Producer (Account + Project Manager)

Summary

Sway Creative Labs is an independent agency seeking an experienced Producer to lead integrated client projects across creative, development, media, and production. The role manages client relationships, project scope, schedules, budgets, website builds, video productions, internal resources, and AI-enabled workflows from kickoff through delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects across video, digital, print, social, and out-of-home, from single-deliverable retainer requests to media-supported integrated campaigns
• Own website builds in partnership with our development team, including IA, content workflow, QA, and launch
• Lead video productions end to end: pre-production planning, crew and vendor booking, talent, locations, on-set leadership, and post workflow
• Sequence deliverables against media flight dates so creative lands ahead of the buy, not alongside it
• Serve as the primary point of contact on assigned accounts, setting and managing expectations proactively
• Lead status calls and project meetings with clients, vendors, and internal teams, anticipating next steps before they are asked for
• Build relationships that outlast individual projects and surface the next opportunity naturally
• Author clearly defined scopes of work and estimates: strategic narrative, phased deliverables with quantities, schedule, and explicit exclusions
• Hold the line on scope. Identify change orders early, document them, and communicate them before work proceeds
• Build schedules that account for internal review, client review, and revision rounds, not just production time
• Track actuals against estimate throughout the project and flag variance while there is still time to act
• Allocate resources in coordination with fellow producers and directors while monitoring capacity and incoming forecast
• Mentor Junior Producers and set the standard for task hygiene, meeting agendas, and follow-up
• Contribute to process improvements and to new business proposals and pitches
• Build AI into your own workflow and then into the team's: scope and estimate first drafts, call transcript synthesis, competitive and category research, QA passes, and status reporting. Bring back what actually works so we can standardize it

Skills

• 3–5+ years of production or project management experience in an agency or comparable client-side environment
• Demonstrated fluency in at least two of the following: digital/web, video/broadcast, print production
• Hands-on experience authoring estimates, scopes of work, and detailed schedules
• Working knowledge of design and development processes well enough to scope them accurately and speak to them credibly
• Pre-production and on-set leadership experience
• Strong command of project management tooling; we run on Smartsheet, Slack, and Google Workspace
• Practical fluency with AI tools and the ability to write a precise, well-constructed prompt. More importantly, the judgment to know which parts of this job AI should touch and which parts require a human who understands the client
• Occasional travel and on-set availability required
• Location: Remote-first with occasional in-person collaboration in Norfolk, VA. We're prioritizing candidates who live within ~90 miles of Norfolk (Hampton Roads and the surrounding region)
• Understanding of media planning and buying fundamentals, including trafficking, insertion orders, and flight scheduling
• Experience with digital accessibility standards (WCAG / ADA Level AA)
• Experience managing external freelance and vendor partners against fixed-fee agreements
• Background on healthcare, tourism/destination marketing, food/beverage, legal, or CPG accounts

Qualifications

Must Haves

• 3–5+ years of production or project management experience in an agency or comparable client-side environment
• Demonstrated fluency in at least two of the following: digital/web, video/broadcast, print production
• Hands-on experience authoring estimates, scopes of work, and detailed schedules
• Working knowledge of design and development processes well enough to scope them accurately and speak to them credibly
• Pre-production and on-set leadership experience
• Strong command of project management tooling; we run on Smartsheet, Slack, and Google Workspace
• Practical fluency with AI tools and the ability to write a precise, well-constructed prompt. More importantly, the judgment to know which parts of this job AI should touch and which parts require a human who understands the client
• Occasional travel and on-set availability required
• Location: Remote-first with occasional in-person collaboration in Norfolk, VA. We're prioritizing candidates who live within ~90 miles of Norfolk (Hampton Roads and the surrounding region)

Nice to Haves

• Understanding of media planning and buying fundamentals, including trafficking, insertion orders, and flight scheduling
• Experience with digital accessibility standards (WCAG / ADA Level AA)
• Experience managing external freelance and vendor partners against fixed-fee agreements
• Background on healthcare, tourism/destination marketing, food/beverage, legal, or CPG accounts

Benefits

• Health Plan: Three Optima Health Plan options; Sway covers 80% of employee premiums and 50% of dependent premiums
• Dental Insurance: Sway pays 100% of employee's United Concordia Dental Plan
• 401(k): 1:1 match on the first 3% of pay; 50% match on the following 2%
• 15 Paid Vacation Days, resetting at your start date with up to a 5-day negative balance available
• 17 Paid Holidays, including your birthday, the Monday after the Super Bowl, Juneteenth, and the full week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• Two-Hour Windows: Leave windows at the start (9–11am) and end (3–5pm) of the workday for personal appointments, not counted against PTO
• Remote Work Affordance: 100% remote with occasional pre-scheduled in-person meetings and on-set requirements
• Year-end performance bonus eligibility; additional bonuses available based on individual and company performance
• Upskilling: 100% reimbursement for at least one approved course, workshop, or conference annually