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.
How to Become a Lead Program Manager
What is a Lead Program Manager
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Lead Program Manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $63.72 an hour? That's $132,546 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 150,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
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.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Lead Program Manager. When we researched the most common majors for a Lead Program Manager, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Lead Program Manager resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Doctoral Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Lead Program Manager. In fact, many Lead Program Manager jobs require experience in a role such as Program Manager. Meanwhile, many Lead Program Managers also have previous career experience in roles such as Project Manager or Senior Project Manager.
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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.
Lead Program Manager Jobs You Might Like
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Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Lead Program Manager resume.
Average Salary for a Lead Program Manager
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Lead Program Manager Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a Lead Program Manager. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
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Philip Harper Lead Program Manager |
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Sophia Russell Lead Program Manager  Redmond, WA  (500) 555-0386  srussell@example.com Experience Lead Program Manager2019 - Present Microsoft•Redmond, WA
Engineering Program Manager2017 - 2019 METRO CHRYSLER CENT•Sterling Heights, MI
Senior Engineer2012 - 2017 General Dynamics•Sterling Heights, MI
Research Fellow2010 - 2012 Chapin Hall Center For Children•Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Skills Project ManagementPMPJavascriptAerospaceCSSHardwareResearch ProjectsScrumControl SystemsSetup Education Doctoral Degree Electrical Engineering2007 - 2010 DeVry University•Oakbrook Terrace, IL Master's Degree Electrical Engineering2006 - 2007 DeVry University•Oakbrook Terrace, IL Bachelor's Degree Electrical Engineering2003 - 2006 DeVry University•Oakbrook Terrace, IL |
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Kathryn Myers Lead Program Manager  Lead Program Manager2016 - Present IBMRaleigh, NC
Engineering Program Manager2013 - 2016 TCT MinistriesCarbondale, IL
Manufacturing Engineer2012 - 2013 MaytagCarbondale, IL
Industrial Engineer2006 - 2011 BoeingMesa, AZ
 Master's Degree Electrical Engineering2011 - 2012 Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IL Bachelor's Degree Electrical Engineering2003 - 2006 Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN |
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Contact Information  Raleigh, NC (520) 555-6146 kmyers@example.comSkills Project Management DFM CAD CNC Engineering Support Customer Service Engineering Design Production Efficiency Hardware New Processes |
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Dylan Edwards Lead Program Manager  San Jose, CA  (940) 555-7450  dedwards@example.com Skills Public SchoolsOffshore ResourcesManagement SystemAcademic SupportProgram SupportProject ManagementGroup ProgramsUser InterfacePortfolioAdministrative Assistance |
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Employment History Lead Program Manager2018 - Present Solectron Wales•San Jose, CA
Operations Program Manager2015 - 2018 Cisco Systems•San Jose, CA
Program Lead2011 - 2015 YMCA of Greater Houston•Richmond, VA
Academic Adviser2009 - 2011 California State University•Bakersfield, CA
Education Master's Degree Sociology2003 - 2004 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC Bachelor's Degree Sociology1995 - 1998 University of North Carolina at Greensboro•Greensboro, NC |
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Learn How To Write a Lead Program Manager Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Lead Program Manager resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Lead Program Manager Resume Examples And Templates
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Lead Program Manager Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Lead Program Manager Jobs - $178K and Up
- Work From Home Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Entry Level Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Part Time Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Lead Program Manager Jobs
Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Lead Program Manager resume.
Check Jobs That Match To Your Education
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
Find the best Lead Program Manager job for you
Lead Program Manager Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Lead Program Manager Jobs - $178K and Up
- Work From Home Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Entry Level Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Part Time Lead Program Manager Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Lead Program Manager Jobs
Online Courses For Lead Program Manager That You May Like
Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...
10000+ enrollments Learn the Business Process Management methods used by the world's most successful organizations...
Risk Management Strategies: Risk Analysis Techniques: Risk Management Principles: Risk Management Process: Methods...
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, 26.7% 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.
- Project Management, 26.7%
- Portfolio, 6.1%
- Infrastructure, 4.7%
- Continuous Improvement, 4.4%
- Risk Management, 3.3%
- Other Skills, 54.8% See All Lead Program Manager Skills
12 Lead Program Manager RESUME EXAMPLES
Build a professional lead program manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your lead program manager resume.
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 Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Lead Program Managers make the most in Georgia with an average salary of $118,858. Whereas in California and Pennsylvania, they would average $117,307 and $114,859, respectively. While Lead Program Managers would only make an average of $112,615 in Connecticut, 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. District of Columbia
$134,223
Avg. Salary
2. Connecticut
$112,615
Avg. Salary
3. Nevada
$103,552
Avg. Salary
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