What does a Program Manager do?
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
Program manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real program manager resumes:
- Lead managed services provider engagement of onshore and offshore interactive development and QA for pharmaceutical marketing department.
- Lead multiple team workshops and initiate RFP proposals.
- Manage the work process across projects as per PMI standards.
- Develop, manage, and oversee EMBA study abroad in-residencies to Asia.
- Manage content updates for all salesforce marketing materials, print and digital.
- Manage the service level expectations with client agencies by monitoring and assessment establish KPIs, agreements and contracts.
- Train capture management, business development personnel and manage CRM pipeline through proposal team management, production, and submission.
- Develop methodology for evaluation of special projects and instill PMI project management standards for large complex projects.
- Work closely with senior management, government officials and suppliers, ensuring robust logistics and infrastructure planning efforts among diverse stakeholders.
- Direct reports and supplier KPI driven.
- Azure try to filter out most overlie protocols . )
- Track individual performance, establish acceptable metrics and KPI's.
- Assume problem projects underway from other PMs to a successful conclusion.
- Assure component supply availability to support NPI launch during 2HCY'09 industry shortages.
- Plan and facilitate release planning events and sprint planning events for assign scrum teams.
Program manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Program Managers are proficient in Project Management, Program Management, and Oversight. They’re also known for soft skills such as Managerial skills, Business skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Program Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 11%
Project management position overseeing residential and non-residential services to individuals that assisted themselves and their families in community and family engagement.
- Program Management, 11%
Led the professional service delivery program management for an international implementation of an enhanced North American Operating Model for global bank.
- Oversight, 6%
Provided government oversight for engineering and design solutions for the Medical Community of Interest wide area network and security suite architecture.
- Customer Service, 4%
Develop and maintain customer relationships/manage related customer service responsibilities
- Infrastructure, 3%
Designed and managed Chemical Plant site construction, Infrastructure design and construction, including off-site vendor fabrication and on-site equipment assembly.
- Excellent Organizational, 3%
Required excellent organizational skills, and highly goals oriented effort.
Most program managers use their skills in "project management," "program management," and "oversight" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential program manager responsibilities here:
Managerial skills. The most essential soft skill for a program manager to carry out their responsibilities is managerial skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and responding to a variety of issues." Additionally, a program manager resume shows how their duties depend on managerial skills: "created an effective strategic, managerial and operational design for the new hr delivery model. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of program managers is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday program manager duties, as "social and community service managers must be able to address client, staff, and agency-related issues." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "managed escalations and visibility to critical issues and risks within program management and project teams to ensure timely resolution. "
Time-management skills. For certain program manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of a program manager rely on this skill, as "social and community service managers must prioritize and handle numerous tasks, often in a short timeframe." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what program managers do: "employed agile / scrum sprint techniques to drive budget/schedule fidelity, alignment on deliverables, & on time program performance. "
Analytical skills. Another common skill required for program manager responsibilities is "analytical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of program managers all the time, as "social and community service managers need to understand and evaluate data in order to provide strategic guidance to their organization." An excerpt from a real program manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a program manager does: "supported directors in program management including recruiting for student-alumni mentoring programs, supporting course administration, and managing databases. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what a program manager does. Program manager responsibilities require this skill because "social and community service managers must be able to speak and write clearly." This resume example highlights how program manager duties rely on this skill: "developed integrated program management reporting and communication approach to business and it vice-presidents across all major business drivers. "
The three companies that hire the most program managers are:
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Compare different program managers
Program 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a program manager are more likely to require skills like "program management," "oversight," "excellent organizational," and "patients." On the other hand, a job as a manager, project management requires skills like "portfolio," "on-time delivery," "continuous improvement," and "sox." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Managers, project management earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $115,297. On the other hand, program managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $115,112.The education levels that managers, project management earn slightly differ from program managers. In particular, managers, project management are 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a program manager. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Program manager vs. Consultant/project manager
Consultants/project managers act as planners, leaders, and advisors in business enterprises. These professionals facilitate meetings and establish positive relationships with vendors, management, and clients. They make customer visits, maintain industry knowledge, procure third-party software and hardware, and deliver projects. It is also part of their duty to manage complex initiatives in an individual business unit or organization. Their skills include analytical, time and cost management, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and proficiency in project management software.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real program manager resumes. While program manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "program management," "oversight," "customer service," and "excellent organizational," consultant/project managers use skills like "cash flow," "crm," "strong analytical," and "business analysts."
Consultant/project managers may earn a higher salary than program managers, but consultant/project managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $107,463. On the other hand, program managers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $115,112.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Consultant/project managers tend to reach similar levels of education than program managers. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Program Managers in the next 3-5 years?
Michael Baker
Founder & Partner, m3 Development
Program manager vs. Operations project manager
An operations project manager is responsible for monitoring the performance of the project team, ensuring that the operations meet the clients' standards and internal regulations with maximum productivity and efficiency. Operations project managers manage the department's budget and allocate materials and resources accurately, maintaining a record of expenses and costs forecasting. They coordinate with the clients, discussing project adjustments or additional tasks as needed, and lead project execution and deliverables by determining the team's needs and concerns, and enforcing strategic procedures.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a program manager is likely to be skilled in "program management," "infrastructure," "excellent organizational," and "hr," while a typical operations project manager is skilled in "business operations," "business process," "provide management," and "operations project."
Operations project managers earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $90,596. Comparatively, program managers have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $115,112.operations project managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to program managers. Specifically, they're 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Program manager vs. Associate project manager
An Associate Project Manager helps the project manager in the successful implementation of the project. They ensure that projects are effectively planned and well-organized.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between program managers and associate project managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a program manager might have more use for skills like "program management," "oversight," "infrastructure," and "excellent organizational." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of associate project managers require skills like "project documentation," "meeting minutes," "powerpoint," and "microsoft project. "
Associate project managers reach similar levels of education compared to program managers, in general. The difference is that they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of program manager
Updated January 8, 2025
