Entry Level Direct Mail Manager Jobs in Illinois

Location: Chicago, Sussex, or Minneapolis, 4 days in office
 

Please note: This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship, including F-1 visa holders requiring CPT, OPT, or future H-1B sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future immigration sponsorship.

General Purpose of Job:

As a Data Project Manager and member of the Agency Centralized PMO, you will serve as the connective hub across all agency disciplines — driving projects from inception through final execution. For this position, the projects to support will include audience targeting, test designs, measurement methods, geo-spatial delineation, mail file processing, and coordination across multiple campaigns running simultaneously across many geographies.

You will partner closely with internal teams to plan, execute, and optimize projects while supporting and evolving agency processes. This role requires strong organizational skills, proactive problem solving, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced, client-service environment.

This person will support the Direct Mail Analytics projects across Quad-Rise.

Project Management & Execution:

• Ensure timely delivery of mail files to manufacturing or back to the client, if Quad is not the printer.
• Serve as an additional checkpoint in the process of producing a mail file that matches the client's expectations and the strategy agreed upon.
• Manage a multitude of medium- to large-scale projects across disciplines, ensuring successful delivery from kickoff through final execution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (creative, strategy, account, production, and media) to define project objectives, build timelines, and establish key milestones.
• Own project scope, schedules, and budgets, proactively managing changes, risks, and resources to ensure delivery on time, on budget, and to quality standards.
• Manage resource allocation and identify dependencies early to maintain workflow efficiency.
• Leverage project management tools (e.g., Workfront) to maintain transparency and provide clear visibility into progress, deliverables, and milestones.

Communication & Collaboration:

• Partner with the Analytics Liaisons, Data Engineers, Strategists, and Account Leaders to ensure all requirements are met for each campaign, and all necessary details are communicated across these teams.
• Serve as the central point of contact between internal teams and account leads, managing day-to-day communications and ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Confidently manage tactical client communications, providing clear, timely updates on project status, risks, and milestones as required.
• Foster open and effective communication, proactively identifying and clearing roadblocks to maintain project momentum and deliver quality final deliverables.
• Track and prioritize deliverables and requests, ensuring transparency and accountability across teams.
• Bring a solutions-oriented mindset, offering recommendations to improve both project outcomes and operational efficiency.

Team Support:

• Champion a positive, collaborative team culture by fostering trust, accountability, and open communication across all project teams.
• Support the adoption of agency processes, tools, and best practices — helping team members understand workflows and feel confident in their role within the broader project ecosystem.
• Serve as an advocate for continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to refine processes and championing changes that make teams more effective and aligned.
• Proactively surface risks and dependencies, bringing well-considered solutions to the team before issues impact delivery or morale.
• Provide day-to-day support to team members by removing barriers, answering questions, and ensuring no one is left without the guidance or resources they need to succeed.

Problem-Solving & Quality:

• Proactively identify and resolve project roadblocks, facilitating cross-functional alignment across analytics, technology, account, and strategy teams to keep deliverables on track and objectives clearly defined.
• Navigate complex workflows and shifting priorities with a solutions-first mindset, maintaining rigorous standards for transparency, operational efficiency, and quality outcomes at every stage of execution.
• Anticipate team and client needs, providing thoughtful solutions to keep projects on track.
• Bring a curious, solutions-driven mindset—challenging assumptions and identifying smarter, more efficient ways of working.
• Champion process improvements by formalizing best practices and applying learnings to future projects.
• Consistently deliver exceptional service, building trust across teams and clients.

Qualifications:

• 2-5 years of project management experience in a fast-paced, client-service environment (agency experience preferred), or equivalent combination of experience and demonstrated capability.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to manage projects involving technical, data, or reporting-focused deliverables while translating needs across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with direct mail terminology and strategies is preferred. Similarly, basic understanding of lift-over-control measurement techniques and in-market test design would be ideal.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple small to mid-level complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to align cross-functional teams.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, balancing competing priorities with composure and clarity.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, fostering trust and accountability across teams.
• Self-directed and proactive, with a high level of ownership and accountability.
• Proficiency in project management tools and Microsoft Office Suite; experience with Workfront or similar systems preferred.

Employees can be expected to be paid an annualized salary range of $69,620-$90,000, based on variations in knowledge, skills, experience and market conditions. 

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