Bolster 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 simultaneously on time, within scope, and on budget. This role is responsible for juggling multiple clients, managing complex workflows, and constantly keeping things moving forward across internal teams, external contractors and stakeholders, and most importantly, our clients.

The Senior Creative Project Manager is relentless in monitoring budgets, tracking utilisation, and ensuring that every project is as financially sound as it is creatively and strategically successful. With a sharp eye for scope and an unwavering commitment to efficiency, they uphold rigorous reporting standards, providing clear 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 before they arise, proactively mitigate risks, leverage their own supplier networks and ensure that every project is completed to the highest standard while upholding Bolster Group's reputation for exceptional client service.

This role plays a key part in refining processes, optimising workflows, and contributing to the ongoing evolution of Bolster Group's ways of working. The Senior Creative Project Manager combines commercial acumen with operational excellence, ensuring that Bolster not only delivers industry-leading work, but work that is financially viable for our 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 from 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 3 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 even further when you consider our sister agencies:

• Aeroplane (commercial partnerships);
• Common State (PR); and
• Going North (First Nations cultural engagement).

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

Responsibilities

Project Delivery

• Manage key client accounts (festival properties), servicing the delivery of multiple creative projects at once from contracting to delivery
• Help the Client Partnerships team scope briefs and draft scope of work documentation where required, delicately balancing the aspirations of the client with feasible delivery
• Effectively lead experiential projects by aligning all stakeholders (inc. internal team, clients, agency villages and extended freelancer network) on roles and responsibilities, objectives, KPIs, key milestones, budget, deliverables and ways of working
• Research and source activation elements (all the weird and wonderful)
• Negotiate with external stakeholders and suppliers to procure the best possible deals and rates for projects without compromising quality of work output
• Develop and maintain project budgets and timelines – closely monitor project finances including team resource / utilisation, scope
• Manage contracting and invoicing of externals, in line with any agreed approval processes
• Prepare detailed pre-production documentation (e.g. execution plans, creative briefs, run sheets, etc.)
• Manage client communications during delivery, in particular, lead WIP meetings / check-ins and keep project tools (i.e. , Hubspot, project plans) up to date at all times
• Act as the main liaison between the specialist delivery team(s), any external contractors / suppliers and the client during the delivery phase, to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments, addressing client feedback and revisions efficiently
• Carefully manage expectations at all times – keep stakeholders informed via frequent updates, mitigate risk by leaning in to challenging conversations to ensure swift and 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 both internal and client-facing experiential project completion reports, ensuring that all budgets are reconciled and costs are allocated accurately by Finance team
• 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 (and improving existing) ways of working, which reduce friction points and improve the wider teams ability to effectively deliver experiential projects
• Complete timely project retrospectives (without fail), to ensure we are consistently meeting and exceeding client expectations
• Attend internal team meetings including stand-ups, WIPs and training sessions
• Collaborate with and support the wider Project Delivery team where necessary across the delivery of integrated creative projects, events and activations
• Stay up-to-date with emerging trends in activations and experiences (e.g. conduct research, collate inspiration, source new materials, etc.), share thought leadership with clients and peers
• Represent Bolster Group at industry events, client meetings and agency group functions

Requirements

• Commercially minded with strong financial acumen and budget management skills
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and in fast-paced environments
• Highly organised and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously, with energy
• Resilience and a positive, solutions-focussed mindset – ability to resolve challenges quickly
• Effective time management and organisational skills, with exceptional attention to detail
• Proactive and self-motivated nature – you don't wait to be told what to do or how to do it
• Proven history of managing and building rapport with clients and stakeholders
• Willingness and enthusiasm to attend events as needed (occasional weeknights / weekends)
• 3+ years experience in creative production, talent and content partnerships, live activations
• Can-do attitude and willingness to jump on new challenges, no matter how big or small, for the benefit of the wider team
• Available full-time throughout the upcoming summer festival season (fixed term contract or permanent ongoing position)

Our Culture

Best described by our values, which serve as the guiding principles in how we interact with our peers, partners and clients:

• Eyes on culture. We connect our clients to culture and current affairs, immersing ourselves in the communities we serve. We know everything they need to know.
• 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. We know the nature of this work is unpredictable. We do our best work when we're thrown a curveball, or dive into the deep end.
• We keep it real. You can't fake what we do. We strip away the BS and build trusting relationships. Knowledge, transparency, authenticity – this is what we're about.
• It's in our hands. We take responsibility, stay one step ahead, push outside our comfort zone and never phone it in. We'd rather fail trying something new than die wondering.

What You Can Expect From Us

• Interesting, exciting, and challenging work with an enviable list of clients
• Support, guidance, and growth including an annual learning and development budget
• Fortnightly 'Bolster Uni' sessions featuring both internal and external speakers
• Flexible working model with office and WFH days split 50/50
• Free coffee, Class Pass 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 the individuals who make us stronger. We encourage candidates from diverse and / or minority backgrounds to express their interest. Our team is excited to share our experience, share our space and share the mic. We believe in creating a working environment where each individual is able to bring their full self to work and is valued for their unique contribution.