What does a product/project development manager do?
Product/Project development managers have a wide range of skills, such as technical expertise, as well as business, research, analytical, interpersonal, marketing, and delegation skills. This career choice calls for managing and coordinating product development projects through focusing on technical feasibility, optimization of design, and any production issues.
Product/project development manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real product/project development manager resumes:
- Implement and administer Salesforce.Com to support sales process and for capturing sales leads generate from web site.
- Manage Taiwan OEM development relationship.
- Manage horizontal UX prototyping resource needs, implementing effective collaborative expectations and cross-product timeline allocation strategies.
- cloud telephony, messaging, security) and mobile apps (e.g.
- Develop SQL queries and analyze data from systems for billing of access, local, and unbundle services.
- Develop procedures that improve QA, by implementing automatic documentation system around bug-tracking tools.
- Create dynamic template for new product development ROI financial analysis that enable management to forecast risk exposure prior to funding commitment.
- Web application - redesign web UI, core framework.
- Experience of RF electronic circuits.
- Direct request for proposals (RFP) process to raise federal, state and local government funds.
- Analyze and report statistical model performance trends through the use of SQL and SAS tools.
- Aid in design development process for second generation disposable OPCAB products and develop testing experiments for second generation RF products.
- Manage implementation teams on new system installations and retrofit projects.
Product/project development manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Product/Project Development Managers are proficient in Project Management, Product Development, and Portfolio. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Interpersonal skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Product/Project Development Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 19%
Collaborated, and developed project management methodology for department; Liaised between departments across the company on project management issues.
- Product Development, 15%
Managed all daily operational aspects of new product development projects from inception to completion; devised and delivered strategic plans.
- Portfolio, 7%
Managed production planning to ensure medical combination product portfolio on-time delivery to European pharmaceutical clients
- Risk Management, 5%
Maintained hands-on involvement in the design branding strategies, product management, risk management, and client rollout.
- R, 5%
Developed an entirely new category of toddler toys for an exclusive launch at Toys R Us.
- Project Scope, 4%
Project scope involved implementation of customized quotes, sales, service, complaints, and customer training day's modules.
"project management," "product development," and "portfolio" are among the most common skills that product/project development managers use at work. You can find even more product/project development manager responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a product/project development manager to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." Product/project development managers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "project manager responsible for new product developments as well as tracking continuous inventory flow and insuring monthly on-time shipments. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling product/project development manager duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "managers must deal with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization." According to a product/project development manager resume, here's how product/project development managers can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "advised personnel on process improvement and interpersonal skills. "
Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of product/project development managers is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday product/project development manager duties, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "managed complex projects and provided analysis support for innovation and product development, sales, clinical operations, and financial operations. "
Communication skills. A big part of what product/project development managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to product/project development manager responsibilities because "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical product/project development manager tasks: "maintained lines of communication regarding current products and new product development between teams in development and sales/marketing. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for product/project development manager responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of product/project development managers all the time, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." An excerpt from a real product/project development manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a product/project development manager does: "directed and influenced functional authority for planning, organizational control, integration, and completion of product development projects. "
The three companies that hire the most product/project development managers are:
- Bank of America4 product/project development managers jobs
- Emerson3 product/project development managers jobs
- Regal Beloit2 product/project development managers jobs
Compare different product/project development managers
Product/project development manager vs. Product lead
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, product/project development manager responsibilities require skills like "portfolio," "risk management," "project scope," and "pmo." Meanwhile a typical product lead has skills in areas such as "architecture," "digital marketing," "cloud," and "product design." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Product leads tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $129,039. In contrast, product/project development managers make the biggest average salary, $108,701, in the telecommunication industry.product leads tend to reach similar levels of education than product/project development managers. In fact, product leads are 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Product/project development manager vs. Manager, project management
The role of a project management manager involves the planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of projects. Project managers oversee the scope of the entire project, the team, success or failure, and its resources. They facilitate productivity and commitment, remove obstacles, and motivate their team members. Their skills should include leadership, critical thinking, communication, negotiating, and risk management. They should also know about cost management, scheduling, and task management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that product/project development manager responsibilities requires skills like "critical path," "software development," "lifecycle management," and "product management." But a manager, project management might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "on-time delivery," "status reports," and "sox."
Managers, project management earn a higher average salary than product/project development managers. But managers, project management earn the highest pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $115,297. Additionally, product/project development managers earn the highest salaries in the telecommunication with average pay of $108,701 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Managers, project management tend to reach similar levels of education than product/project development managers. In fact, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product/project development manager vs. Associate product manager
An associate product manager is someone who assists the product development teams in the development of new product features. The duties of an associate include formulation of product strategies, collection of quantitative product data, and interpretation of consumer feedback. The requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's degree in computer science, marketing, business management, or a related field, the ability to maintain strong customer relations, and excellent communication skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from product/project development manager resumes include skills like "portfolio," "risk management," "project scope," and "pmo," whereas an associate product manager is more likely to list skills in "user stories," "powerpoint," "customer service," and "user experience. "
Associate product managers earn the highest salary when working in the start-up industry, where they receive an average salary of $91,911. Comparatively, product/project development managers have the highest earning potential in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $108,701.Most associate product managers achieve a similar degree level compared to product/project development managers. For example, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Product/project development manager vs. Assistant product manager
The key role of an Assistant Product Manager is to supervise the production of goods and ensure efficiency in all aspects of the production process. They also develop and implement different strategies to ensure the stabilization of the product.
Types of product/project development manager
Updated January 8, 2025
