Program Manager, WP Studios

The Washington Post•Washington, DC

7d•$85,100 - $127,700•Onsite

About The Position

The Washington Post’s WP Studios team is seeking a highly organized and strategic Program Manager to lead execution and delivery of custom advertising programs, branded content initiatives, and event-based sponsorships across digital, experiential, live, virtual, and emerging platforms. This client-facing role owns program execution and fulfillment, including production timelines, creative development, event logistics, stakeholder alignment, operational workflows, and delivery from kickoff through launch, live execution, and post-campaign wrap-up. With a particular focus on event-based programs, the Program Manager serves as a trusted partner to sponsors and coordinates with internal teams, venues, production partners, and external vendors to deliver complex campaigns and experiences. The role combines program and production management with operational judgment, cross-functional leadership, and creative problem-solving. The Program Manager independently manages complex initiatives, anticipates risks and opportunities, and improves the quality, efficiency, and scalability of WP Studios programs. The position also uses data, automation, and AI-enabled tools thoughtfully to improve workflows while maintaining human judgment and oversight. The role is based on-site five days a week, with certain exceptions for newsgathering and business travel. The salary range is $85,100–$127,700 annually; the position may also be eligible for a bonus or incentive program.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in program management, project management, production, account management, client services, or campaign execution within advertising, media, events, branded content, or related environments.
Demonstrated experience independently managing complex, high-visibility, multi-stakeholder programs from initiation through delivery.
Experience executing custom, branded, or native advertising campaigns, including live or virtual event activations and sponsor fulfillment.
Strong understanding of digital media, content production, experiential logistics, advertising workflows, and integrated campaign execution.
Demonstrated experience managing sponsor or client relationships and leading communications with clients, agencies, and senior stakeholders.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining attention to detail.
Strong organizational, prioritization, project planning, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify risks and drive solutions proactively.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills and ability to collaborate across creative, editorial, technical, event production, and operational teams.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, navigate ambiguity, and drive execution with minimal oversight.
Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and project management platforms such as Asana, Jira, Prisma, or MediaOcean.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with AI-enabled productivity, workflow automation, collaboration, analytics, or reporting tools.
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Media, Business, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end execution of custom advertising programs, branded content campaigns, and event activations across digital, experiential, live, and virtual platforms.
Manage programs independently from kickoff and planning through production, launch, live execution, optimization, and post-campaign wrap-up.
Translate sold programs into execution plans aligning stakeholders, resources, timelines, deliverables, event logistics, and client expectations.
Evaluate operational feasibility, resourcing needs, and execution tradeoffs, and recommend solutions balancing quality, scalability, and business priorities.
Serve as the primary production contact for event and program sponsors, guiding onboarding, asset collection, approvals, fulfillment, and execution.
Manage sponsor deliverables and branded integrations, including logos, speaking briefs, digital assets, event signage, marketing materials, and on-site or virtual activations.
Partner with Events, Editorial, Marketing, Creative, Production, venues, and external vendors to deliver live and virtual experiences.
Manage event timelines, logistics, dependencies, and sponsor requirements to ensure activations meet deadlines and specifications.
Coordinate across Creative, Events, Editorial, Design, Development, Video, Audio, Ad Operations, Product, Marketing, and external partners.
Develop and maintain project timelines, workflows, status reporting, and delivery documentation across multiple concurrent programs.
Identify risks, dependencies, and execution gaps and implement mitigation plans; manage shifting priorities and timelines while maintaining delivery quality and accountability.
Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency, scalability, consistency, and program quality.
Lead day-to-day client and sponsor communications about production timelines, deliverables, approvals, requirements, and execution strategy in partnership with Sales and Account Management.
Facilitate meetings and discussions with clients, agencies, sponsors, and internal stakeholders; manage feedback and approval processes and communicate updates, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations.
Collaborate with Ad Operations and Product to implement custom advertising solutions and event programs, ensuring elements are built, tested, quality-checked, and launched to specifications.
Support social media, content distribution, promotional, and audience-engagement strategies with internal teams.
Partner with Account Management and Performance teams to monitor campaign delivery, attendee engagement, sponsorship effectiveness, and other performance indicators.
Contribute production insights, custom metrics, event engagement data, and sponsor recap materials to post-campaign analysis and recommend improvements.
Use AI-enabled and automation tools where appropriate for project tracking, scheduling, status reporting, meeting documentation, production coordination, quality assurance, and launch validation.
Explore emerging tools for audience insights, sponsorship reporting, risk identification, event planning, and activation support while maintaining human oversight and strategic judgment.