Compensation Overview

Why we’re hiring:

Are you yearning for a new challenge to build something from the ground up? Are you a masterful networker, comfortable with ambiguity, and can mobilize teams to be better?

Our newly formed WPP People Operations and Transformation team is building the foundation for how WPP and its agencies will deliver effective operational and People solutions to enable us to deliver consumer-grade HR services to our colleague population of over 100,000 people worldwide.

We are undergoing a significant transformation to modernize ways of working, shifting to Workday HCM and driving automation to digitise the colleague experience. As part of this transformation journey the Global HCM People Team are seeking a Senior Program Manager, PMO to join our team.

What you’ll be doing:

As a key member of the internal program delivery team, you will collaborate closely with WPP internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure deliverables meet quality, time, and scope objectives. Your role involves:

• Providing proactive support to the business team, anticipating their needs to enhance project success.
• Communicating project updates to stakeholders including project teams, external clients, senior management, and the executive team.
• Compiling weekly project reports/status updates for internal teams and management, ensuring transparency on project health.
• Working with stakeholders to clarify project scope and effectively communicate project requirements to senior leaders.
• Assisting in the creation of technical plans by defining deliverables for each product release in collaboration with the project team.
• Managing multiple workstreams and deliverables, identifying and addressing risks, issues, and dependencies across projects.
• Leading the Program Management Office (PMO), providing strategic direction and guidance to project managers and teams.
• Developing and implementing project management standards, methodologies, and best practices to ensure consistent and effective project delivery.
• Collaborating with key stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Managing the full project lifecycle, from initiation through closure, including planning, execution, monitoring, and controlling.
• Overseeing multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely, within-budget, and high-quality delivery.
• Providing leadership, mentoring, and coaching to project managers and team members, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Establishing and maintaining effective communication channels with stakeholders, keeping them informed of project status, risks, and issues.
• Driving risk management and mitigation strategies, proactively identifying and addressing potential obstacles to project success.
• Monitoring and reporting on key performance metrics, project milestones, and deliverables to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Continuously assessing and improving project management processes and tools to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Who you’ll be working with:

The Senior Program Manager, PMO reports to the Global Head of People Delivery and will liaise with colleagues across many functions around the globe.

What you’ll need:

• Experience with Traditional Project methodology in transformation programs across HR or related departments.
• Proficiency in Agile (Scrum) methodology.
• Understanding of HR systems and related platforms.
• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Knowledge of Workday HCM preferred.
• Experience in managing and developing data products.
• Proficiency in top-down and bottom-up estimation skills and project flighting.
• Ability to negotiate SOWs and CRs, and effectively present and defend rationale and justification to partners.
• Capacity to assemble and manage teams with required skillsets through timely allocations and collaboration with department leads.
• Ability to optimize work streams and enhance output efficiency.
• Proactive identification, tracking, and mitigation of project risks and issues, with appropriate escalation.
• Proficiency in JIRA, Confluence, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio), and advanced knowledge of relevant Project Management tools such as Smartsheet and Monday.com.

Who you are:

You’re open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are accepting: of new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You’re optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You’re extraordinary: We are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we’ll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We promote a culture of people that do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?