Program Manager (Paid Media) - Hark Engagement

About Darkroom: Darkroom is the leading next-generation growth marketing firm engineering the brands of tomorrow. Founded in 2017, it redefines modern agency standards with a model built for speed, intelligence, and measurable impact. At its core, Darkroom is a human services company powered by Shadow, a universal AI commerce layer integrating executive-level strategy with proprietary agentic technology. This fusion enhances creative output, operational efficiency, and revenue generation across every stage of the customer journey.

Darkroom’s track record includes billions in attributable revenue across e-commerce marketplaces, media networks, DTC ecosystems, and social commerce platforms. Every engagement feeds into its proprietary data infrastructure, enabling continuous feedback loops that accelerate growth, improve margins, and compound results across its client portfolio.

From a boutique design studio, Darkroom has evolved into one of the fastest-growing private companies in America (Inc. 5000) and a top performance media agency of the 2020s (Varos). Its founders were recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 for advancing technology, marketing, and advertising, cementing Darkroom’s role as a defining player in media innovation.

About the Role

This is a dedicated role focused on a single account, helping a key client launch a brand-new product with Darkroom owning all media channels. The role involves being the operational owner of the engagement, ensuring the program runs on time, within scope, and meets every commitment without timeline slips.

Unlike a typical agency project manager, this role requires deep focus on one enterprise client, maintaining the operating rhythm, and creating accountability within Darkroom’s layers.

You will report to the Director of Growth Strategy on the Hark engagement, with a dotted line to the Managing Director of Paid Media. Daily collaboration will occur with Paid Social and Paid Search Specialists, Analytics, Creative teams, and the client’s program leads.

This is a fully remote role supporting a team in the EST time zone (9 AM–5 PM EST).

What You'll Do

• Ensure service level accountability by tracking contracted SLAs, producing reporting to evidence adherence, and escalating early when issues arise. You will be the go-to person for client inquiries about commitments, with documented evidence ready.

• Maintain Darkroom’s side of the jointly held media plan, forecast, and ramp model, ensuring it is reconciled against actuals and managed with the client’s team to keep both sides aligned on the same numbers.

• Own hours tracking, scope-versus-delivered reconciliation, and ensure the program stays within scope.

• Maintain the operating rhythm through standups, client status calls, internal syncs, and QBR prep. Document decisions, action items, and blockers for visibility to both sides.

• Manage cross-functional handoffs, ensuring briefs, assets, performance reporting, and campaign builds move between Media, Creative, and Analytics on schedule with dependencies mapped.

• Work with the Director of Growth Strategy and team leads to match staffing with work requirements and surface capacity risks before they impact deadlines.

• Serve as the point of escalation for cross-team dependencies and keep stakeholders aligned without routing every conversation through leadership.

You Should Apply If This Sounds Like You

• You have 3-5+ years of project or program management experience, ideally at a media, marketing, creative, or digital agency.

• You are conversant in paid media workflows and terminology, such as campaign builds, flight dates, creative rotations, and reporting cadences, even if you haven’t personally bought media.

• You are proactive in building trackers and identifying timeline risks before they become issues.

• You are a clear, proactive communicator, comfortable managing up, across, and with clients.

• You are a Notion guru, fluent in designing relational databases, building filtered views, and maintaining SOPs.

• You are comfortable working across Slack, Toggl, and Google Sheets-based trackers as your daily toolkit.

• You can juggle multiple accounts and shifting priorities without losing track of details.

• You hold a high bar for your own output and expect the same from the people you coordinate with.

What It's Like to Work at Darkroom

Darkroom is not a typical agency. It seeks A players who want to build something great. The company moves fast, thinks deeply, and expects every team member to bring insight and rigor to their work. High performance, creativity, and ownership are valued, but so is mutual support—no egos, no red tape, just world-class talent building something remarkable.

Darkroom believes in autonomy with accountability, truth over comfort, and outcomes over optics.

• Unlimited PTO + Local holidays: Rebooting is part of the work. Take the time you need to stay sharp.

• Remote-First Culture: Many roles are fully remote. Employees based in or near New York or Lisbon HQs are expected to work hybrid with weekly in-office time. Hub locations include Brazil and Spain.

• Parental Leave: Flexible parental leave to support new parents during this important transition.

• Growth: An interdisciplinary model gives every Darkroomer exposure beyond their core role. Grow your skills, expand your influence, and stay at the forefront of the industry.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace, dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national orientation, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. Qualified applicants are considered regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.