Management consulting Jobs in Columbia, MO

Director, Project Management

Open position in all True Media office locations, including Kansas City, MO, Columbia, MO, St. Louis, MO, and Minneapolis, MN; Hybrid work schedule: 3 days in the office, 2 days working from home

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position, now or in the future. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requiring employer sponsorship.

Summary True Media US is seeking a visionary operational leader to serve as the chief architect of our project management execution framework. Whether entering as a Director, Senior Director, or VP, this individual will establish the standards, methodologies, and tools that ensure operational excellence across all US client engagements. This role provides strategic governance over the entire project lifecycleproactively identifying systemic bottlenecks and financial risks to protect agency profitability. As a key leadership figure, you will mentor a dedicated team of project management professionals and collaborate cross-functionally to bridge complex media strategies and flawless internal delivery.

Note: This is a working leadership role. The final title will be commensurate with experience. At any level, the position maintains 30-50% of their time acting as a Senior Project Manager on select high-profile client accounts and/or operational onboarding of new accounts.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (Other duties may be assigned)

• Operational Infrastructure & Framework Design
  • Establish, maintain, and evolve the agency's project management framework, defining standardized workflows that ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across all client teams.
  • Serve as the primary architect for agency-wide tools (including the project management tool, finance/media platform, and cross-agency communication tools), ensuring they are optimized to maximize team efficiency.
  • Drive total operational integrity of client data and project architecture within agency platforms, enforcing rigorous standards for client onboarding, file management, and PII data privacy compliance.
• Financial Governance & Risk Mitigation
  • Lead the strategic development and oversight of statements of work (SOWs) and resource estimates to ensure agency services are accurately valued and contractually protected.
  • Partner closely with Account Management to reconcile project performance against financial targets, proactively mitigating risks to agency profitability.
  • Oversee the precision of media authorizations and spend tracking, providing high-level consultation on complex client financial structures.
• Resource Allocation & Scalability
  • Strategically manage agency resource allocation by developing standard timelines and task management protocols across all media services.
  • Balance team bandwidth against client deliverables to ensure sustainable scalability without compromising output quality.
• Team Leadership & Executive Escalation
  • Directly lead, mentor, and inspire the Project Management team (directly supervising up to 6 employees), fostering a culture of professional growth and accountability.
  • Oversee the integration of PM workflows into the agency's standard operating procedure (SOP) onboarding framework for new hires.
  • Serve as the primary leadership escalation point for internal operational challenges or complex client delivery issues; collaborate with executive leadership to resolve systemic roadblocks.

Qualifications - To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 10+ years of project or account management experience, with 7+ years of leadership in an agency operations setting.
• Deep understanding of agency financial models, statement of work (SOW) architecture, risk mitigation strategies, and media math.
• A natural ability to establish clear lanes, standards, and operating protocols for an entire department.
• Anticipates financial or operational gaps at the macro portfolio level and implements preventative strategies.
• Ability to synthesize complex operational data into concise, high-level executive briefings for agency leadership.

Education

Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university preferred (concentration in advertising, marketing, or communications a plus).

Total Perks Package

• The chance to be a part of a growing company and the next success story
• Amazing opportunities for career development
• Recognition programs
• Employee referral bonus
• Hybrid work schedule; 3 days in the office, 2 days working from home
• Fun and collaborative work environment
• Casual dress code
• Insurance Coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability)
• 401(k) retirement plan, with employer 4% match
• Work/life benefits, including mental health and wellbeing support
• Flexible Time Off Policy
• Paid holidays, including agency soft closing Christmas Eve-New Year's Day
• Paid leave options, including sick leave, medical leave for self and family, and parental leave