A project manager is responsible for the planning, resourcing, execution and completion of a project. From the early stages of proposing a project to stakeholders for viability to writing a project charter detailing which individuals will be collaborating, the resources required and a roadmap of milestones and metrics, project managers carry out projects from inception to delivery with minimum friction and maximum efficiency that satisfy company objectives.
Here’s a general guide to the everyday duties and responsibilities of a project manager:
Project managers come in all shapes and sizes! This versatile career path can lead you down any number of industries, from construction to software development to healthcare. To help you get an idea of the most popular industries and their average salaries, we’ve put together the most common project management career paths in the list below.
Construction Project Manager
Average Salary: $93,189
If there’s one industry that rarely sees a downturn in work, it’s construction. From building housing developments to repairing the country’s infrastructure, the need for competent construction project managers is plentiful. You’ll collaborate with engineers, architects, and subcontractors to complete projects that ensure compliance with legal, health, and safety regulations.
Engineering Project Manager
Average Salary: $127,577
Engineering project managers oversee engineers on tasks such as designing new products or finding alternative solutions to existing ones that might be cheaper, more efficient or safer. This varied role could have you managing the design of a new office building, enhancing the efficacy of new software or overseeing the development of aeronautical equipment. Although technical by nature, you don’t necessarily need an engineering degree as long as you have relevant experts on your team.
Energy Project Manager
Average Salary: $88,693
Project managers in the energy industry oversee both private and public projects in the development of new energies, like renewable energy, for example, or improving existing ones such as power plants. Project managers will direct contractors, take responsibility for resourcing equipment, manage budgets and communicate with vendors and stakeholders as they oversee the progress of their teams. With 194 states (including the European Union) party to the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to drastically reduce global emissions with reviews set every five years, there is a surge in renewable energy projects being initiated.
IT Project Manager
Average Salary: $108,274
Both information and technology are the currency of today’s global economy so it’s no great surprise that IT project managers are some of the highest-paid and most sought-after personnel. From overseeing hardware installations to network upgrades, from security to cloud computing, IT project managers help companies realise their computing-related goals.
Software Development Project Manager
Average Salary: $114,708
Delivering software to clients that facilitates their business cost-effectively and efficiently is a top priority for project managers in this field. Grasping technical concepts and breaking them down in simple ways is a must before laying a roadmap that teams can follow to get there. Software development brings a lot of variables, so planning and risk assessment are key, as is the continual tracking of progress to meet deadlines and stay within budget.
Pharmaceutical Project Manager
Average Salary: $89,859
Pharmaceutical project managers oversee the development of medicines from start to finish. Typically, this field requires a formal education in physical or life sciences, business management, health administration, or engineering, on top of having project management experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Daily tasks run in line with general project management responsibilities, such as working closely with personnel like biochemical engineers and researchers, tracking progress with medical and legally compliant records and reporting to stakeholders.
Healthcare Project Manager
Average Salary: $89,435
As ageing populations and chronic illnesses continue to affect society, the demand for hospitals and healthcare systems that are up to the challenge is set to increase in the years ahead. This also brings money-saving challenges and the need to improve the quality of patient care and this is where project managers step in to oversee healthcare-related organisational objectives. On a given day, you’ll flex your communication skills with doctors, donors, board members and vendors to get the job done in the best way possible.
Marketing Project Manager
Average Salary: $77,180
Businesses offering products and services need campaigns and projects that put them in pole positions to win over clients and consumers. Marketing project managers lead these campaigns from the initial concept phase right through to delivering a final product and oversee personnel, progress, and manage resources and budget whilst sticking to often tight deadlines. Digital marketing, especially, has become synonymous with how companies market themselves, with dozens of online channels being leveraged and project managers helping marketing goals become a reality.
If you know of someone hiring for a project management position, then great! But outside of that, the internet is likely going to be your best friend here. To make life a little easier, we’ve narrowed down the top sites to search for project manager jobs.
Designed for both job seekers and recruiters, this job board has been voted a top digital project management magazine for three years running in 2019,2020 and 2021. In addition to finding matches between project professionals and employers, it also serves as a valuable project management resource with tips and content about jobs and career options.
Operating in the UK, Middle Asia and Continental Europe, Reed has vacancies from over 30,000 recruiters per year. Users can upload a CV and cover letter too, which can be viewed by potential recruiters and makes for easier applications. Remember to turn notifications on and you’ll never miss a relevant match!
Totaljobs boast an impressive 280,000 live job alerts on their site and with over 20 years of experience, they’re a trustworthy source. Upload your CV and cover letter and let the software recommend jobs based on your profile, this means that only relevant listings come to your inbox and save time trawling through pages, then it's a simple one-click application. Totaljobs promises to match jobs no matter location or industry making it a great tool for job seekers.
Regarded as a business networking platform, LinkedIn combines social media elements such as user feeds, creating posts and direct messaging with a globally recognised job board. Employers post detailed listings and often you’ll find hiring managers and employees active on the platform to connect with. You can also upload a CV and set alerts for job matches. For the best results though, it’s highly recommended that you create a profile, this will allow you to truly network with peers and even join dedicated groups for your industry as well as indicate that you’re looking for work or are open to networking with a banner displayed on your profile.
Monster works by uploading a CV and letting the algorithm find the best matches for you, it can also be viewed by employers so it’s working for you even when you’re offline. You’ll find career resources like how to write a great cover letter or tips on interview questions or even advice on the most professional way to write a resignation letter! Monster also features a nifty video tool that shows a prospective company employee detailing the role and what’s required which is one step further than a standard job description.
This dedicated project management portal removes the need to sift through irrelevant job boards with specialised searches and filters to make finding work a cinch. There’s frequent content too with articles and training resources available and a free CV checker tool to make sure yours is in tip-top shape.
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