How To Become A Customer Program Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a customer program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Customer program managers provide comprehensive services for key customers. They function as mediators, advocating customers' needs towards product management.

A customer program manager is in regular contact with key customers in an effort to fully understand their needs and expectations towards their company. Providing customer support at its best, they are expected to receive feedback on a regular basis and develop products according to customer demands.

Customer program managers attend meetings, update upper managers on the status of accounts, and closely collaborate with accounts management to always find the best course of action. Essentially, their main responsibility is coming up with programs to increase the satisfaction of customers dealing with their company's products and services.

What's a day at work look like for a customer program manager?

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Program Director & Assistant Professor, Maryville University

A bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders can prepare you for three different tracks. First, it can prepare you to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). This is someone who works under a fully credential speech-language pathologist. Often times, they carryout intervention plans developed by a fully credentialed speech-language pathologist. If graduate school is on your horizon, a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders will prepare you for acceptance into a Speech-Language Pathology program, or an Audiology program. If you are not accepted into a graduate program right away, working as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is a great way to get experience in the field!

ScoreCustomer Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,176

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 40.48%

male 59.52%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a customer program manager

Explore customer program manager education requirements

Most common customer program manager degrees

Bachelor's

72.0 %

Master's

17.3 %

Associate

6.6 %

Start to develop specific customer program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.51%
Project Management	12.19%
Program Management	11.87%
CRM	4.18%
Customer Feedback	4.00%

Complete relevant customer program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New customer program managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a customer program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real customer program manager resumes.

Research customer program manager duties and responsibilities

Manage low volume parts to PPAP requirements within on site manufacturing facility.
Assist in developing a custom MRP database to help manage the variety of documents.
Lead APQP launch teams and assist with engineering, quality, customer service, financial and manufacturing.
Manage source business through development and into production utilizing APQP process.

Apply for customer program manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a customer program manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do customer program managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Customer program manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros

Project concept, execution - meeting business and Customer expectations.