Senior Program Director (Health)

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. 

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.  Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. 

About VML Health:

VML HEALTH is a global healthcare agency that partners with healthcare clients across a broad definition of health, from high science to wellness and everything in between. It operates fluidly within the VML agency, as a core group of health specialists (a 'vertical') that has the benefit of autonomy in management, but with support of non-health expertise.

At the heart of health is the story of life – all the highs and lows, ambitions, and possibilities. But facing a health challenge can suddenly pull people away from these stories, knocking them off course.

Our purpose is to bridge this gap, bringing people closer to life and all its meaning. We gain a deeper understanding of Healthcare Professionals' and patients' needs, behaviors and lived experiences through what we call 'radical empathy'.

VML Health creates connected brands that get to the heart, bringing people closer to the lives they want to live. Get to the heart. Connect for life.

What We're Looking For:

VML Health is seeking an experienced Senior Program Director who can quickly understand our clients' needs and objectives with the ability to effectively manage a variety of internal stakeholders across multiple departments in their efforts to deliver on those objectives. The Senior Program Director is expected to manage against defined processes throughout a client engagement as well as identify strategic opportunities for optimizations and new work within our client's environments. This individual is also responsible for building, coaching and leading teams against said process to ensure successful deliveries.

What You'll Do:

• Lead multiple programs of projects across one or more client engagements
• Support/provide strategic direction related to processes and resolution paths
• Understand the requirements of the organization to create efficient solutions within the projects engaged
• Provide well researched POV documents on a variety of solutions related to project work
• Maintain direct client relationships with client project owners and client management leadership
• Responsible for interviewing and making recommendations to hire at the Program Director level and below
• Coach, mentor, motivate and manage direct reports
• Serve as a key point of contact and liaison for cross-divisional teams, agency peers and management
• Lead scoping and estimation exercises for existing and new business
• Support creation of RFP responses with other teams within VML and new business engagement
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and efficiencies to continuously provide value to clients
• Support organizational resourcing based on client needs (communicating, managing, executing)
• Manages projects against variances in profitability, burn and efficiency

Who You Are and What You Bring:

• 15+ years of project management experience including working at marketing agency with pharmaceutical brands
• Ability to provide proactive and assertive leadership in problem solving, managing financial success of projects, maintaining timelines, and reducing waste
• Strong interpersonal skills and able to resolve conflict with productive outcomes
• Ability to effectively work across departments with diplomacy and a firm understanding of other's roles and perspectives
• Ability to manage multiple work-streams (projects) effectively and efficiently
• Extensive team management skills for teams of 20+
• Ability to view problems in context at the system and organization and align solutions with the strategic direction of our clients and company
• Proactive, adaptable, and flexible
• Life-long learner, demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement
• Strong attention to detail
• Demonstrable ability to operate under tight deadline with complex business/technical solutions
• Ability to manage workload with minimal sup