Deputy Program Manager

M&C Saatchi World Services is a full-service marketing company renowned for using commercial advertising to solve the world’s toughest challenges. World Services is a specialty branch of M&C Saatchi Group, and we provide strategic communications, behavior change, and marketing support to Public Sector clients with special emphasis on the US Federal Government and State, Local, Tribal, & Territorial leaders.

M&C Saatchi World Services US is seeking an experienced and highly strategic Group Account Director, SVP / Deputy Program Manager. This role ensures all communications, outreach, and engagement activities integrate seamlessly across functional teams and output, providing structured operational oversight and ensuring mission continuity across interconnected workstreams.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As Group Account Director, SVP / Deputy Program Manager you'll work closely with mission partners, senior leadership, and multidisciplinary teams, you will help drive program performance through effective coordination, operational rigor, and stakeholder engagement. You will support resource planning, risk and issue management, readiness tracking, performance reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring all activities align with program objectives, client expectations, and quality standards.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and strong relationship builder who can anticipate stakeholder needs, manage competing priorities, and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment. Success in this role requires sound judgment, excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to foster collaboration across diverse teams while maintaining a commitment to operational excellence and client service.

This is a hybrid role; however, the ideal candidate will live in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region.

What you'll do:

• Manage program management activities for communications, outreach and engagement programs, including planning, reporting, stakeholder coordination, and day-to-day operational execution.

• Direct day-to-day activities and ensure alignment with program management objectives and PMO direction.

• Coordinate engagement efforts across multi-disciplinary teams including IT, cybersecurity, data operations, and other mission stakeholders to ensure seamless integration across workstreams.

• Maintain outreach and engagement readiness through schedule management, resource tracking, deliverable oversight, and operational dependency management.

• Support workforce planning, forecasting, and staffing coordination for communications, outreach & engagement functions.

• Monitor and manage risks, issues, and mitigation activities while facilitating cross-team escalation processes and resolution efforts.

• Ensure all deliverables meet quality, compliance, accuracy, and timeliness requirements.

• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, operational syncs, governance reviews, and program coordination activities.

• Track and report performance metrics, service-level agreements, key performance indicators, and engagement-related dashboards to support informed decision-making.

• Support the development and refinement of standard operating procedures, workflows, quality controls, and engagement processes.

• Collaborate with communications teams to align messaging with outreach priorities, stakeholder insights, and program objectives.

• Prepare reports, executive briefings, and engagement updates for client leadership.

• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and implement solutions that strengthen operational effectiveness and stakeholder engagement.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, mission partners, and senior stakeholders while serving as a trusted point of coordination across the program.

What you'll bring:

• Minimum 10 years of experience supporting communications, outreach, engagement, operations, program management, or related mission support activities.

• Proven experience in managing complex and multifaceted programs.

• Strong understanding of stakeholder engagement, outreach planning, readiness management, operational coordination, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Experience supporting risk management, issue resolution, perfo