Delivery Director (Freelance)

Instrument is a digitally native design and technology company built to help brands unlock their full potential. Since 2005, our team of makers, thinkers, and storytellers has partnered with leading brands like Google, Nike, Uber, ŌURA, and Eventbrite to craft digital experiences that create impact and drive results.Unlike traditional agencies, we don’t just design—we build. Our work lives at the intersection of taste and technology, powered by curiosity, thoughtful curation, and a commitment to delivering the most fitting solution for every brief. We bring this to life across three core offerings: Brand, Marketing, and Product. As a member of our freelance network, you’ll collaborate with our teams to bring bold ideas to life—whether launching new brands, building digital products, or shaping experiences that move people. We welcome collaborators from all backgrounds and experiences who share our curiosity, creativity, and care for craft.We believe great work comes from diverse perspectives and shared purpose. If you’re passionate about learning, experimenting, and making work that matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Delivery Director to join us on a fixed-term basis to provide leadership coverage during a planned leave. This is a unique opportunity to step into a senior leadership role with immediate impact—guiding delivery across a portfolio of work, partnering closely with executive leadership, supporting new business pursuits, and helping shape how we deliver exceptional work for our clients.

This role sits at the intersection of delivery, operations, and business growth. You'll partner with Growth and studio leadership to develop proposals, shape scopes of work, evaluate staffing approaches, and ensure we're setting both our teams and our clients up for long-term success.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Growth and executive leadership on proposals, new business pursuits, and client expansions by developing delivery approaches, shaping scopes of work, staffing plans, timelines, and commercial assumptions.
• Contribute to pitch teams by bringing operational thinking, delivery strategy, and risk management to complex opportunities.
• Author and support Executive Producer with SOWs, lead contract negotiations, and ensure new projects are set up for success.
• Lead delivery across a portfolio of client engagements, ensuring work is delivered on time, within budget, and at a consistently high level of quality.
• Partner with executive leadership to connect delivery strategy with business goals, financial health, staffing, and client success.
• Review complex scopes, staffing plans, timelines, and forecasts to identify risks early and create practical recovery plans.
• Build and improve operational systems, delivery practices, and team rituals that increase predictability and consistency across projects.
• Guide delivery leaders through complex client situations, escalations, and operational challenges with confidence and clarity.
• Partner with Growth, Finance, Staffing, and discipline leaders on forecasting, resource planning, and portfolio health.
• Coach and support Executive Producers and other delivery leaders, fostering accountability, collaboration, and sustainable ways of working.
• Help evolve delivery operations through improved tooling, documentation, AI-enabled workflows, and continuous process improvement.
• Drive change thoughtfully, balancing immediate business needs with long-term operational improvements.
• Partner with Growth and executive leadership on proposals, new business pursuits, and client expansions by developing delivery approaches, shaping scopes of work, staffing plans, timelines, and commercial assumptions.
• Contribute to pitch teams by bringing operational thinking, delivery strategy, and risk management to complex opportunities.

What You'll Bring

• Significant experience leading delivery organizations, PMOs, or production teams within a digital agency, consultancy, or product organization.
• Experience overseeing a portfolio of complex digital work rather than managing individual projects alone.
• Strong operational and financial acumen, including forecasting, staffing, utilization, margins, and delivery planning.
• Experience building scalable delivery systems, operational frameworks, and team processes—not simply executing existing ones.
• Experience partnering on new business efforts, including proposals, scoping, staffing strategies, estimating, and client presentations.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance client goals, delivery quality, team health, and business outcomes.
• Exceptional judgment navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, and executive-level decision making.
• Experience leading managers and developing high-performing delivery teams.
• Strong client partnership skills with the ability to build trust through transparency, strategic thinking, and calm leadership.
• Curiosity around emerging technologies and AI, with an interest in improving how teams work through better tools and workflows.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared path forward.

What We Offer

The expected contract pay range: $75-$90 per hour. Contract compensation is determined by location, experience, and skillset. We have three regional pay ranges that are adjusted for cost of living (US1 +15%, US2 +7.5%, US3 Base), *learn more about our pay philosophy and cost of living adjustments. Benefits may be available in accordance with applicable law and company policy, including eligibility based on hours worked and duration of assignment.

Originally posted on Himalayas