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

What is a pmo manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

A Project Management Office (PMO) Manager's major responsibility is to guarantee that their standards are clearly defined and upheld throughout the development and execution of each project. When you work as a PMO Manager, you will be in charge of managing the work of all project management office workers, and as a result, you must accept responsibility for the project's quality. Your job also entails cooperating with other department managers, reporting to top management, and supervising all PMO team members.

Successful PMO managers are able to concentrate on details and technicalities while maintaining a broad view of the larger picture. Also, a good PMO manager like you must learn to operate effectively under duress, have excellent interpersonal skills, and manage multiple projects and duties with ease and calm. You need a bachelor's degree in business, administration, or a similar discipline, as well as prior management expertise or project management experience for this role. The average salary is $116,240 per year.

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

ScorePMO ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,611

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 15.82%

Black or African American 6.44%

Hispanic or Latino 9.66%

Unknown 5.17%

White 62.71%

Gender

female 30.36%

male 69.64%

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 pmo manager

Explore pmo manager education requirements

Most common pmo manager degrees

Bachelor's

65.0 %

Master's

26.6 %

Associate

5.6 %

Start to develop specific pmo manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Program Management	6.38%
Oversight	6.01%
Project Management Methodology	5.23%
Enterprise Resource Planning	4.64%
Project Management	4.58%

Complete relevant pmo manager training and internships

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

Gain additional pmo manager certifications

Pmo 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 pmo manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for pmo managers include Project Management Professional (PMP) and IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL).

More About Certifications

Research pmo manager duties and responsibilities

Coordinate and schedule all global face-to-face and webinar training sessions via WebEx; manage daily training schedule.
Manage eBusiness roadmaps for large projects affecting the Bio-Rad ecommerce stack including multi-year ERP implementation and ecommerce platform replacement.
Work with PMO and business unit staff members to implement project management methodologies and lead business process re-engineering initiatives.
Handle intake process, obtain insurance authorizations, supervise utilization and management of Medicaid behavioral health manage care services.

Prepare your pmo manager resume

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

Build a professional pmo 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 pmo manager resume.

Apply for pmo manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a pmo manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do pmo managers rate their job?

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Pmo manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Cons

Juts love what you do. Make the challenges the strength and learn from it. Achieving each steps make you proud more and more