Middle Technical Project Manager - Temporary Worker

Job Description:

**TEMP Role – W2 on Dentsu Payroll Only

**ASAP – 12/31/2026

**Approximately 40 Hours/Week

**Progressive Project Management Experience at a Digital Agency

**IN-OFFICE REQUIREMENT 3 DAYS/WEEK - MUST BE WITHIN A 90 MINUTE COMMUTE TO PLAINSBORO, NJ CLIENT OFFICE**

Company Description:

Merkle, a dentsu company, powers the experience economy. For more than 35 years, the company has put people at the heart of its approach to digital business transformation. As the only integrated experience consultancy in the world with a heritage in data science and business performance, Merkle delivers holistic, end-to-end experiences that drive growth, engagement, and loyalty. Merkle's expertise has earned recognition as a "Leader" by top industry analyst firms, in categories such as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management. With more than 16,000 employees, Merkle operates in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

ROLE PURPOSE

The TEMPORARY Technical Project Manager is the operational execution leader for Adobe Experience Cloud implementation workstreams for our Healthcare client - serving as the bridge between solution architecture, delivery teams, and engagement leadership. This role owns day-to-day delivery coordination, sprint planning and execution, dependency management, and risk mitigation for assigned technical workstreams—ensuring that architectural designs are built as intended, on time, on budget, and to quality standards. This role requires in-office presence 3x per week at client offices in Plainsboro, NJ.

This role combines deep technical fluency with hands-on project management discipline. You manage teams of 5-15 technical professionals (engineers, data engineers, architects, QA), coordinate across distributed teams and time zones, remove blockers, and drive measurable progress against sprint commitments. You translate technical complexity into clear status communication for stakeholders while maintaining the trust and engagement of your delivery team.
Essentially, this role operates at the intersection of technical execution and stakeholder clarity—converting solution designs into built, tested, deployed capabilities while keeping teams coordinated, risks visible, and stakeholders informed.

RESPONSIBILITY AREAS

Sprint Planning & Execution

·       Own sprint planning for assigned workstream(s); break down solution architecture and epics into well-defined stories and tasks with clear acceptance criteria

·       Conduct rigorous story estimation with the delivery team; flag scope concerns and dependencies early

·       Maintain backlog discipline: prioritize work, manage scope changes, track velocity, and adapt plans based on delivery reality

·       Drive daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives; ensure ceremonies are efficient and action-oriented

·       Track sprint metrics: velocity, on-time delivery, defect escape rate, rework; identify trends and coaching opportunities

·       Manage sprint-to-sprint continuity: document decisions, carry forward blockers, and maintain momentum across sprints

Technical Team Leadership & Coordination

·       Lead matrixed technical teams spanning engineers, data engineers, architects, QA, and other specialists; foster collaboration and accountability

·       Clarify technical requirements and design intent for the team; reduce ambiguity and unnecessary back-and-forth with architects or clients

·       Conduct regular 1:1s with team members; understand capacity, concerns, and growth opportunities; provide coaching and feedback

·       Coordinate across geographies and time zones; ensure synchronization and clear handoff protocols for distributed work

Dependency & Blocker Management

·       Maintain a comprehensive view of workstream dependencies: cross-team, cross-engagement, vendor, and client-side

·       Identify and escalate blockers early; propose workarounds or mitigation strategies; drive resolution with urgency

·       Coordinate dependencies across parallel workstreams; align timing and handoffs to prevent downstream delays

·       Facilitate cross-team sync meetings when dependencies require real-time coordination or decision-making

·       Track high-risk dependencies; flag to engagement leadership for escalation if resolution is stalled

Quality & Technical Standards

·       Define and enforce acceptance criteria for all deliverables; ensure quality is non-negotiable

·       Conduct or facilitate code/design reviews; ensure work aligns with architectural intent and technical standards

·       Partner with QA to ensure comprehensive test coverage; identify and track defects; manage rework efficiently

·       Maintain visibility into technical debt and architectural risks; escalate issues that threaten delivery or future maintainability

·       Track and report on quality metrics: defect rates, escape rate, rework percentage; identify systemic issues

Delivery Progress & Risk Management

·       Maintain clear visibility into workstream health: track deliverables, timeline, budget, and team capacity

·       Report progress to engagement leadership weekly; flag risks, issues, and decisions requiring escalation

·       Implement early warning systems: identify slippage indicators and intervene before issues compound

·       Maintain a live risk and issue register; assess impact and probability; facilitate mitigation planning

