What would be a good 4-hour development task for a job interview?

What's my job title?

• I'm a project manager who also does a fair amount of business development and consulting for my mid-sized agency. I also own a lot of internal projects and infrastructure. I need a job title that highlights my unique contributions, and doesn't sound too precious to my relatively small, flat organization. I work for a mid-sized communications agency (~25 people). Most associates are either designers, writers or project managers. We also have three partners, who refer to themselves as senior consultants. Generally speaking, our job titles are more about helping clients understand who to contact in any given situation than demonstrating hierarchy. I was hired in as a project manager, and my core responsibilities still fall under that realm--I lead teams of writers, designers and developers to create all sorts of outputs. Part of this is tactical (managing timeline and budget, communicating milestones, keeping everyone on task), and part of this is strategic (I determine the project approach, develop the content hierarchy, shape the messaging and deliverables, etc.) I also serve as an account executive, in that I develop new business, write proposals, meet with potential clients and "own" the primary relationship with my clients. I also serve a particular niche role in our fairly traditional organization as someone with strengths in digital marketing and web development. I often serve in a "consulting" role when this type of project comes through, and will conduct research, make recommendations and occasionally even execute the final product. In client meetings and proposals, I'm referred to most often as project manager, strategist, digital strategist and digital consultant. In addition, roughly 30% of my time is also spent on what might be considered "operational" work. I research and facilitate adoption of new technology, tools and practices for our company. I interview new hires, develop policies and create internal documents like self-appraisal forms and brand guidelines. None of this work is billable, nor is it specifically asked of me--though it is acknowledged and appreciated. Our partners are pretty focused on project work, so there's a bit of a void in this area without my contributions. This work isn't referenced in proposals or by clients, as it's all internal. Because of my leadership contributions and my project work, I'm considered a senior associate, unofficially on a track toward partnership. As part of my upcoming review, the partners at my company have acknowledged that my current job title is no longer accurate, and are welcoming my suggestions. Traditional agency job titles don't seem quite right. In the industry at large, I think of project managers as middle managers... they keep things on track, but don't necessarily define the path forward. I don't think I'm a true account executive, because that position seems to be more traditionally sales-focused than project-focused (even though I do a fair amount of business development, it's largely referral-based). Please do challenge these assumptions if I'm off base! If it helps, I bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in business a year, and manage high-level projects for leading national and international organizations. Our client work is significant, but our company profile is intentionally under-the-radar. I'm currently leading toward Project Lead and Digital Strategist as a more accurate handle for my day-to-day work. I think Project Lead is a little more all-encompassing than Project Manager, and the digital component is a pretty fair descriptor of my skillset. But I'm not sure how to incorporate the operational aspects of my job in my title, or even whether they should be (as opposed to being a Something-or-Other who just happens to go above and beyond with organizational contributions). More than anything, I'd like to come up with something that demonstrates leadership and significant responsibility. I'm not job searching now, but when I do in the future, I need to be competitive with people who might be directors, or possibly even VPs, as that's more the level of work I do today, and my role within my organization. I'd love thoughts from others who have been in similar roles or worked in the agency world in general. Have you transitioned from a small, flat organization to a senior position elsewhere, or hired someone who has? How much do job titles even factor in when you're looking at resumes? What assumptions do you make about someone with a project management or account executive background? And what suggestions might you make for a more appropriate job title? Thanks very much for your help!

• Answer:

  I don't have any specific suggestions, but for whatever it's worth, in my company a "Project Lead" has less status in the hierarchy than a "Project Manager". Might your contacts perceive it the same way?