ZACH LOKER
San Francisco
Summary
Program/Project Management and Creative Operations leader with extensive experience delivering complex global product launches and integrated campaigns both in-house and agency side. Successfully align stakeholders and optimize workflows, ensuring timely execution while enhancing operational efficiency across marketing and production teams.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Producer — xFN Global Production
WTBR on behalf of Google
San Francisco
04.2025 - 12.2025
- Led cross-functional program delivery for complex global product launches, coordinating production, creative, GSR, training, and third-party partner workstreams to ensure successful execution.
- Served as a central operational liaison across stakeholders and delivery teams, aligning priorities, timelines, dependencies, and launch readiness across concurrent initiatives.
- Managed communication and escalation pathways among leadership, production teams, and external partners, aligning priorities and timelines to resolve competing initiatives.
- Implemented process improvements and operational efficiencies across large-scale launch workflows, improving coordination and execution consistency.
- Oversaw delivery of high-volume creative assets for local, national, and international distribution, ensuring quality standards and timeline adherence.
Head of Creative Marketing Operations, Cruise
General Motors
San Francisco
01.2024 - 03.2025
- Led end-to-end program management of integrated creative initiatives, coordinating internal teams, external agencies, and production partners to ensure timely and on-scope campaign delivery.
- Led cross-functional teams in Marketing, Creative, Production, and vendor management, aligning stakeholders on timelines, dependencies, and execution readiness.
- Directed resource planning and team utilization for designers, writers, marketers, and producers to effectively align capacity with evolving business priorities.
- Implemented scalable operational frameworks, project tracking systems, and workflow standards that improved visibility and streamlined collaboration across high-volume campaign workstreams.
- Developed and institutionalized SOPs, intake processes, and review structures to enhance operational consistency and expedite delivery timelines.
Head of Creative Marketing Operations & PMO
Cruise
San Francisco
06.2021 - 12.2023
- Directed strategic operations for Cruise Creative and Marketing teams, ensuring alignment between business objectives, campaign execution, and operational delivery.
- Scaled operational systems to support integrated marketing campaigns and product launches, enhancing collaboration across cross-functional teams.
- Collaborated with Creative, Marketing, Product, and Communications stakeholders to manage dependencies and resolve blockers, ensuring execution readiness across programs.
- Designed and implemented intake, briefing, asset management, and approval workflows that improved project visibility, reduced friction, and streamlined delivery.
- Led forecasting, budget planning, and resource allocation, optimizing internal team utilization alongside freelance and agency support.
Vice President, Project/ Program Director
Edelman
San Francisco
10.2018 - 06.2021
- Directed project intake, prioritization, and resource allocation across West Coast teams, ensuring on-time delivery of complex multi-stakeholder programs.
- Partnered with executive stakeholders and leadership teams to align strategic objectives with delivery plans, ensuring clarity and accountability in execution.
- Built and led high-performing project management organization that supported integrated creative, production, and communications initiatives, enhancing client account engagement.
- Developed scalable operating models, governance structures, and performance metrics that improved operational efficiency and cross-functional coordination.
- Advised teams on scope, feasibility, staffing, and operational planning for concurrent initiatives, facilitating sustainable execution and resource management.
Head of SF Project Management, Bay Area Practice Lead
Edelman
San Francisco
09.2017 - 09.2018
- Led Bay Area Project Management operations, overseeing delivery frameworks, resource management, forecasting, and operational planning across integrated accounts.
- Implemented workflow optimization initiatives and collaboration technologies that improved visibility, communication, and delivery consistency.
- Partnered with Operations, Creative, Production, and PR leadership to establish scalable project management standards and integrated team processes.
- Spearheaded organizational restructuring efforts that clarified ownership models and improved collaboration between PM and Production functions.
PM, Production Lead, Web Producer, Marketing Mngr
Edelman, AKQA, estorm, ecomom, R&R Partners
San Francisco / Las Vegas
06.2010 - 08.2017
- Collaborated with global teams and external partners to define project goals and ensure stakeholder alignment.
- Directed project strategies, including schedules and task assignments, to enhance cross-functional collaboration.
- Oversaw project finances, focusing on revenue forecasting and resource allocation for maximum efficiency.
- Strengthened client engagement and vendor partnerships to facilitate smooth execution of business objectives.
- Led full project lifecycle from scoping to vendor management while mentoring team members.
- Supervised multidisciplinary teams of designers, strategists, and analysts to deliver innovative content solutions.
- Ensured client satisfaction through proactive communication and management of expectations.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Marketing, Business Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NVSkills
- Program management
- Program delivery
- Project management
- Agency and vendor management
- Production leadership and operations
- Creative operations
- Marketing operations
- Resource planning and allocation
- RACI development
- Exec Stakeholder alignment and engagement
- Operational efficiency and frameworks
- Campaign management and product launches
- Creative workflow design
- Creative team and creative execution oversight
- Dependency management
- Risk mitigation
- Cross-functional leadership
- Team utilization and oversight
- Direct report training, coaching, mentoring, motivation
- Effective communication
- Change management
- Intake and prioritization
- Budget management, planning, forecasting
- Process improvement and workflow optimization
- Conflict management
- Task delegation
- QA and review management
- Purchasing, procurement and rights management
- Team leadership
- Milestone management
- Client relations and communications
- Organizational Planning and development
SELECTED IMPACT
- Designed and implemented Cruise's first centralized creative intake framework, improving prioritization visibility and balancing workloads across teams.
- Scaled Creative Team operations from 5 to 15 team members across full-time and contractor staffing models.
- Led implementation of enterprise-wide DAM platform (MediaValet), centralizing asset management and improving collaboration across internal and external partners.
- Developed PMO SOPs and operational standards that streamlined campaign execution and improved resource utilization across creative and marketing initiatives.
- Launched cross-functional collaboration models that improved alignment between creative, marketing, and product organizations, accelerating go-to-market execution.
Core Capabilities
Integrated Campaign Management, Program Delivery, Workback Schedules, RACI Development, Dependency Management, Milestone Tracking, Risk Mitigation, Resource Planning, Cross-Functional Coordination, Creative Workflow Design, Intake & Prioritization, Production Operations, Agency & Vendor Management, SOP Development, QA & Review Management, Launch Readiness, Organizational Planning, Operational Frameworks, Budget Forecasting, Team Utilization, Stakeholder Alignment, Executive Communications, Change Management, monday.com, Asana, Jira, MediaValet, Asset Central, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace
Timeline
Executive Producer — xFN Global Production
WTBR on behalf of Google
04.2025 - 12.2025
Head of Creative Marketing Operations, Cruise
General Motors
01.2024 - 03.2025
Head of Creative Marketing Operations & PMO
Cruise
06.2021 - 12.2023
Vice President, Project/ Program Director
Edelman
10.2018 - 06.2021
Head of SF Project Management, Bay Area Practice Lead
Edelman
09.2017 - 09.2018
PM, Production Lead, Web Producer, Marketing Mngr
Edelman, AKQA, estorm, ecomom, R&R Partners
06.2010 - 08.2017
Bachelor of Science - Marketing, Business Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas