What does a Creative Project Manager do?

Creative Project Managers oversee projects involving collaboration with different creative professionals. This may include work in marketing, advertising or software development. They may guide projects like website designs or video productions by delegating tasks to the right team members. 

Creative Project Manager skills and qualifications

Creative Project Managers generally use soft skills, such as active listening and communication, to manage people and liaise with other employees, vendors and collaborators. Technical skills and financial expertise can also help them successfully manage projects.

Skills and qualifications can differ based on the project type and creative skills needed, but these may be a starting point:

• Knowledge of the creative specialties needed for the project
• Familiarity with leading or preferred project management software, such as Trello or monday.com
• Adaptability to adjust to changing expectations and growing project scope
• Ability to foster a collaborative environment
• Familiarity with project portfolio management (PPM)
• Proficiency with Gantt charts to track project milestones

Creative Project Manager experience requirements

Some employers prefer their Creative Project Managers to have experience in project management. However, other employers check for a combination of project management and practical industry experience. For example, a quality candidate may have worked one year as a Project Manager and several years as a Graphic Designer or Video Editor.

Creative Project Manager education and training requirements

There are no formal education requirements for a Creative Project Manager. You may instead attract qualified candidates by turning to skills-based hiring. A Project Manager in a creative industry might not have a degree but could excel in communicating project initiatives, planning and budgeting. 

If your organization requires a bachelor’s or associate’s degree, you might consider fine arts or advertising education, paired with a project management certification to demonstrate multidisciplinary training. One example is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Job description samples for similar positions

If this Creative Project Manager job description template doesn’t fully align with your needs, consider reviewing these job descriptions for related openings:

• Creative Director
• Project Coordinator
• Technical Project Manager
• Senior Project Manager

Creative Project Manager job description FAQs

Does a Creative Project Manager need creative skills?

While a Creative Project Manager doesn’t need to be an expert in every creative discipline, they benefit from understanding the skills involved in the project. This ensures the Creative Project Manager can understand proposed concepts and lead them through each stage of the process to completion. Creative thinking skills can also help with ideating, writing copy or editing videos.

Who hires Creative Project Managers?

Businesses with in-house creative teams typically hire Creative Project Managers. They may also work for advertising agencies, production companies, design firms, tech companies and social media marketing agencies.

Creative Project Managers may work on a freelance or independent contractor basis or as a full- or part-time employee. Hiring a contract Creative Project Manager may be a good choice if you only need help for a single project or a temporary campaign.

Who do Creative Project Managers report to?

Depending on your organization’s size and structure, your Creative Project Manager may report to a Creative Director or another leadership team member in the creative department. They could also report to the head of a separate department, such as the Director of Marketing or the Director of Advertising, or to a company owner or Chief Operations Officer (COO).