Entry Level Creative Project Manager Jobs in California

Company Description

Club Kuma is a creative studio that partners with clients and creators to brand, design, and manufacture award-winning hero products. Built on a heritage of creativity and innovation, we are one team, in-house.

With headquarters in sunny Santa Monica and a creative workplace culture, Club Kuma is designed to have fun. We’re committed to building lasting partnerships with all our collaborators, from the creators who inspire our products and brands, to the people we hire to make them. You’ll find competitive salaries and benefits with every full-time position, because our team believes in rewarding a job well done.

Job Description

We are looking for a highly organized, detail-driven Project Manager to oversee the development and execution of packaging and turnkey projects for multiple clients—including a core group of key accounts. This role is both client-facing and internal-facing, requiring strong communication, structured project management, and the ability to keep complex timelines, vendors, and cross-functional teams aligned. The ideal candidate excels at managing many moving parts, thrives in a fast-paced creative environment, and brings a practical, solutions-oriented mindset to every challenge.

What You’ll Do

• Project Planning and Execution: Develop project plans, create timelines, coordinate to ensure successful project completion. Monitor project progress, identify risks, and offer solutions to mitigate risks.
• Client Relationship Management: Serve as day-to-day point of contact for clients, maintaining regular communication to understand their needs, address concerns, and provide project updates. Lead client meetings and provide clear recaps outlining decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines.
• Sourcing & Vendor Coordination: Manage the sourcing process by requesting samples, gathering pricing, reviewing specifications, and communicating updates with approved vendors. Track sample statuses, lead times, and revisions to support accurate and timely decision-making.
• Quoting & Proposal Support: Assist the sales team by compiling pricing, updating cost sheets, and preparing quote details as project scopes evolve. Ensure all costing information is accurate, current, and aligned with project requirements.
• Cost Management: Assist in identifying cost-saving opportunities and implement strategies to optimize project profitability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with internal teams including design, engineering, purchasing, logistics, and regulatory to ensure seamless project execution. Foster effective communication and coordination among team members to meet project objectives.
• Quality Control and Compliance: Ensure manufacturing processes comply with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and client specifications with necessary stakeholders. Conduct inspections and address any non-conformance issues to maintain product quality and customer satisfaction.
• Project documentation: Create and maintain project documentation, including project plans, progress reports, change orders, and other relevant records. Ensure accurate and timely documentation to support project tracking, reporting, and analysis
• Continuous Improvement: Implement best practices and drive initiatives to optimize project management and client account management processes.

Qualifications

What You Bring

• 2 plus years of project management experience in CPG, beauty, packaging, or a related manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple high-volume, deadline-driven projects simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident interacting with clients, vendors, and internal teams.
• Demonstrates strong ownership and independent work style, paired with sound judgment on when to escalate or seek support.
• Experience with sourcing, timelines, production tracking, or manufacturing workflows is a plus.
• Comfortable working with Teams, Excel, and Netsuite (experience a plus, training provided).
• A proactive, solutions-oriented, and collaborative mindset.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, creative, startup-style environment.
• Strong attention to detail, follow-through, and accountability.

Why You’ll Love Working at Club Kuma

• Work on innovative, design-forward packaging and turnkey projects for top emerging beauty brands.
• Partner with award-winning internal creative and technical teams who elevate every project.
• Be part of a small, collaborative, fast-growing company where your work has visible impact.
• Growth opportunity as the company scales

Additional information

• The Project Manager position is a full-time, in-office position at Club Kuma headquarters in Santa Monica. We offer a comprehensive package, including a competitive salary, PTO, benefits, 401K, and holidays.
• The compensation range for this position is $90,000 - $110,000 annually. The exact salary is determined by various factors including experience, skills, and education.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.