Associate Director Project Management (MSU)

As a Project Management Associate Director you will strategically shape and make your mark on some of our largest and most important accounts within the Financial Services and B2B (FS&B) pillar in MSU, driving efficiencies and fostering strong client relationships. You will be managing a diverse portfolio of syndicated and tracking projects as well as ad-hoc research projects that often involve global studies, qual-quant methodologies, advanced statistical modelling, and behavioural science applications. You will partner closely with clients and our client success team to deliver impactful studies that drive tangible business outcomes. You will be supported by our offshore colleagues in the Research Execution Team (REX) to execute projects at speed. You will support the PM Director in leading the newly formed Delivery Excellence team to hit our milestones and scaling operations to lay the bedrock for growth. This is a hybrid role with 3 days in our London office and the rest from home. Your Day to Day These are the types of things you can expect to be doing during your day to day, although as Ipsos is a dynamic organisation, this may vary as different opportunities arise: Strategic Project Leadership & Delivery: With support from our REX team, lead the end-to-end delivery of large-scale, complex tracking projects on the non-FRS side, typically ranging from £200k to £1m, ensuring they are delivered efficiently, to specification, time, and budget. This includes overseeing ad-hoc projects (£50k-£250k), from planning through to final deliverables. Client & Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for key clients, adeptly managing expectations, fostering enduring partnerships, and ensuring client satisfaction. You will also serve as the main liaison with Operations, suppliers, and other internal and external stakeholders. Team Management & Development: Manage and mentor 1-2 team members, overseeing their work, ensuring quality outputs, and leading their knowledge transfer and personal development. You will lead by example, acting as a positive and inspirational role model. Organisational Planning & Financial Management: Drive organisational planning and robust financial management for projects, providing expert input on costings and pricing decisions. Growth & Innovation: Actively collaborate with the client success team to identify growth opportunities, champion innovation, and continuously challenge the status quo to implement efficiencies and smarter ways of working across project teams. About you Essential Criteria: Significant quantitative project management experience at a senior level, demonstrating a proven ability to lead large-scale, complex projects from end-to-end, ensuring successful delivery. Confidence and proven experience in managing project budgets and finances, including costing and pricing decisions. Proven experience in managing and mentoring individuals, fostering their development and ensuring quality outputs. Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to adapt style effectively across diverse audiences to achieve maximum positive impact. Strong client management experience, capable of adding significant value to client meetings and serving as a trusted point of contact for project implementation and execution. Highly organised with an agile approach to workload management; able to prioritise effectively, multitask seamlessly, and deliver results under pressure to meet team and business goals. A positive, solution-focused, and collaborative team player, comfortable navigating ambiguity and eager to contribute to a dynamic environment. Proficiency in using all Microsoft Office applications. Desirable Criteria: A confident and commanding presence, capable of effectively leading discussions and influencing outcomes. Proven negotiation skills, with a track record of achieving favourable results for projects and the business. Exceptional organisational skills, demonstrating a proactive and self-starting approach to managing complex workloads. A clear aspiration for career progression, with a desire to develop into a more senior leadership role within 2-3 years. A keen interest in business financials and a demonstrated ability to contribute to commercial success. Confidence and experience in presenting complex information and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. Experience in managing and developing offshore or remote teams, with a willingness to play a significant role in upskilling and training our Research Execution (REX) teams. Proficiency in AI use and adoption to enhance day-to-day tasks and project efficiencies, with a readiness and openness to continuously upskill in this area. Behaviours: Analytical thinking Resilience, flexibility and agility Creative thinking Motivation and self-awareness Empathy and active listening Curiosity and lifelong learning Service orientation and customer service Talent Management Leadership and social influence Benefits We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities. We realise you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application. We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week. We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. We provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Your application will be reviewed by someone from our Talent Team who will be in touch either way to let you know the outcome. Ready to have an impact? Apply now !