Functional Manager vs. Project Manager

A functional manager oversees a particular function of an organization such as a department or team, while a project manager oversees all phases of a project including all departments and teams involved.

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

What is a functional manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

When an organization wants to start a new project, they need a lot of resources in order to do so. Obviously, they need funding, but other resources include software and skilled people. The person in charge of making sure that all the right resources are in place for a project to succeed is the functional manager.

The functional manager often works with the project manager, but their jobs are not the same. While the project manager makes sure that the project gets implemented, the functional manager makes sure that all the resources are in place for a project to succeed. This can include assigning skilled employees, developing ERP structures, and managing other logistical concerns.

Most functional managers have a bachelor's or master's degree, usually in business or a related field. They also need several years of experience in other project management positions. It takes a lot of work to become a functional manager, but they have many opportunities and can work in a variety of fields, from IT to finance.

What's a day at work look like for a functional 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!

ScoreFunctional ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $113,849

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.68%

Black or African American 6.64%

Hispanic or Latino 9.96%

Unknown 5.20%

White 65.32%

Gender

female 32.83%

male 67.17%

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 functional manager

Explore functional manager education requirements

Most common functional manager degrees

Bachelor's

58.0 %

Associate

23.8 %

Master's

12.4 %

Start to develop specific functional manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Professional Development	16.17%
Customer Service	14.07%
ERP	10.47%
Business Process	9.21%
HR	8.74%

Complete relevant functional manager training and internships

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

Gain additional functional manager certifications

Functional 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 functional manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for functional managers include Certified Management Professional (CMP) and IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL).

More About Certifications

Research functional manager duties and responsibilities

Manage product and solution infrastructure with continuous deployments, and engineering requirements to support product releases and solutions.
Verify installations ability to load new DoD supply chain system.
Train unit point of contacts on SharePoint procedures on a quarterly basis.
Integrate the necessary architecture that would consistently work with web services systems, external systems.

Prepare your functional manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your functional 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 functional 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 functional manager resume templates

Build a professional functional 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 functional manager resume.