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Wunderman Thompson

Integrated creative, data-driven marketing agency

Programme Manager

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Expert
Bachelor's
Porto, Portugal+2 moreMore locations: Lisbon, Portugal | Faro, Portugal
HybridHybrid; teams work in the office an average of four days a week.
Project & Program ManagementProgram Management

About the job

Requirements
  • Experience managing multiple teams across different workstreams; if in a team management role, this should involve at least 20 people.
  • A good understanding of the software development lifecycle and release management.
  • A proven track record in the successful delivery of an ecommerce migration or re-platform.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills.
  • Excellent negotiation skills and the ability to handle sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy.
  • Exposure to medium- to large-scale fixed-price project delivery.
  • Experience in multi-vendor management.
  • Experience managing people and financial budgets, including programme budgeting and monitoring financials, ideally in an ecommerce environment.
  • Experience overseeing third parties.
  • Excellent risk management skills.
  • Experience working in an Agile environment.
  • A proven track record working with organisations moving from Waterfall to Agile delivery approaches.
  • Working knowledge of Agile frameworks, Scrum, and Kanban.
  • Effective leadership skills and experience managing other project managers.
  • Strong time management and organisational skills.
  • Excellent communication and relationship management skills.
  • Good commercial knowledge.
  • Experience in software application development-related project management.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office packages, especially Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
Responsibilities
  • Lead teams to deliver high-quality, complex projects on budget and within a specified timeframe to achieve the potential benefits defined in the business case.
  • Work closely with the Account Director to achieve productivity goals and contribute to the organisation’s overall success.
  • Be accountable for all delivery across the programme.
  • Analyse, evaluate, and overcome programme risks, and produce accurate programme reports for management and stakeholders.
  • Maintain organisational standards of satisfaction, quality, and performance, including creating and implementing ways of working at the start of a programme.
  • Create and implement effective ways of working at the start of the programme and ensure they are adhered to throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Track and manage dependencies between projects and workstreams, creating programme-level plans to ensure these are addressed.
  • Ensure programme goals are reached by keeping workstreams updated on progress and changes that need to be made.
  • Provide support and guidance to project managers within the account and line management for several project managers outside the account.
  • Maintain a resource plan showing resource commitments across projects and track potential end dates in association with functional lead personnel.
  • Track resource requests and manage fulfilment of these requests internally or externally as appropriate.
  • Develop strong relationships with team members and client stakeholders at all levels.
  • Work with the client to understand their vision and plan the programme of work to achieve that vision to the greatest effect.
  • Define and implement programme-level governance in conjunction with the client.
  • Manage third-party vendors on behalf of the client.
Desired Qualifications
  • A degree at BA/BS level in information management, marketing, communications, business, or a closely related area is an advantage.
  • Experience with contract negotiations would be advantageous.

About the company

Wunderman Thompson blends creative advertising, data-driven consultancy, and technology to drive growth for brands. It delivers creative campaigns and brand strategies, uses data and insights to help businesses transform, and offers technology solutions such as WaterLight, a product that converts salt water into electrical power. The company earns revenue through project-based fees, retainers, and performance-based incentives. It differentiates itself with an integrated approach that combines creativity, data, and technology, backed by global clients and award-winning work. Its goal is to help ambitious brands grow by delivering measurable, impactful results.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

M&A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

1958

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • VML won Kohl's digital transformation work, signaling sticky enterprise demand in 2025.
  • Healthcare and B2B remain strong; VML cites these as core growth categories.
  • VML kept winning awards in 2026, including Gold at the ANDY Awards.

What critics are saying

  • WPP cut hundreds of jobs in 2026, with VML employees notified directly.
  • The FTC and eight states sued WPP in April 2026 over ad-buying practices.
  • VML's brand is gone; integration into VML creates execution risk and identity drift.

What makes Wunderman Thompson unique

  • Wunderman Thompson lives on inside VML, uniting commerce, data, and creative scale.
  • VML combines 30,000 people across 64 markets, giving global delivery depth.
  • WPP Open gives VML proprietary AI tooling with OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Paid Vacation

Company News

Campaign Brief Asia
Nov 13th, 2024
Joy Chauhan joins Enormous as Fractional CMO

Chauhan joins Enormous from Wunderman Thompson (now VML) where in his last role, he served as Managing Partner (North) & Chief Client Officer (WT India).

Campaign Brief
Jul 30th, 2024
City of Melbourne appoints By All Means; Grace Hurley joins agency as art director

Hurley joins BAM from Wunderman Thompson (now VML), where she worked on Nestlé, Kelloggs, Treasury Wine Estates, Visit Canberra and Victoria Police.

Fierce Pharma
Feb 7th, 2024
Wunderman Thompson Health, WPP alum Renata Maia becomes Ogilvy Health's chief creative officer

In this role, Maia, who joins from Wunderman Thompson Health where she was the agency's first global CCO, will "oversee the creative product across all Ogilvy Health offerings including brand development, strategy, experience and innovation, PR and influence, medical education, and market access," according to a press release.

Campaign
Jan 29th, 2024
Brave Spark creates leadership roles for strategy and new business

Katie Mulligan joins from Wunderman Thompson and Matt Williams moves from his role as global head of marketing at parent company MSQ.

Campaign Asia
Jan 17th, 2024
Valtech boosts growth and consulting practices with senior hires

Varatharajan joins from Wunderman Thompson (now VML), where he was head of growth and consulting.