Embedded Program Manager Jobs in Guelph, ON (NOW HIRING)

The Project Manager is the operational backbone of integrated programs at Viral Nation. Embedded within the Client Services team, this role owns the "how" and "when" of program delivery -  translating strategy into execution across every center of excellence. This is not an administrative support role. The PM is a hands-on execution partner who drives process, financial stewardship, and cross-functional coordination to keep programs on track, on budget, and moving forward. Working in close partnership with Client Services leadership, the PM manages day-to-day execution while building the operational instincts, cross-functional fluency, and program management maturity that come with time in the role.

Responsibilities:

Project Management / Workstream Ownership:

• Maintain a master program tracker as the single source of truth across all assigned accounts - action items, resource links, work-back schedules, COE allocations, deliverables status, and project status, etc.
• Ensure consistency in project scope, establish key phases, define milestones, and set timelines — partnering with Client Services leadership to validate approach and calibrate expectations.
• Proactively flag scope drift and compressed timelines before they create downstream risk, escalating to leadership when the path forward requires senior judgment.
• Build and maintain internal and external work-back schedules in advance.
• Scan continuously for gaps, compressed timelines, budget pressure, and cleanup opportunities.
• Proactively ensure that all cross-functional teams are informed and aligned.
• Support the VP of Client Services to monitor budget and hours and their burn, pacing, and utilization across active scopes.
• Pull exports, run calculations by staff and department, review month-over-month trends, and identify drivers - surfacing findings to leadership for review and direction.
• Document and consolidate learnings and optimizations that can be applied downstream.
• Set-up and maintain project infrastructure -  internal kick-off documents, folder structure, Slack channels, Monday.com boards, campaign management trackers, timelines, and shared documentation.

Resource Management:

• In partnership with the VP of Client Services, schedule and assign appropriate resources for project completion.
• Forecast capacity, reallocate as needed, balance workload, flag capacity gaps before they become delivery problems, and build staffing recommendations when demand exceeds supply — ensuring tasks are completed on schedule.
• Own utilization and team time-tracking workflows end to end — set resource allocations prior to campaign kickoff, conduct bi-weekly time audits and monthly program health audits, and chase COEs to correct misbilled time entries.
• Provide high-level burn and pacing summaries with insights and trends to Client Services leadership (VPs, Directors & ADs).
• Communicate risk early with supporting context so leadership can determine the path forward.

Operational Cadence & Communication: 

• Schedule and lead internal meetings — standups, workflow meetings, internal reviews, and status syncs — including navigating calendar conflicts across teams.
• Ensure note-taking for all internal meetings (manual and via Gemini Notes/Transcript). Distribute post-sync recaps, add notes to channel canvas, and track follow-up actions to completion.
• Provide timely updates and documentation to internal teams — status, next steps, timeline shifts, and budget implications.
• Attend client status meetings and briefings as needed, based on CSL guidance.
• Hold weekly syncs with AS and ADs and schedule one-off sessions with creative, strategy and BI leads to stay aligned on progress, surface pain points, and flag optimization opportunities.

Creative & Production Support: 

• Collaborate with Producers to coordinate creative development logistics — schedule brainstorms, build production timelines, and integrate all creative and production milestones into the master WBS across pre-production, shoot, and post-production phases.
• Support content calendar production by conducting feasibility reviews against full program scope, resource availability, paid flight dates, and production runway — track calendar adherence and flag slippage early. This applies to all scoped deliverables, including influencers and studio-produced content.
• Collaborate with Producers to drive clarity and cohesion within the post-production review cycle. Track internal review timelines against master WBS and client timeliness, ensure clarity and efficiency in routing assets to correct client stakeholders (via collaboration and management of agency tools — i.e. Monday.com), communicate effectively with Producers to ensure asset versioning, recutting and repurposing aligns with feedback and timing, and escalate bottlenecks that risk the timeline.
• Own the handoff from production to posting and paid — collaborate with Producers to confirm assets are final, formatted, tagged, and delivered to the correct team with proper specs and flight dates.

Process Optimization & ROB Efficiency:

• Evaluate workflows across your assigned accounts and identify opportunities for practical improvement -  escalating larger process changes to leadership for alignment.
• Support process standardization across accounts and project management ways of working.
• Support rhythm-of-business efficiencies that reduce friction for your book of business.
• Be the go-to source for operational questions across all COEs — scheduling, permissions, documentation access, and process clarification. Own the answer, don't relay the question.

Skills and Qualifications:

• 3+ years of project management experience in an agency, marketing, or integrated services environment.
• Experience managing integrated marketing campaigns for enterprise technology, AI, SaaS, or consumer technology clients within an agency environment is strongly preferred.
• Comfortable supporting fast-paced technology clients with evolving priorities, managing multiple concurrent workstreams, accelerated timelines, and cross-functional teams across Strategy, Creative, Production, Influencer, Paid Media, and Analytics.
• Experience supporting technology product launches, AI initiatives, or B2B technology marketing campaigns, with the ability to translate complex client objectives into structured project plans and seamless campaign execution.
• Strong command of project management tools -  Monday.com experience is a must.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent programs with competing timelines and shifting priorities.
• Excellent analytical skills -  comfortable pulling data, running burn calculations, and translating numbers into actionable recommendations.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to maintain clean documentation and infrastructure across multiple accounts.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills  -  able to drive accountability without direct authority and coordinate effectively across cross-functional teams.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset. You identify problems before they escalate and arrive with recommendations, not just observations.
• Experience managing creative production workflows from ideation through final delivery is a strong plus.