Senior Creative Project Manager

About the Job

The Senior Creative Project Manager (Experiential Production) at Bolster is the driving force behind seamless project execution, ensuring that our experiential and activation projects are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget. This role manages multiple clients, complex workflows, and keeps internal teams, external contractors, stakeholders, and clients moving forward.

The Senior Creative Project Manager monitors budgets, tracks utilisation, and ensures that each project is financially sound as well as creatively and strategically successful. They uphold rigorous reporting standards, providing visibility on project health and learnings to improve future delivery.

With a deep understanding of project management, event production, and activations within the live entertainment and festival landscape, the Senior Creative Project Manager thrives in fast-paced environments, bringing structure and clarity to every stage of the project lifecycle. They anticipate challenges, proactively mitigate risks, leverage supplier networks, and ensure every project is completed to the highest standard while upholding Bolster Group’s reputation for exceptional client service.

This role refines processes, optimises workflows, and contributes to the ongoing evolution of Bolster Group’s ways of working. The Senior Creative Project Manager combines commercial acumen with operational excellence, ensuring Bolster delivers industry‑leading, financially viable work for clients and the business. The ideal candidate is a solutions‑driven problem solver, an expert communicator, and a collaborative leader who thrives on bringing bold ideas to life.

OK, I’m sold – but what even is Bolster?

We are integrated communications specialists with an eye on culture. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, we’re a team of 50+ passionate individuals spread across four specialist teams. Our foundational clients include festivals and events such as Splendour In The Grass, Beyond The Valley, Pitch, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, and more recently RISING Festival, ALWAYS LIVE and Sydney Festival. Bolster Group has devised integrated campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands including Bacardi‑Martini Australia, KFC, Google, EA Games, Samsung, Warner Music, and more. We’re the agency you bring in when you want to play meaningfully in music and broader culture. At Bolster, we do loads of stuff, but three things really well:

1. Consulting: We guide brands and experience makers through a challenging landscape with pointed insights and cultural understanding. Our consulting services extend across culture marketing, creative and content, media, social and community building.

2. Branded entertainment: We devise fan‑led creative solutions and storytelling that helps brands cut through.

3. Media: We amplify brands within impactful media, ensuring our clients are in front of the right people at the right time.

Our offering extends further with our sister agencies:

- Aeroplane (commercial partnerships)

- Common State (PR)

- Going North (First Nations cultural engagement)

Ultimately, Bolster Group is famous for connecting brands to their fans.

What You’ll Be Doing

Project Delivery

- Manage key client accounts (festival properties), servicing the delivery of multiple creative projects from contracting to delivery.

- Help the Client Partnerships team scope briefs and draft scope of work documentation where required, delicately balancing client aspirations with feasible delivery.

- Effectively lead experiential projects by aligning all stakeholders (including internal teams, clients, agency villages and extended freelancer network) on roles and responsibilities, objectives, KPIs, milestones, budget, deliverables and ways of working.

- Research and source activation elements (the unusual and wonderful).

- Negotiate with external stakeholders and suppliers to procure the best possible deals and rates without compromising quality.

- Develop and maintain project budgets and timelines; closely monitor project finances including team resource/utilisation and scope.

- Manage contracting and invoicing of externals in line with approved processes.

- Prepare detailed pre-production documentation (e.g., execution plans, creative briefs, run sheets).

- Manage client communications during delivery, lead WIP meetings/check-ins, and keep project tools up to date (e.g., Monday.com, Hubspot, project plans).

- Act as the main liaison between the specialist delivery teams, external contractors/suppliers and the client during delivery, gather feedback, and implement necessary adjustments.

- Carefully manage expectations – keep stakeholders informed with frequent updates and mitigate risk to ensure swift, fair resolution.

- Oversee the delivery of bar builds, events and activations on time and within budget (OTOB).

- Lead the delivery of activations and events on‑ground, including supplier and crew supervision, logistics and time management, and troubleshooting.

- Support the delivery of content and production projects, as well as talent and creator partnerships for creative campaigns.

- Find opportunities to increase the scope of our existing services or promote new services to grow accounts.

- Lead the compilation of internal and client-facing experiential project completion reports, ensuring budgets are reconciled and costs allocated by Finance.

- Maintain an exceptional client service experience at every touchpoint.

Admin & Internal Tasks

- Build and maintain relationships with external suppliers and creatives (the “little black book”).

- Assist in implementing new or improved ways of working to reduce friction and improve delivery.

- Complete timely project retrospectives to ensure we meet and exceed client expectations.

- Attend internal team meetings including stand-ups, WIPs and training sessions.

- Collaborate with and support the wider Project Delivery team across integrated projects, events and activations.

- Stay up‑to‑date with emerging trends in activations and experiences; share thought leadership with clients and peers.

- Represent Bolster Group at industry events, client meetings and agency functions.

- Commercially minded with strong financial acumen and budget management skills.

- Ability to work effectively under pressure in fast-paced environments.

- Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

- Resilience and a positive, solutions‑focussed mindset.

- Effective time management and attention to detail.

- Proactive and self‑motivated – you don’t wait to be told what to do.

- Proven ability to manage and build rapport with clients and stakeholders.

- Willingness to attend events (occasional weeknights/weekends).

- 3+ years experience in creative production, talent and content partnerships, live activations.

- Can‑do attitude and willingness to take on new challenges for the benefit of the team.

- Available full‑time throughout the upcoming summer festival season (fixed‑term or permanent).

Our Culture

Best described by our values, which guide how we interact with peers, partners and clients:

- Eyes on culture. We connect clients to culture and current affairs, immersing ourselves in the communities we serve.

- We turn up. In a presentation. At a launch. At an event. In a WIP. For our clients and teammates, every day.

- We roll with the punches. The work is unpredictable; we do our best when thrown a curveball or diving in.

- We keep it real. We cut through the BS and build trusting relationships with knowledge, transparency and authenticity.

- It’s in our hands. We take responsibility, stay ahead, push outside our comfort zone and never phone it in.

What You Can Expect From Us

- Interesting, exciting, and challenging work with a client roster.

- Support, guidance, and growth including an annual learning and development budget.

- Fortnightly Bolster Uni sessions with internal and external speakers.

- Flexible working model with office and WFH days (50/50).

- Free coffee, ClassPass credits and access to Masterclass online training.

- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services including counselling and wellbeing resources.

- Complimentary tickets to industry, music and arts events.

- Progression – recognition and reward for your efforts.

Bolster values diversity and nurtures the uniqueness of our team and individuals. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to express interest. Our team is excited to share our experience and space and share the mic. We believe in creating a working environment where each individual can bring their full self to work and is valued for their unique contribution.

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