Freelance Senior Project Manager Jobs in California

At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Project Managers at AKQA are trusted delivery partners, bringing structure, clarity, and accountability to complex digital engagements. They build the conditions for great work to happen, aligning teams, managing competing priorities, and ensuring that every workstream moves forward with purpose and precision.

We are seeking an experienced Freelance Senior Project Manager with a strong emphasis on digital product delivery to support a well‑known, fast‑growing Atlanta‑based quick‑serve restaurant brand where AKQA has helped spearhead many of their customer and operational innovations. This is a meaningful, high‑visibility engagement where strong project leadership directly impacts the digital experiences of millions of people across thousands of locations.

• Lead day‑to‑day project management across a complex digital product engagement, ensuring clarity of priorities, timelines, deliverables, and accountability across all workstreams
• Serve as the central point of coordination between internal AKQA teams (strategy, UX, design, technology) and client stakeholders
• Manage project schedules, milestones, and dependencies with meticulous detail, proactively identifying risks and driving timely resolution
• Oversee scope management and change control, partnering with discipline leads to assess impact and maintain alignment on approved work
• Support resourcing coordination, ensuring the right people are engaged at the right time across the project lifecycle
• Facilitate regular project ceremonies and working sessions, keeping teams aligned and focused on outcomes
• Maintain clear and consistent project documentation (status reports, RAID logs, decision logs, meeting notes) that keep all stakeholders informed
• Partner with the client to manage expectations, communicate progress, and navigate complexity with composure and clarity
• Ensure delivery processes align with agile, waterfall, or hybrid methodologies as required by the engagement
• Contribute to continuously improving delivery practices and ways of working within the project and broader team

• 5+ years of project management experience within a digital agency or product delivery environment, with a strong emphasis on digital products and services
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi‑workstream engagements with overlapping timelines, dependencies, and stakeholder groups
• Highly organized and detail‑oriented, with strong instincts for anticipating issues before they escalate
• Clear, confident communicator with both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Comfortable working independently and proactively in a fast‑paced environment
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, or similar)
• Collaborative and solutions‑oriented, with a team‑first approach and a commitment to quality delivery

1. Hybrid; must be local to Atlanta with two days per week onsite with the client
2. July 7, 2026 through November 25, 2026
3. 40 hours/week
4. Expected compensation: $3,000 to $3,200/week

We believe great work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in‑office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting‑edge media intelligence and data solutions, world‑class creativity, next‑generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.