Senior Project Manager

Element5 Digital is a brand and digital agency in Troy, Michigan. We build brands, websites, digital products and campaigns for municipal, nonprofit and commercial clients, on retainer and project bases. We are small on purpose. Everyone ships real work, and every hour counts.

The Role

We need a project manager who runs the operation. You will own every active project, every deadline, and every person's schedule across a team of seven. You will say no to scope creep, push back on unrealistic dates, and make sure the work gets done on time and on budget. This is not a note-taker role. You will have the authority to set priorities and hold people accountable, including senior staff and leadership.

What You'll Do

• Run 10–20 concurrent client projects and retainers, from kickoff through launch and support

• Own the master schedule and resource plan for seven people: who works on what, when, and for how long

• Build project plans, timelines, budgets and statements of work with the strategy and creative leads

• Lead weekly status meetings, internal standups and client check-ins; keep them short and decision-focused

• Track hours against budget and flag overruns before they happen, not after

• Hold team members to commitments; escalate early and directly when work slips

• Manage scope: document change requests, price them, and get client sign-off before work begins

• Run QA and launch processes for websites and digital products

• Own our project management tools and processes, and improve them

• In collaboration with the Client Relations Manager,
  be the day-to-day client, contact on delivery, freeing strategy and creative leads to focus on the work

What you bring

• 5–8 years of project management experience, with at least 3 in digital product development, web development, software, or R&D

• A track record of running multiple complex projects at once with shared, limited resources

• Direct experience managing developers, designers and outside vendors through build and launch

• Comfort being the authority in the room: you set deadlines, run meetings and deliver hard news to clients and colleagues

• Fluency in Agile/Scrum and waterfall, and judgment about when to use which

• Expert use of a PM platform and time tracking.
  We use Teamwork and Slack.

• Clear, concise writing: scopes, status reports, change orders

• Budget management experience: hours, burn rates and project profitability

Nice to have

• Agency or professional-services background

• PMP, CSM or PSM certification
• Experience with WordPress, Shopify or custom web builds

Compensation and work setup

• Salary $75,000–$90,000, based on experience

• Hybrid: in-office in Troy, MI for team days, remote otherwise

• Health insurance, 401k and professional development assistance
• Unlimited PTO