T giving them regular constructive feedback to help with their development
• Define, plan, organise and manage the build of new infrastructure environments
• Co-ordinate high quality technical solutions, on time, via effective time management
• Keep up to date with emerging industry practices
• Effectively run complex projects using Agile or Waterfall methodologies.
• Oversee releases across pre-production and production environments, demonstrating an understanding of dependencies between client systems.
• Implement technical governance according to the client’s needs
• Build customer confidence by understanding their needs & delivering first class solutions
• Set and manage client expectations, addressing issues in a respectful and timely manner and ensuring the organisation maintains a positive image and provides a high-quality service
• Manage 3rd party product vendors, environments, and client technical resources

What we want from you

• Project Management experience, and ecommerce experience ideally within a retail environment.
• Ability to read log files, draw conclusions and direct further technical investigation
• Working with eCommerce frameworks and hosting solutions
• Understanding of cloud/on prem. Infrastructure
• Familiarity with Azure and AWS DevOps Tooling
• Defining, managing and delivering to customer expectations within strict deadlines
• Full knowledge of the project lifecycle and experience of various project development methodologies (including Agile, Incremental and Waterfall)
• Comfortable with complex technical environments and legacy systems integration
• Managing 3rd parties
• Strong time management & organisational skills
• Excellent negotiation skills and an ability to handle sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
• Relevant Project Management qualifications
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Packages, especially MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• If you have some of this, even better
• BA/BS degree with a major in information management, marketing, communications, business or other closely-related areas is an advantage
• A developer background or programming qualification is advantageous but not essential
• Understanding of Jenkins or other release pipeline tools
• Experience of code management tools such as git, bit bucket, svn
• A basic understanding of Terraform - at a level you can engage with technical teams

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.

Permanent only

We offer a great benefits package including a discretionary bonus scheme, training opportunities, competitive pension, medical insurance, life assurance, social events, opportunities to buy and sell holidays, family friendly policies, discounts with hundreds of retailers and much more.

Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.

We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish.

We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges.

And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

How we use AI in the recruitment process

To ensure more focused and engaging conversations, we leverage AI in our recruitment process exclusively for secure, objective note-taking, never for evaluative judgments. This allows our team to be fully present with you. You are always welcome to request a transcript of these notes or opt out of this feature at any time. Opting out will not impact the outcome of the interview process"

At WPP Enterprise Solutions

WPP Enterprise Solutions designs, builds, and operates the growth systems that competitive businesses rely on. In a world where Al is reshaping how companies drive growth, we lead clients in business transformation and marketing modernisation, connecting strategy directly to execution.

Our 12,000 experts in engineering and platforms, commerce, consulting, content transformation, CRM, and CX, work within a unified global operating unit across 40+ markets. WPP Enterprise Solutions works alongside best-in-class partners including Adobe, AWS, Braze, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Shopify, as well as innovators in AI, to deliver growth solutions tailored to the needs of our clients’ businesses. We have received distinction as a leader in Commerce Services and CX Strategy Consulting by the Forrester Wave™

To find out more, visit enterprisesolutions.wpp.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

WPP Enterprise Solutions 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.

#LI-EMEA #LI-HYBRID

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.

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