What does a functional manager do?
A functional manager handles resources in a certain department like IT, engineering, PR, or marketing. Generally, they direct the technical work of employees from that functional part who are working on the project. They share responsibility with the project manager for directing the work of employees. They assign specific employees to the team and discuss with the project manager regarding resources to improved staff utilization. In addition, they also participate in the initial planning until activities are assigned and recommend possible changes to the project, including corrective actions.
Functional manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real functional manager resumes:
- 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.
- Lead program engineer defining vehicle architecture for new segment entries as well as in cycle product updates.
- Develop a data parsing routine in Java in order to validate record data integrity and continuity of data feed.
- Establish the project's configuration management repository using SharePoint.
- Integrate separate functions of supply, maintenance, procurement and quality assurance into logistics activities.
- Supervise 12 headquarters' military and civilians overseeing 4,000 logistics personnel locate at 7 different installations.
- Spearhead Aeromedical transport initiative to integrate patients into AMC passenger processing saving the DoD millions of dollars.
- Support internal clients and multiple business units implementing and configuring hardware and software systems in the infrastructure.
- Create multiple responsibilities, develop security rules and customize menu to restrict user access to GL functionality as per client requirement.
- Assume responsibility for an underperforming ILS effort and turn it around by providing exceptional ILS management and support.
Functional manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Functional Managers are proficient in Professional Development, Customer Service, and ERP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Organizational skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Functional Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 16%
Facilitate team member professional development by conducting on-the-job training, performance appraisals, and needs assessments.
- Customer Service, 14%
Worked on critical customer service & part distribution systems/operations design teams, including Virtual order fulfillment.
- ERP, 10%
Implemented ERP in over 50 countries using Oracle Multi-Org functionality.
- Business Process, 9%
Utilized extensive Logistics business process experience to analyze Materials Management, Inventory Management and Warehouse Management processes.
- HR, 9%
Secured 35 additional manpower positions and engaged HR for immediate fills; fixed 300% deficit in personnel.
- Project Management, 6%
Updated and or created project management plans to include Project Management, Configuration Management, Risk Management, and Quality Management.
Most functional managers use their skills in "professional development," "customer service," and "erp" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential functional manager responsibilities here:
Business skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a functional manager to have is business skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "it managers must develop and implement strategic plans to reach the goals of their organizations." Functional managers often use business skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "design and developing erp application enhancements aligned with business needs, and project plans with solution manager. "
Organizational skills. Many functional manager duties rely on organizational skills. "some it managers must coordinate the work of several different it departments to make the organization run efficiently.," so a functional manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways functional manager responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "integrated key initiatives in support of f-16cj maintenance organizational continuous process improvements. "
Analytical skills. functional managers are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to functional manager responsibilities, because "it managers must analyze problems and consider and select the best ways to solve them." A functional manager resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "planned and led program management for completion of a data center move. "
Leadership skills. functional manager responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "it managers must lead and motivate it teams or departments so that workers are efficient and effective." This resume example shows what functional managers do with leadership skills on a typical day: "designed and facilitated nco professional development and instructed leadership courses. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in functional manager job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what functional managers do. Functional manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "it managers must explain their work to top executives and give clear instructions to their subordinates." You can also see how functional manager duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "led team that created and implemented a global logistics system that improved global communication as good were moved across the world. "
The three companies that hire the most functional managers are:
- Deloitte434 functional managers jobs
- Accenture34 functional managers jobs
- Raymond33 functional managers jobs
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Compare different functional managers
Functional manager vs. Vice president of information technology
A Vice President Of Information Technology supervises an organization's technology initiatives, IT changes, and updates to all projects. They also identify and propose new information technologies and systems to improve business processes and decision-making.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a functional manager are more likely to require skills like "professional development," "subject matter expertise," "logistics," and "operational improvement." On the other hand, a job as a vice president of information technology requires skills like "architecture," "cloud," "network infrastructure," and "risk management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Vice president of information technologies earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $162,421. On the other hand, functional managers are paid more in the professional industry with an average salary of $123,073.The education levels that vice president of information technologies earn slightly differ from functional managers. In particular, vice president of information technologies are 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a functional manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Functional manager vs. Operations superintendent
Operations Superintendent plans and oversees the daily operations of an organization. They have the authority to set objectives and guidelines, establish budgets and schedules, delegate tasks among staff, and develop strategies to optimize operations and meet project requirements. It is also their responsibility to monitor the performance of the workforce and resolve issues promptly and efficiently. Moreover, an Operations Superintendent leads and encourages the employees to reach goals while implementing their policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real functional manager resumes. While functional manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "erp," "business process," and "project management," operations superintendents use skills like "safety program," "osha," "direct supervision," and "safety standards."
On average, operations superintendents earn a lower salary than functional managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, operations superintendents earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $106,725. Whereas functional managers have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $123,073.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Operations superintendents tend to reach similar levels of education than functional managers. In fact, they're 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Functional manager vs. Information technology director
An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, functional managers are more likely to have skills like "professional development," "business process," "subject matter expertise," and "logistics." But a information technology director is more likely to have skills like "cloud," "network infrastructure," "disaster recovery," and "windows server."
Information technology directors earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $145,076. Comparatively, functional managers have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $123,073.When it comes to education, information technology directors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to functional managers. In fact, they're 2.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Functional manager vs. Senior information technology manager
A senior information technology manager is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and performance of the company's technology and network systems. Senior information technology managers oversee technology infrastructures and operations, ensuring the processes adhere to the company policies and regulations. They analyze the schematics and specifications of computer systems, maintaining the safety and security across all networks to prevent unauthorized access. A senior information technology manager must have extensive knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command of programming languages.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between functional managers and senior information technology managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a functional manager might have more use for skills like "professional development," "subject matter expertise," "logistics," and "operational improvement." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior information technology managers require skills like "cloud," "architecture," "strong problem-solving," and "sr."
Senior information technology managers enjoy the best pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $143,891. For comparison, functional managers earn the highest salary in the professional industry.senior information technology managers reach higher levels of education compared to functional managers, in general. The difference is that they're 6.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of functional manager
Updated January 8, 2025
