What does a contract project manager do?
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Contract project manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real contract project manager resumes:
- Manage weekly CMS build outs from feature prioritization through implementation including test cases and training documentation.
- Manage RFI's, field directives, construction changes, payments, and billing associate with project.
- Manage the day to day duties of the turn-key/design build/plan and specification and retrofit-installation of the HVAC contracting department.
- Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
- Install hundreds of replacement windows and doors.
- Install windows, doors, and hardware for commercial and residential projects.
- Facilitate regular meetings with the project team and resolve day-to-day issues with an emphasis on SDLC.
- Follow the SDLC process to ensure that the scope and the development of the projects are correct.
- Aid in engineering and estimating of lighting retrofits, HVAC equipment replacement, ATC and other quoted work.
- Work closed with vendors in soliciting request for information (RFI) and request for proposals (RFP).
- Facilitate the integration of ERP systems defining requirements for inventory and resin (new & regrind) in JD Edwards.
- Develop RFP's and clarification to insure full understanding of size and scope of project prior to releasing award of project.
- Prepare and submit monthly invoices and reconcile weekly payroll.
- Develop and maintain payroll procedures and processes to maximize efficiency and accuracy.
- Develop, maintain, and document work flows and procedures for operational infrastructure.
Contract project manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Contract Project Managers are proficient in Project Management, Project Scope, and Contract Project. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Contract Project Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 21%
Project management ranging from new construction and remodeling in residential, commercial and industrial settings with responsibilities to include specialized systems.
- Project Scope, 7%
Project scope entailed reviewing and revising educational content for accuracy and appropriateness for 180 customized written online courses.
- Contract Project, 5%
Contract Project Coordinator for Verizon human resources/payroll conversion project from SAP to PeopleSoft.
- HR, 4%
Conduct quality checks/peer-performance reviews of personnel work product and behavior, and discuss results and HR issues with team.
- Infrastructure, 4%
Examined bid documents for correctness, developed estimates for underground utility contracts associated with the water and waste water infrastructure projects.
- Project Budget, 4%
Developed cost/benefit analyses, project budgetary information and capital appropriation information.
Most contract project managers use their skills in "project management," "project scope," and "contract project" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential contract project manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a contract project manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what contract project managers do because "construction managers must be able to plan strategies, investigate project cost variances, and solve problems over the course of a project." Additionally, a contract project manager resume shows how contract project managers use analytical skills: "enter customer and survey data into an enterprise resource program (erp) database to effectively manage projects. "
Business skills. Another essential skill to perform contract project manager duties is business skills. Contract project managers responsibilities require that "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." Contract project managers also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "managed the application process for the fda medical device, minority and small business certifications. "
Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a contract project manager to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what contract project managers relies on this skill, since "construction managers must effectively delegate tasks to construction workers, subcontractors, and other lower level managers to ensure that projects are completed accurately and on time." How this skill relates to contract project manager duties can be seen in an example from a contract project manager resume snippet: "acted as hr business partner with hiring managers and executive leadership to identify needs and drive employment initiatives. "
The three companies that hire the most contract project managers are:
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Compare different contract project managers
Contract project manager vs. Business analyst/project manager
A business analyst/project manager is responsible for developing project management procedures, analyzing processes, and ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of project deliverables, following clients' specifications and requirements to meet their highest satisfaction. Business analysts/project managers manage project resources, delegate tasks to project staff, setting deadlines, and coordinating with the clients for regular updates and suggest strategic adjustments as needed. They also mitigate potential risks and manage changes during the project execution, maintaining the quality of the outputs, and balancing costs to meet the clients' budget goals.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between contract project managers and business analyst/project manager. For instance, contract project manager responsibilities require skills such as "contract project," "infrastructure," "project budget," and "hvac." Whereas a business analyst/project manager is skilled in "business stakeholders," "business analysis," "data analysis," and "application development." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Business analyst/project managers tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $120,172. In contrast, contract project managers make the biggest average salary, $96,999, in the health care industry.On average, business analyst/project managers reach higher levels of education than contract project managers. Business analyst/project managers are 7.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Contract project manager vs. Project manager/team lead
Project Managers are responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of a project from inception to completion. Their duties include defining project scope, developing a project plan, creating work breakdown structures to distribute resources, and communicating responsibilities to all project team members and vendors. They organizie work schedules, set milestones, track project progress, resolve technical issues, articulate roadblocks to project sponsors, propose risk mitigation strategies, and maintain project documentation. Project Managers also handle file submission for project closure, conduct post-project evaluations, supervise project communications, act as chairman in project status meetings, develop project governance structures and liaise with system security managers to coordinate system security activities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, contract project manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "contract project," "hvac," "construction projects," and "change order management." Meanwhile, a project manager/team lead has duties that require skills in areas such as "scrum," "c #," "direct reports," and "business analysts." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, project managers/team lead achieve similar levels of education than contract project managers. They're 3.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Contract project manager vs. Information technology project manager
An information technology project manager is responsible for supervising the technology department, ensuring that all tasks are being done by following technological strategies and solutions. Information technology project managers' duties include monitoring the technology team's daily operation, handling team members' concerns, managing customers' inquiries and complaints, helping team members' in achieving their professional growth, creating reports, sharing updates during team and board meetings, and maintaining effectivity of operational procedures. An information technology project manager must have excellent leadership and decision-making skills to decide on the best strategies in meeting the company's objectives.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from contract project manager resumes include skills like "contract project," "hvac," "construction projects," and "change order management," whereas an information technology project manager is more likely to list skills in "scrum," "software development," "technical support," and "excellent organizational. "
Information technology project managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $120,713. Comparatively, contract project managers have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $96,999.When it comes to education, information technology project managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to contract project managers. In fact, they're 4.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Contract project manager vs. Project manager & leader
A project manager & leader is responsible for monitoring the overall project management and staff operations, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of project deliverables to meet the client's requirements, and achieving the highest customer satisfaction. Project managers/leaders implement strategic procedures to minimize costs while maximizing operational productivity. They identify business opportunities by analyzing the current market trends to develop services that would meet the clients' demands and the public's interests. A project manager & leader also handles the department budget, allocating adequate resources, and maintaining an organized delegation of tasks for the employees.
Types of contract project manager
Updated January 8, 2025
