Paper Giant is a strategic design consultancy that helps organisations deliver better products, services and policies. 

We believe that better products, services and policies are those that lead to a more just, equal and sustainable society. Our goal is to help organisations create positive impact through work that considers the perspectives and lived experience of the people it affects.

We have offices in Naarm / Melbourne and on Ngunnawal country / Canberra and we strive to create flexibility to support you to do your best work wherever you are. We welcome people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, and are an equal opportunity employer. If you're not sure you meet all the criteria, we absolutely encourage you to apply.

Who we are looking for...

We’re looking for a Senior Project Manager, who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of strategic design projects for clients in the government, not-for-profit, and private sectors. You will contribute to successful and profitable project outcomes, whilst ensuring client satisfaction and a positive working environment for our teams. 

You should have strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills and be a confident and influential communicator. Knowledge and experience of applying a variety of project management methodologies on complex, medium-to-large scale projects is essential. 

What you will do:

Practice and craft

• Ensure the successful delivery of complex research and design projects by managing resources to deliver to the agreed scope, budget and timeline
• Effectively and consistently communicate the project vision, objectives, risk, issues and status to clients, stakeholders and Paper Giant
• Educate clients and teams in various project management methodologies and draw on experience to optimise the project approach
• Work with the project team to define milestones and roadmaps for given projects and translate them into feasible and viable plans and requirements
• Schedule and communicate important events including internal project kick-off meetings, as well as client kick-off, showcases, and project retrospectives
• Lead project research operations, including recruitment of research participants and workshop support
• Ensure all projects are delivered to our high level of quality
• Proactively identify and communicate emerging client, team, project scope, or practice issues

Governance

• Demonstrate high levels of commercial acumen and seek to understand business priorities as a basis for decision making
• Interpret contracts and provide feedback to the business on potential risks
• Ensure effective project governance activities are implemented and adhered to, including project communication, risk mitigation, and scope definition activities
• Manage changes to scope thoroughly and in accordance with the contract 
• Ensure visibility and consistency of project information through setup and maintenance of projects in our online systems, including Google Drive, Harvest, Slack and Forecast

Managing client relationships

• Develop meaningful relationships with clients and stakeholders of all levels, and confidently facilitate discussions to negotiate scope, trade-offs, risk and budget  
• Lead presentations to small and large groups confidently and convey ideas and information in a clear and interesting way
• Generate leads or nurture new business opportunities with input of business leaders
• Consider what value we provide to clients and tailor the project approach to deliver client value and successful outcomes 
• Encourage clients to work with us again by providing an excellent client experience

Ethics, purpose and care

• Be comfortable with the ambiguity of working in a trans-disciplinary way, be positive and willing to try new things to support your teammates
• Work to create an environment in which everybody's voices can be heard
• Create opportunities to contribute to the studio practice and culture

Essential skills and experience

• Minimum 3 years experience working in an agency or consulting environment in a Delivery Manager, Project Manager or Producer role;
• Experience leading complex projects and managing budgets in excess of $200k;
• Experience using a variety of project management methodologies and are able draw on this knowledge to recommend the best approach for your project and client;
• Familiar with online collaboration tools such as Miro and Slack and know how to use them as part of your working process;
• Can give thoughtful, constructive, actionable critical feedback;
• Have a learning mindset and will seek to understand strategic design practices and methodologies;
• Experience working in an agency or consulting environment;
• Fluent in written and spoken English; and
• Full and current working rights for Australia.

Favourable skills and experience

• Familiar with government procurement and can create detailed governance documentation that meets requirements;
• Can interpret contract clauses and provide feedback to the business on potential risks; and
• Familiar with human-centred design methodologies and mindsets.

Your application

Please supply a resume and answer the following questions:

• Why do you want to work at Paper Giant?
• What’s the most challenging project you’ve worked on in the past two years?
• What’s your ideal project, and what would your role be on it?

We welcome international applicants with Australian work rights. Flexible, part-time and remote working arrangements will be considered.

Remuneration

The salary range for this role is between $100,000 - $120,000, depending on your experience.

What’s it like to work at Paper Giant?

Working at Paper Giant means working as part of a passionate and supportive team of design, research and operations practitioners.

We work together on projects and the company, and our culture is one of generosity, sharing, inventiveness and openness.

We offer flexible work hours, a generous professional development allowance, and support volunteering and learning opportunities for all our staff.

We work on diverse, complex, interesting and challenging projects, and are passionate about using design to solve complex problems at all scales.

We welcome people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, and are an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, mature age workers and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTIQA+) people.