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

What is a delivery/program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Laura Deeter PhD,

Dr. Daryl Green

In any organization, a program is any group of related projects that support a strategic business plan. This could include: launching a product, implementing a new sales strategy, or opening a new plant. That's where delivery/program managers come into play.

A delivery/program manager is an individual who specializes in strategic project management. Their job is to oversee and coordinate the numerous projects, products, and other strategic initiatives in an organization. They ensure continuous delivery is possible by protecting the team's time. The average salary for a delivery/program manager is $58,328 in the United States.

As a delivery/program manager, you work with the product manager to define the roadmap for any given product. You strategically guide the company's project managers to ensure that work aims to achieve the program's objective. Also, you coordinate multiple projects and facilitate communication among a program's cross-functional team. A delivery/program manager needs leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

What general advice would you give to a delivery/program manager?

Dr. Laura Deeter PhD

Professor of Practice: Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University

Be open to learning and trying something outside of your comfort zone.
Be willing to work hard and don't expect to be project manager right out of school. Hard work will get you there fast enough.

ScoreDelivery/Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $109,993

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 18.25%

Black or African American 6.28%

Hispanic or Latino 9.43%

Unknown 5.15%

White 60.68%

Gender

female 35.13%

male 64.87%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a delivery/program manager

Explore delivery/program manager education requirements

Most common delivery/program manager degrees

Bachelor's

71.2 %

Master's

21.2 %

Associate

4.2 %

Start to develop specific delivery/program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	12.79%
Program Management	8.45%
Service Delivery	7.50%
Portfolio	7.47%
Infrastructure	5.95%

Complete relevant delivery/program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New delivery/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 delivery/program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real delivery/program manager resumes.

Gain additional delivery/program manager certifications

Delivery/program manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific delivery/program manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for delivery/program managers include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

More About Certifications

Research delivery/program manager duties and responsibilities

Manage cross-functional teams including global communications, product/parts replacements, logistics and hardware fulfillment, warranty, and escalations.
Develop and institutionalize a service catalog and delivery model for a global infrastructure services team.
Direct information technologies including infrastructure, applications, security, monitoring, storage and restore/backup to deliver client projects as required.
Follow the PMO processes and guidelines and contribute to improving processes and procedures to deliver solutions in a dynamically changing environment.

Prepare your delivery/program manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your delivery/program manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a delivery/program manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable delivery/program manager resume templates

Build a professional delivery/program manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your delivery/program manager resume.