·       Communicate transparently about timeline and scope trade-offs; help leadership make informed decisions

·       Conduct postmortems on slippages or quality issues; capture lessons and prevent recurrence

Stakeholder Communication & Expectation Management

·       Serve as primary communication conduit between delivery team and engagement leadership/client stakeholders

·       Provide clear, jargon-free status updates for non-technical stakeholders; translate technical complexity into business terms

·       Set and manage expectations on timeline, scope, and quality; be honest about constraints and trade-offs

·       Facilitate design reviews and demo sessions with clients; ensure feedback is captured and prioritized appropriately

·       Address stakeholder questions and concerns with urgency; escalate unresolved issues to engagement leadership

·       Build credibility through consistent, transparent communication

Vendor & Tool Management

·       Manage interactions with Adobe Professional Services, Adobe Support, and other vendors; track SLAs and escalate unresponsive support

·       Stay current on Adobe product capabilities, roadmap, and best practices; ensure team leverages new features appropriately

·       Advocate for tooling and infrastructure improvements; gather team feedback on pain points and efficiency barriers

·       Support technical team in Adobe platform training, certification, and skill development

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience & Background

·       Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or related field

·       4+ years of technical project management experience in software development, systems integration, or consulting delivery. Progressive technical project management experience at a digital agency preferred.

·       2+ years of hands-on experience managing Adobe Experience Cloud or comparable enterprise technology implementations

·       Proven track record managing technical teams of 5-15+ professionals across multiple disciplines

·       Experience working in agile and hybrid delivery environments

·       Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-workstream technical projects with dependencies across teams

Technical Fluency & Platform Knowledge

·       Working knowledge of Adobe Experience Cloud: hands-on familiarity with at least 2-3 of AEM, Experience Platform, Journey Optimizer, Analytics, or comparable platforms

·       Understanding of data architecture, APIs, integrations, and cloud infrastructure; able to discuss technical trade-offs with engineers and architects

·       Comfort with technical concepts (data models, identity resolution, performance optimization, governance) without requiring hand-holding

·       Familiarity with modern development practices: version control, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, observability

·       Experience with Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe); ability to apply appropriately to delivery context

Project Management & Delivery Skills

·       Expertise in sprint planning, backlog management, capacity planning, and velocity tracking

·       Proficiency in project management tools: Jira, Smartsheet, Azure DevOps, Asana, or similar

·       Strong estimation discipline: ability to assess complexity, identify estimation risks, and adjust plans accordingly

·       Dependency tracking and risk management: maintain clarity on blockers and escalate with urgency

·       Metrics-driven mindset: establish KPIs, track performance, and use data to drive team improvement

·       Timeline and budget accountability: manage workstream spend and forecast, avoid cost overruns

Leadership & Communication

·       Proven ability to lead diverse technical teams; build trust, foster collaboration, and hold people accountable

·       Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to translate technical complexity for non-technical stakeholders

·       Strong interpersonal skills: comfort navigating personalities, managing conflict, and building relationships across organizational lines

·       Coaching mindset: ability to mentor junior team members and help them grow into stronger technical professionals

·       Presence and credibility: command respect from both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Problem-Solving & Adaptability

·       Strong problem-solving and critical thinking; ability to decompose complex challenges and drive to resolution

·       Comfort with ambiguity; ability to make sound decisions with incomplete information

·       Resilience under pressure; ability to maintain clarity and composure when facing timeline pressure or scope conflicts

·       Proactive mindset: identify issues early, propose solutions, and drive action without waiting for escalation

Preferred & Differentiators

·       Direct experience managing Adobe Experience Cloud implementation workstreams (AEM migrations, AEP data implementations, AJO orchestration, CJA analytics)

·       Adobe Certified Professional or Developer certification

·       Experience in a consultancy, systems integrator, or services firm delivering large-scale technology programs

·       Project management certification (PMI, Scaled Agile, or similar)

·       Hands-on technical background (prior role as engineer, architect, or technical lead)

·       Experience managing distributed, global teams across time zones

·       Experience with change management and organizational adoption strategies

·       Familiarity with healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial services, or other regulated industries

 Additional Information:

At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.

The hourly pay range for this position is $65.78 - $87.77. The hourly pay rate for the successful candidate is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law. Temporary employees are eligible for paid holidays in accordance with dentsu policy, as well as safe and sick time. This position is not eligible for any other benefits or other compensation.

To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply" button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.

#LI-SG1    #LI-Hybrid

Location:

USA - Remote - New Jersey

Brand:

Merkle

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Temporary