Senior Project Planner (local)

Salary Range: $60,000 - $90,000 annually
This salary is based on experience and qualifications, in alignment with the level of responsibility assigned. This role offers opportunity for professionals at various career stages to contribute meaningfully and grow within our organization. For a list of our benefits please click here.

As a Senior Project Planner, my objective is:

To manage marketing campaign projects and resource allocation between departments from the initial start of a project to final delivery, facilitate scoping conversations with clients to create estimates and project schedules, manage client budgets and uphold our marketing processes as they relate to financial and workflow management. To optimize those processes as they relate to financial and workflow management and work across the marketing agency to drive clarity, consistency and accountability and to aid in the training and mentorship of Associate Project Planners and Project Planners.


This is a Local position. Although this is a local role, we offer a hybrid schedule. This role requires you to be in the Peoria, IL office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with the option to work from home Monday and Friday.

The outcomes I need to produce for clients are:

• Manage all aspects of workflow efficiency to ensure marketing campaigns are completed on time
• Provide financial management on assigned client accounts, including creation of project estimates and statements of work for clients as well as on-going managing of billing actions and budgets.
• Serve as a client contact to drive the project plan for their marketing campaign
• Drive regular communication around estimating and budgets to actuals, implementing adjustments to project quotes and resources as needed

The outcomes I need to produce for the agency are:

• Supporting regular communication around estimating and budgets, implementing adjustments to project quotes for our clients and internal resources as needed to keep client projects within budget
• Resolving workflow or budgeting issues that directly impact the bottom line, including engaging with both internal teams and clients as needed
• Planning and leading effective start-up and scoping workshops by acting as a key facilitator for the teams’ alignment to achieve project efficiency
• Managing tasks, timelines and deliverables for multiple client projects concurrently, with specific focus on dependencies and deadlines and future planning on what’s to come to help ensure agency resources are adequately utilized
• Proactively support balanced workloads of resources by collaborating within the department, running traffic meetings or 1:1 resource discussion as needed
• Oversee the management of the project by mentoring and working with other Project Planners when projects require multiple team members
• Consult with our internal marketing teams as needed to develop processes and protocols for efficient scoping, estimating, billing and workflow activities, including leading and supporting project planners to actively monitor and communicate active, proposed and non-billable project budgets

To produce these outcomes, I need to:

• Set and understand full estimates and scopes for each project/campaign
• Effectively kick-off each project with completed budgets, scopes, schedules and resource allocations
• Successfully own the quality and efficiency of each project, while driving forward to meet deadlines
• Manage the overall financial health of each project including estimating, budget management and invoicing
• Facilitate effective meetings

The skills and abilities I require are:

• 4-year college or university degree or equivalent experience in marketing or business (or similar concentration)
• 5+ years Project management experience in an agency or other related environment considered a plus
• 2+ years of experience with digital/interactive and content strategy projects
• Previous agency experience (or other related environment) in project management (considered a plus)
• Experience working in fast-paced, marketing campaign-driven environments and/or three years of relevant experience (considered a plus)
• Possess a focus on details with an interest in managing multi-faceted projects with similar deadlines
• Willingness to build relationships and drive conversations with all team members and take initiative to have honest conversations to move a project forward
• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to probe for key project details that will impact scope or timing
• Organization, documentation and file management
• Ability to command respect and lead a discussion
• Strategic thinker about process and workflow with a focus on solutions

To produce these outcomes, I have decision-making authority over the following:

• When to send materials through proper approval processes required by the agency and the clients
• Budget concerns and when to elevate them to the Account Planner or Executive Director team to have proper discussions regarding the impact to the bottom line 
• Daily schedules and timelines aligned to project budget and deadlines

Leading indicators of my success are:

• Ability to build effective and impactful relationships with clients and internal teams
• Demonstrating forward thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Confidence to ask questions, identify gaps/issues and be assertive when necessary
• Solid understanding of current state and future deadlines for all projects
• Management and knowledge of project statuses for marketing campaigns and demonstrated forward-thinking of how delays or future plans may impact agency resources
• Effective mentorship of team members to promote overall growth and development of key skills

Long-term indicators of my success are:

• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead project scoping and client estimating initiatives
• Completion of detailed, accurate statements of work developed with an understanding of the financial aspects of each project
• Proactive resource and financial management with the ability to focus on process improvement
• Demonstrated understanding of billing terms and how billing actions impact the agency’s bottom line
• Effective mentorship of Project Planning team members to promote overall growth and development of key skills

By applying to Simantel and uploading your resume, you are opting-in to receive communications from Simantel regarding your application.

Simantel offers an attractive compensation package, which includes competitive salary, 401(k) plan, PTO, flexible work arrangements, holiday pay and a comprehensive benefits program.
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage anyone interested to apply and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
Simantel is not currently hiring individuals for this position who require sponsorship under U.S. immigration laws to be lawfully employed.