Experiential Project Manager

Spark Brighter Thinking•New York, NY

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a highly organised, client-focused Experiential Retail Project Manager to join our New York team as the on-the-ground operational lead for one of Spark's retail experience accounts. This is a senior, embedded role at the centre of a complex, high-visibility programme spanning in-store experiences, retail campaign rollouts, product launches, live activations, and physical environment updates. This role goes beyond traditional project management; you will be responsible for bringing retail experiences to life in physical spaces, ensuring seamless coordination between creative, production, fabrication, and on-site execution teams. You will be the primary point of contact for our client's US-based team during their working hours, ensuring every brief is translated into clear, actionable deliverables for experiential execution. From concept through to installation, you will oversee the full lifecycle of retail experiences, ensuring that ideas are not only creatively strong, but also buildable, scalable, and delivered flawlessly in-store. You will sit at the intersection of a global, multi-hub creative delivery model, connecting teams across three time zones while maintaining a strong grip on local, on-the-ground execution realities in New York.

Requirements

Applicants must be based in New York.
Applicants must be available to visit the client site on a weekly basis.
5–7 years of experience in experiential retail, brand activations, environmental design, or retail production.
Proven experience delivering physical retail experiences, installations, or live activations.
Strong understanding of fabrication processes, materials, print production, and installation workflows.
Experience managing vendors, fabricators, and on-site teams.
Ability to manage projects that span creative development through to real-world execution.
Experience working within fast-paced retail or consumer brand environments.
Strong communication skills with the ability to manage both client relationships and production partners.
Familiarity with project management tools such as Airtable, SharePoint, or similar.
Comfortable operating both strategically and on-site, switching between planning and execution.
Calm and solutions-focused in live, high-pressure environments.
Highly organised with strong attention to detail across physical and digital outputs.
Proactive and accountable, with a strong sense of ownership over real-world delivery.
Collaborative and communicative across global teams and local partners.
Passionate about retail experiences and bringing brands to life in physical spaces.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrable experience in experiential retail.

Responsibilities

Own projects from initial brief through to physical execution and post-installation review, ensuring all experiential elements are delivered to the highest standard.
Build and manage timelines that account for fabrication, logistics, shipping, and installation, not just creative development. Understand the realities of store environments and activation schedules.
Act as the on-the-ground lead for store visits, installations, and activations, ensuring execution aligns with creative intent and client expectations.
Track dependencies across creative, production, and vendor workstreams, proactively identifying risks related to build feasibility, timelines, and site readiness.
Translate client requests into experience-led briefs that consider spatial design, customer journey, and in-store engagement.
Ensure all creative outputs are fit for purpose in real-world environments, considering materials, durability, lighting, spatial constraints, and customer interaction.
Review work not just on screen, but in context — including print proofs, prototypes, and installed environments.
Work closely with fabricators, production partners, installers, and logistics teams to ensure seamless execution of physical experiences.
Become a trusted partner to the client, particularly on retail execution and in-store experience delivery, offering proactive solutions and operational clarity.
Bridge global creative direction with local store realities, ensuring concepts are adapted effectively for real-world rollout.
Stay informed on retail trends, shopper behaviour, and experiential innovation, bringing ideas that enhance in-store engagement.
Identify opportunities to improve installation workflows, vendor coordination, and retail rollout efficiency.
Drive improvements in how experiential work is produced, delivered, and installed at scale.
Act quickly and decisively when challenges arise during production or installation.
Ensure every element — from material finishes to final placement in-store — meets the expected standard.
Be the person the client trusts to make things happen in the real world, not just on paper.