What does a director, program manager do?
A director or program manager is in charge of spearheading and overseeing programs and projects in a company, ensuring it adheres to budgets and deadlines. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, manage staff and deadlines, liaise with internal and external parties, coordinate managers, and monitor the progress of all efforts. They must also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Director, program manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director, program manager resumes:
- Lead SharePoint consulting projects and practice.
- Lead the introduction and upgrade of wireless infrastructure at remote locations to ensure adherence with internal and international wireless standards.
- Task with providing a gap analysis for the team in order to create a tighter structure and PMO within the organization.
- Develop SharePoint site to communicate platform.
- Provide oversight; develop national training center basic academy business/functional processes.
- Provide weekly spiritual renewal groups where patients identify their assets and liabilities.
- Consult for online education organization to establish a new enterprise wide PMO.
- Plan and develop operational tests to evaluate the degree of logistics suitability and operational effectiveness.
- Program direction and oversight involving inventory control, equipment distribution and installation, and government support.
- Coordinate all event logistics relate to procurement, transportation, accommodations, equipment, and scheduling.
- Assess and treat psychological issues in behavioral medicine patients injure physically and/or emotionally in traumatic occupational accidents.
- Represent the logistics business division for all quality relate issues including process development for all ISO and Non-ISO certify warehouse locations.
- Prepare the 18th and 28th month contract evaluations as required by CMS.
- Create training manuals and conduct training for staff on CMS and SharePoint.
- Help in the detail design and deployment of reporting, ITIL help desk process, and daily administrative functions.
Director, program manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Director, Program Managers are proficient in Program Management, Project Management, and Oversight. They’re also known for soft skills such as Managerial skills, Customer-service skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Director, Program Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Program Management, 12%
Developed and implemented Infrastructure Start-up Program Management Manual that significantly reduce program start up times while integrating local norms.
- Project Management, 10%
Developed Project Management Office maturity assessment tool and process that allowed adaptability to organizational size, needs and vision.
- Oversight, 7%
Provided general management oversight to four operational sections including 48 government civil service employees and 14 active duty Marines.
- Digital Marketing, 6%
Created television and digital marketing campaigns and on-air contests to increase ratings share.
- Rehabilitation, 5%
Carried out public relation activities for the corporation, including marketing of physical rehabilitation services to area hospitals and referral sources.
- Patients, 5%
Assessed and treated psychological issues in behavioral medicine patients injured physically and/or emotionally in traumatic occupational accidents.
"program management," "project management," and "oversight" are among the most common skills that director, program managers use at work. You can find even more director, program manager responsibilities below, including:
Managerial skills. The most essential soft skill for a director, program manager to carry out their responsibilities is managerial skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and responding to a variety of issues." Additionally, a director, program manager resume shows how their duties depend on managerial skills: "attended nacada annual conference for professional development and to enhance my advising and managerial skills. "
Analytical skills. director, program managers are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to director, program manager responsibilities, because "social and community service managers need to understand and evaluate data in order to provide strategic guidance to their organization." A director, program manager resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "performed job analysis, case management, community outreach and fiscal management. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain director, program manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a director, program manager rely on this skill, as "social and community service managers must be able to address client, staff, and agency-related issues." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what director, program managers do: "provide program management for corporate investment bank for broadridge financial solutions, the largest corporate vendor to jpm. "
Time-management skills. Another common skill required for director, program manager responsibilities is "time-management skills." This skill comes up in the duties of director, program managers all the time, as "social and community service managers must prioritize and handle numerous tasks, often in a short timeframe." An excerpt from a real director, program manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a director, program manager does: "consolidated fragmented service business it applications from 28 to a single erp tool project completed on time and within budget targets. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on director, program manager job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in director, program manager duties, since "social and community service managers must be able to speak and write clearly." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day director, program manager responsibilities: "managed internal communication systems for this community development agency; personnel hiring, evaluation, and professional development training. "
The three companies that hire the most director, program managers are:
- Trilogy Health Services23 director, program managers jobs
- Visa5 director, program managers jobs
- Bank of America4 director, program managers jobs
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Compare different director, program managers
Director, program manager vs. Associate director
An associate director oversees the daily activities and business operations within a particular area. They are primarily responsible for devising strategies that aim for growth in profit and customer satisfaction, implementing policies and standards, evaluate the workforce, providing support to various departments, and setting goals in terms of budget and sales. Furthermore, they must regularly report progress to the director and coordinate with managers and supervisors in the joint effort to reach the vision and mission of the company.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between director, program managers and associate director. For instance, director, program manager responsibilities require skills such as "program management," "home health," "service delivery," and "product development." Whereas a associate director is skilled in "healthcare," "excellent interpersonal," "customer service," and "continuous improvement." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Associate directors tend to reach similar levels of education than director, program managers. In fact, associate directors are 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director, program manager vs. Program director
Program directors are employees who oversee all aspects of a specific program in the company. They usually work in nonprofit organizations or are assigned to a department doing corporate social responsibility activities. Program directors ensure that the program is in line with the company's goals. They also ensure that the resources assigned to the program are properly managed and that all finances are accounted for. They create strategies to ensure the success of the program and communicate these to everyone involved. They lead the implementation and evaluation of the program.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real director, program manager resumes. While director, program manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "digital marketing," "rehabilitation," and "home health," program directors use skills like "social work," "customer service," "hr," and "client facing."
In general, program directors achieve similar levels of education than director, program managers. They're 0.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director, program manager vs. Aquatic director
An aquatic director is a person who manages swimming pools used in a facility such as a school or a university. It is the aquatics director's task to ensure safety in and around any pool, adhere to health protocols, and help promote and create pool-related activities. It is also the aquatic director's job to ensure that all safety protocols imposed by the school, university, or the state are followed and that all safety measures are observed. The aquatic director's added responsibility is to educate people on all safety policies, have an experienced lifesaver crew ready for emergencies and ensure the fun and experience of people using all aquatic facilities.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, director, program managers are more likely to have skills like "program management," "project management," "oversight," and "digital marketing." But a aquatic director is more likely to have skills like "cpr," "water safety," "emergency situations," and "adaptive."
When it comes to education, aquatic directors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to director, program managers. In fact, they're 12.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director, program manager vs. Project director
A project director is an individual responsible for supervising workers from various departments given specific tasks to complete a given project. They create a budget to complete a job while monitoring the amount of money spent to ensure that overspending is avoided. They provide presentations to investors, business partners, and company executives to inform them about their progress and development. Project directors must have several years of experience and obtain at least a bachelor's degree in business economics or a related field to be hired.
Types of director, program manager
Updated January 8, 2025
