Creative Project Manager – Pharmaceutical Advertising Agency

Creative Project Manager – Pharmaceutical Advertising Agency 
(Project Manager II) 
Location: Mettawa, IL
Work Arrangement: Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite (T, W, TR) / 2 Days Remote (M&F)
Employment Type: Full-Time Contract (12 Months to start)
Schedule: Monday–Friday | 40 Hours per Week
 
$37- $42/hr based on benefit selections
 

Orion Group is seeking an experienced Project Manager II (Creative PM) to support a fast-paced, internal pharmaceutical advertising agency in Mettawa, IL.
This individual will partner closely with Account Managers, Creative Teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to oversee the development and execution of pharmaceutical marketing and promotional materials across print, digital, and video channels.

The ideal candidate brings a strong background in advertising agency operations, creative project management, pharmaceutical marketing, and promotional material review processes. This role requires exceptional organization, attention to detail, communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines in a high-volume agency environment.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Project Management & Execution

• Manage creative projects from initiation and kickoff through development, internal reviews, approvals, production, and final archiving.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate detailed project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and deadlines.
• Coordinate print, digital, and video marketing initiatives, ensuring projects progress efficiently through established agency workflows.
• Traffic creative projects across internal departments, ensuring timely handoffs, approvals, and completion.
• Monitor project progress, identify potential delays, and proactively communicate risks or timeline adjustments.
• Support timely project delivery while maintaining established budgets, quality standards, and compliance requirements.

Agency Operations & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with assigned Account Managers to support daily agency operations and ongoing relationships with pharmaceutical brand teams.
• Collaborate with Creative, Account Management, Production, and other internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on project objectives and deliverables.
• Facilitate project meetings, status updates, and ongoing communications to keep stakeholders informed.
• Balance multiple concurrent projects in a deadline-driven, high-volume agency environment.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, timelines, and daily time tracking.

Pharmaceutical Marketing & Compliance

• Support the development and execution of pharmaceutical promotional materials in accordance with corporate branding and compliance guidelines.
• Coordinate projects through established medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) review and approval workflows.
• Work within pharmaceutical promotional review systems, including Veeva PromoMats, to support material routing, approvals, and documentation.
• Ensure creative deliverables follow internal agency processes and applicable pharmaceutical marketing standards.
• Maintain accurate project records and support proper production and archiving procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5–10 years of advertising agency experience, including relevant experience within the past 3–5 years.
• 1–5 years of pharmaceutical advertising experience within an agency environment.
• Experience supporting or managing creative projects across print, digital, and video deliverables.
• Strong understanding of advertising agency workflows, creative development processes, project trafficking, and production timelines.
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical promotional material development, compliance requirements, and approval processes.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, shifting priorities, and tight deadlines.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, proactive, and comfortable working in a high-visibility, fast-paced environment.
• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to balance strategic objectives and day-to-day project execution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience managing creative projects within a pharmaceutical advertising agency.
• Hands-on experience with Veeva PromoMats and pharmaceutical MLR review processes.
• Experience coordinating promotional campaigns and materials for pharmaceutical brand teams.
• Previous experience partnering with Account Management, Creative, and Production teams.
• Experience with project tracking, workflow management, and creative approval systems.

Ideal Candidate Profile
The successful candidate is a highly organized, energetic, and collaborative agency professional who thrives in a fast-moving creative environment. They understand the unique demands of pharmaceutical advertising, can confidently coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, and know how to keep creative teams and stakeholders aligned without sacrificing quality, deadlines, or compliance.

Candidates with recent advertising agency experience and direct exposure to pharmaceutical promotional marketing will be strongly preferred.


People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.