Freelance Project Management Unpacked: DPM Summit 2025

Title: Freelance Project Management Unpacked: Sustainable Careers and Smarter Hiring

Originally given: October 28, 2025

DPM Summit, Portland OR

Freelancing in project management offers freedom, flexibility, and fresh opportunities, but it also comes with unique challenges. At the same time, agencies and organizations are increasingly turning to freelance project managers to fill gaps and scale teams.

This session provides a dual perspective: what does it take to successfully build a sustainable freelance career as a project manager? What does it take to hire and manage freelance PMs effectively? And when do you know when it's time to make the leap in either scenario?

Whether you’re exploring freelancing yourself or looking to bring freelancers onto your team, you’ll leave with practical strategies to make freelance project management successful on both sides of the table.

Key Takeaways

• For Freelancers: How to prepare for a full-time freelance career, land contracts, and sustain long-term success.

• For Hiring Managers: When and why to hire a freelance PM, how to onboard them effectively, and best practices for strong collaboration.

• For Both: How to build healthy, productive freelance partnerships where both PMs and project teams thrive.

Download Freelance Project Management Unpacked slides (PDF) here.