Lead program managers are responsible for overseeing and coordinating the work of program managers. They are responsible for the smooth execution of the work of project teams, creating program strategies, and paving the way for profitable implementation of planned business activities. As a lead program manager, you will be expected to lead and mentor a team of program managers.
You will function as a facilitator for larger initiatives, making sure they run and progress without obstacles. Apart from supervising and guiding the work of other managers, you might have your own project to deal with. You will serve as an example for best practices in program management and work across departments and geographically distant stakeholders to navigate large-scale projects towards unified and comprehensive corporate goals.
What is a Lead Program Manager?
What Does a Lead Program Manager Do
There are certain skills that many lead program managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed management skills, problem-solving skills and time-management skills.
How To Become a Lead Program Manager
If you're interested in becoming a lead program manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 63.6% of lead program managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 21.9% of lead program managers have master's degrees. Even though most lead program managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Lead Program Manager Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of director you might progress to a role such as information technology director eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior director of information & technology.
Average Salary for a Lead Program Manager
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Lead Program Manager Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active lead program manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where lead program managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Lead Program Manager Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 7,977 | $131,118 |
| 2 | Texas | 4,339 | $114,014 |
| 3 | New York | 3,608 | $134,431 |
| 4 | Washington | 3,349 | $129,238 |
| 5 | Florida | 2,876 | $109,070 |
| 6 | Illinois | 2,731 | $102,357 |
| 7 | Virginia | 2,561 | $132,858 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 2,363 | $121,503 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 2,247 | $126,173 |
| 10 | Georgia | 1,999 | $104,530 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 1,966 | $123,110 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 1,896 | $116,179 |
| 13 | Ohio | 1,723 | $112,428 |
| 14 | Maryland | 1,501 | $135,065 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 1,393 | $101,415 |
| 16 | Colorado | 1,363 | $102,344 |
| 17 | Michigan | 1,355 | $117,620 |
| 18 | Arizona | 1,342 | $110,683 |
| 19 | Oregon | 1,218 | $123,893 |
| 20 | Indiana | 966 | $112,786 |
| 21 | Connecticut | 907 | $145,647 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 904 | $114,978 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 904 | $113,590 |
| 24 | Missouri | 873 | $110,638 |
| 25 | Utah | 806 | $98,198 |
| 26 | Kansas | 766 | $122,210 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 735 | $109,298 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 731 | $105,062 |
| 29 | Nevada | 714 | $108,630 |
| 30 | Alabama | 672 | $110,821 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 643 | $106,226 |
| 32 | South Carolina | 630 | $99,249 |
| 33 | New Mexico | 595 | $108,979 |
| 34 | Idaho | 569 | $111,631 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 506 | $110,218 |
| 36 | Iowa | 489 | $129,239 |
| 37 | Montana | 431 | $127,564 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 420 | $112,068 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 371 | $120,179 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 335 | $147,928 |
| 41 | Delaware | 296 | $132,191 |
| 42 | Mississippi | 292 | $107,530 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 273 | $112,118 |
| 44 | Alaska | 229 | $125,778 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 228 | $117,400 |
| 46 | Maine | 216 | $108,555 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 212 | $93,769 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 172 | $99,197 |
| 49 | Vermont | 115 | $108,555 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 75 | $105,042 |
Top Colleges for Lead Program Managers
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Top Skills For a Lead Program Manager
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.8% of lead program managers listed project management on their resume, but soft skills such as management skills and problem-solving skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Lead Program Manager Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Lead Program Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Lead Program Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Lead Program Manager Demographics
Lead Program Manager Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among lead program managers, 36.3% of them are women, while 63.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among lead program managers is White, which makes up 69.5% of all lead program managers.
- The most common foreign language among lead program managers is Spanish at 41.0%.
Work Experience Programs For Lead Program Managers
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.25-5.75 hours
Company: Blackbird Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-10 hours
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5-5.5 hours
Company: Clifford Chance
Cost: Free
Duration: 7.5-8.5 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Lead Program Manager That You May Like
Have you ever needed to resolve a billing or other issue with a healthcare organization and thought that there must be a better, more efficient, and more customer-friendly way to operate such a business process? For example, have you thought that there should be an easier way to read your bill or pay your bill? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways for the business processes to function? If you have, this course is for you. Course...
Lean BPM - learn how to use lean business management techniques to reduce waste and improve your business efficiency...
Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...
Best States For a Lead Program Manager
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a lead program manager. The best states for people in this position are Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, and New York. Lead program managers make the most in Rhode Island with an average salary of $147,928. Whereas in Connecticut and Maryland, they would average $145,647 and $135,065, respectively. While lead program managers would only make an average of $134,431 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
$147,928
Avg. Salary
2. Connecticut
$145,647
Avg. Salary
3. Montana
$127,564
Avg. Salary
How Do Lead Program Manager Rate Their Jobs?
Top Lead Program Manager Employers
Most Common Employers For Lead Program Manager
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accenture | $136,499 | $65.62 | 10 |
| 2 | Intel | $135,794 | $65.29 | 15 |
| 3 | General Electric | $130,975 | $62.97 | 16 |
| 4 | Cisco | $127,691 | $61.39 | 25 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $126,014 | $60.58 | 246 |
| 6 | IBM | $124,847 | $60.02 | 30 |
| 7 | AT&T | $124,243 | $59.73 | 17 |
| 8 | Northrop Grumman | $124,142 | $59.68 | 20 |
| 9 | Lockheed Martin | $120,389 | $57.88 | 14 |
| 10 | Department of Homeland Security | $120,338 | $57.85 | 16 |
Lead Program Manager Videos
