Managing Director, Delivery

Company: VML
Location: Kansas City
Posted on: January 26, 2026

Job Description:

About VML VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendys. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55 markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. Who we are looking for: VML is seeking a Managing Director, Delivery focusing primarily on delivery of brand services and 360 campaigns for a group of some of our largest clients. The ideal candidate will be local to the Kansas City area and willing to come into our local KC headquarters office on a hybrid schedule as part of the leadership team. You will be responsible for the management and continuous improvement of the Delivery function as a standalone practice, while ensuring that our work is scoped accurately, delivered on time, and within budget. You are skilled in operational excellence, ruthlessly process-driven, organized, analytical, and able to manage teams with diverse objectives. You are comfortable driving revenue projections, managing resource requirements and utilization, and supporting scope development and budget allocation. What you’ll do: Lead | Oversee delivery of multiple concurrent projects in service of a global client, from initiation to completion. Develop the required governance of the Delivery function to ensure best practices and proactively improve the program and project management tools, systems, and processes used by the team. Support the development of career and succession plans for the Delivery team. Pursue | Govern the adoption and application of business and operational processes and policies to optimize real-time insights into current delivery and performance, pipelining potential needs. Ensure the full portfolio of project plans is correctly phased and planned to provide sufficient insight into forward-looking capacity and resource requirements. These plans also inform our business revenue forecasts. Workflow | Review and regroup at the required cadence to ensure the teams deliver as per scope for the full portfolio of projects managed by the NA Delivery team. Escalate any major risks or resourcing constraints early and to the relevant stakeholders. Develop | Build and socialize reports that inform performance and drive adoption across the relevant stakeholders. Ensure that programs are properly scoped, resourced, and delivered upon, and that client expectations are managed and met across all programs. Communicate | Support the business development and client teams with Delivery input when completing business development activities by assisting with scope definition, project plans, costing, and providing insight into resources and availability. For large joint delivery across VML opcos, be the interface between us and the other teams. Who you are: A builder and unifier | Entrepreneurial attitude coupled with a strong business acumen. Ability and appetite to bring people together. Trains, mentors, and grows teams with versatile backgrounds and skillsets. A self-starter with sound foresight and insight. Open and collaborative | Our team is close-knit and supportive and we’re working with a lot of unknowns. You must champion a team, creating an environment that is comfortable and encouraging, but focused on a high level of performance. Optimistic and resilient | A can-do attitude and an entrepreneurial approach, balancing rigor and process with the need to create the best work for our clients. Ego-less Player/Coach Mentality | We all wear the hats that need wearing. You are willing to take on tasks that may seem too junior to your role from time to time in the interest of the team and the business. You are passionate about developing others and experienced at leading cross-functional teams. What you’ll need: 12 years of experience working in both Creative agency and BX/Production-driven agency environments. Leadership experience within a Delivery function at scale, with strong commercial understanding. Management experience a plus. Demonstrated practice leadership in Delivery Management in comparably sized markets, with proven experience with industry best practices of workflow implementations across project scoping, revenue forecasting, resource, budget, and risk management. Proven experience leading Agile and hybrid-Agile project teams with ability to train those new to Agile. Preferred knowledge of online marketing technologies and their integration into broader IT infrastructure. A systematic thinker with a proven track record of overseeing complex, cross-functional digital projects and leading Creative Delivery teams across 360 campaigns and brand services. Preferred experience in scaling a business group or facilitating organizational growth. Ability to engage and effectively communicate with Delivery and Production teams to help them look at things through a business lens. Credible leader who wins the confidence of employees and pioneers new ways of thinking for our clients and our organization. Holds a recognized project/program management certification or has completed formal training in project/program management (preferred but not required). The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details. $125,000—$295,000 USD We believe the best work happens when were together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. Thats why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to 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.

Keywords: VML, Lee's Summit , Managing Director, Delivery, Executive , Kansas City, Missouri