Deputy Program Manager, Group Account Director

M&C Saatchi World Services is a full-service marketing company renowned for using commercial advertising to solve the world’s toughest challenges. World Services is a specialty branch of M&C Saatchi Group, and we provide strategic communications, behavior change, and marketing support to Public Sector clients with special emphasis on the US Federal Government and State, Local, Tribal, & Territorial leaders.

M&C Saatchi World Services US is seeking an experienced and highly strategic Group Account Director, SVP / Deputy Program Manager. This role ensures all communications, outreach, and engagement activities integrate seamlessly across functional teams and output, providing structured operational oversight and ensuring mission continuity across interconnected workstreams.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As Group Account Director, SVP / Deputy Program Manager you'll work closely with mission partners, senior leadership, and multidisciplinary teams, you will help drive program performance through effective coordination, operational rigor, and stakeholder engagement. You will support resource planning, risk and issue management, readiness tracking, performance reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring all activities align with program objectives, client expectations, and quality standards.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and strong relationship builder who can anticipate stakeholder needs, manage competing priorities, and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment. Success in this role requires sound judgment, excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to foster collaboration across diverse teams while maintaining a commitment to operational excellence and client service.

This is a hybrid role; however, the ideal candidate will live in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region.

What you'll do:

• Manage program management activities for communications, outreach and engagement programs, including planning, reporting, stakeholder coordination, and day-to-day operational execution.

• Direct day-to-day activities and ensure alignment with program management objectives and PMO direction.

• Coordinate engagement efforts across multi-disciplinary teams including IT, cybersecurity, data operations, and other mission stakeholders to ensure seamless integration across workstreams.

• Maintain outreach and engagement readiness through schedule management, resource tracking, deliverable oversight, and operational dependency management.

• Support workforce planning, forecasting, and staffing coordination for communications, outreach & engagement functions.

• Monitor and manage risks, issues, and mitigation activities while facilitating cross-team escalation processes and resolution efforts.

• Ensure all deliverables meet quality, compliance, accuracy, and timeliness requirements.

• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, operational syncs, governance reviews, and program coordination activities.

• Track and report performance metrics, service-level agreements, key performance indicators, and engagement-related dashboards to support informed decision-making.

• Support the development and refinement of standard operating procedures, workflows, quality controls, and engagement processes.

• Collaborate with communications teams to align messaging with outreach priorities, stakeholder insights, and program objectives.

• Prepare reports, executive briefings, and engagement updates for client leadership.

• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and implement solutions that strengthen operational effectiveness and stakeholder engagement.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, mission partners, and senior stakeholders while serving as a trusted point of coordination across the program.

What you'll bring:

• Minimum 10 years of experience supporting communications, outreach, engagement, operations, program management, or related mission support activities.

• Proven experience in managing complex and multifaceted programs.

• Strong understanding of stakeholder engagement, outreach planning, readiness management, operational coordination, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Experience supporting risk management, issue resolution, performance reporting, and stakeholder engagement activities.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and workstreams in complex, fast-paced environments.

• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to engage effectively with senior leaders and clients.

• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities with exceptional attention to detail.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, anticipate challenges, and proactively identify solutions.

• Experience developing and improving operational processes, workflows, and quality assurance measures.

• Commitment to collaboration, accountability, operational excellence, and high-quality client service.

Bonus points if you have:

• Experience working within federal government or DoD environments.

• Familiarity with PMO governance, Agile methodologies, ITIL frameworks, or similar operational models.

• Active Secret security clearance.

• PMP, Agile, or ITIL certifications.

WHAT YOU GET

We offer a competitive salary ($150,000-$175,000) and a benefits package designed to support your health, family life, financial wellbeing, and growth.

Family & parental support

• 12 weeks’ full pay for Primary Carers and 6 weeks for Secondary Carers (after one year of service; return requirements apply for subsequent leave)

• Applies to birth, adoption, and surrogacy

• Up to 10 days’ paid fertility leave per year (5 per cycle)

• 2 days’ paid leave for new grandparents

• $2,500 annual interest-free parental loan

• $6,000 interest-free fertility treatment loan

Healthcare & wellbeing

• Choice of three medical plans (HSA at $0 cost; EPO 75% employer funded; PPO 65% employer funded)

• 70% employer-funded dental and vision coverage

• Generous paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, including an office closure between Christmas & New Year's

• Gym membership reimbursement and/or Wellhub subscription

• 401(k) with 4% employer match

• 24/7 mental health support through Self Space

• Social events, happy hours, professional development trainings, etc.

• Work from anywhere for up to 2 weeks per year (subject to approval)

Culture & development

• $300 annual cultural stimulation allowance (accrued monthly; available after 90 days)

• Weekly Thursday happy hour

• Mentorship and Buddy programs

ABOUT M&C SAATCHI WORLD SERVICES

M&C Saatchi World Services is a specialist division of M&C Saatchi Group, the world’s largest independent communications network. Our specialists work in office hubs across six continents, grounding our global expertise in local nuance.

We offer award-winning commercial communications capabilities, which are utilized by global organizations to address the world’s most complex problems across defence, development, diplomacy, homeland and national security, law and order, health, education, and the environment.

We work with clients that want to help the hardest-to-reach, hardest-to-influence audiences. This includes a range of Western Government departments, such as DOS and USAID; partner governments, including the U.K. and Australia; and prominent IGOs/NGOs such as the U.N.

We are a comms agency that works on behaviour change projects typically focused on issues related to Security, Defence and Stabilization. Whether it’s producing critically acclaimed feature films in Africa, to TV shows in the Middle East, to pop music videos in Asia, we have a record of leveraging creativity to access communities anywhere in the world.