Project Manager

Company Description

TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility, and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder, and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda.

We seek:

• Curious learners: Individuals seeking meaning, growth, and understanding in a complex world
• Builders and creators: People developing ideas, culture, and communities that advance human progress
• Connectors and conveners: Leaders, educators, and community builders who bring others together around ideas.

Through talks, media, convenings, learning experiences, and industry-leading storytelling, TED influences how millions around the world think, learn, and engage.

About TED Brand Creative:
The Brand Creative team is focused on how TED’s brand, content, and experiences create a global platform for exchanging ideas and growing community.

As Project Manager, you'll drive multiple, concurrent creative projects while collaborating with Brand Creative, internal teams, freelancers, and external partners and agencies. You'll be the main link between Brand Creative and the rest of TED, keeping design, illustration, and motion graphics work moving smoothly. You'll report to the Creative Director.

We’re looking for someone who has deep expertise in creative processes and a proven track record of leading high-impact projects within creative agencies, in-house studios, or similar settings. This individual is a proactive problem solver, a strong communicator, and thrives in a collaborative environment.

What you'll do

• Partner with team leadership to shape project strategy and determine how work is prioritized and delivered

• Manage multiple concurrent projects and workflows

• Maintain a prioritized project schedule that accounts for team capacity

• Lead regular status check-ins with your team and stakeholders

• Turn ambiguous requirements into clear, actionable plans

• Write creative briefs independently — covering stakeholders, audience, goals, timeline, and budget

• Build agendas to run efficient meetings

• Advocate for the team's perspective while setting realistic expectations

• Build relationships with freelancers and vendors to scale up capacity quickly when needed

• Plan ahead for busy periods and track change requests

• Spot and defuse risks to timelines before they become problems

• Run debriefs after major projects to identity wins, misses, and areas for improvement

• 3+ years managing end-to-end creative processes

• Knowledge of the creative workflow, including graphic design, branding, digital photography, motion graphics, and illustration

• Proactive and strategic problem-solving skills

• A collaborative mindset — you take direction and feedback well

• Flexibility. TED is a fast-paced environment, and we jump quickly from project to project. You can keep up and thrive off the energy of working on something new.

• A track record of spotting challenges early and solving them

• Strong time-management skills and the ability to juggle multiple large projects at once

• Skilled, confident negotiation across contracts, timelines, budgets

• Excellent listening and communication skills

• Strong proficiency with Airtable, Google Suite, and Dropbox

• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma is a plus

TED Conferences LLC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.