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

What is a development & program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Malissa Scheuring Leipold,

Dr. Daryl Green

The Development & Program Manager is responsible for supervising the creation of a final product. He/She is also responsible for maintaining the end-users interest while the product is in development.

The job involves meeting with the product design and product development team to develop systems that simplify the product without reducing features. It's a complicated job title, and it doesn't exist in many organizations. Instead, responsibility is taken by the product manager or design manager.

A day in a Development & Program Manager's life may involve reviewing current design proposals, meeting with teams, and testing the product. He/She may also conduct surveys to learn how users interact with the product.

Development & Program Managers come from a variety of backgrounds. They may have prior experience in product design, customer relations, UX design, or a combination of all these. To become a Development & Program Manager, you need a degree in product design or related fields, as well as several years of experience.

What general advice would you give to a development & program manager?

Dr. Malissa Scheuring Leipold

Chair & Associate Professor, Iona College

General advice I would give to a graduate beginning their career is to take one day at a time. In my many years in education, I have always been able to map out a general plan of action to be implemented in the classroom, but the pandemic has changed everything. You need to be ready for the unexpected, and don't let it throw you. The field of education is never predictable, so the more comfortable one gets with uncertainty and being adaptable without being resentful or stubborn, the more you can embrace the beauty of changing children's lives for the better. I would also emphasize the importance of personal relationships. Reach out to those with whom you are working, call them by name, make it more than about work by asking how they are doing. Also, they should call parents on a consistent basis, especially when their child is doing well and simply say, "Hi, I am here for you and am with you in your desire to see your child succeed." This will go miles. Last, believe in yourself yet be selfless by always keeping the best interest of the students at heart and compassionate. If you do this, everything else will fall into place.

ScoreDevelopment & Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $102,824

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 41.72%

male 58.28%

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 development & program manager

Explore development & program manager education requirements

Most common development & program manager degrees

Bachelor's

71.2 %

Master's

17.8 %

Associate

6.9 %

Start to develop specific development & program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Professional Development	22.18%
Project Management	9.87%
Program Management	7.89%
Business Development	3.78%
HR	3.53%

Complete relevant development & program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New development & 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 development & program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real development & program manager resumes.

Research development & program manager duties and responsibilities

Manage PLM data integrity report and PLM post launch report by project.
Manage a budget of $600,000 each year to maintain annual KPIs.
Develop, establish, and manage product families OEM in and out relationships.
Shape the strategic direction and implement CRM strategies to manage a corporate loyalty program.

Prepare your development & program manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your development & 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 development & 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 development & program manager resume templates

Build a professional development & 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 development & program manager resume.

Apply for development & program manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a development & 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

Average development & program manager salary

The average development & program manager salary in the United States is $102,824 per year or $49 per hour. Development & program manager salaries range between $76,000 and $137,000 per year.

Average development & program manager salary

$102,824 Yearly

$49.43 hourly

What is a development & program manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a development & program manager?

Development & program manager career paths

Key steps to become a development & program manager

Explore development & program manager education requirements

Most common development & program manager degrees

Start to develop specific development & program manager skills

Complete relevant development & program manager training and internships

Research development & program manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your development & program manager resume

Choose from 10+ customizable development & program manager resume templates

Apply for development & program manager jobs

How did you land your first development & program manager job

Average development & program manager salary

How do development & program managers rate their job?