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Project director skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Elisa Chan,

Nicole Jones Young Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical project director skills. We ranked the top skills for project directors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 19.6% of project director resumes contained project management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a project director needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 project director skills for your resume and career

1. Project Management

Here's how project directors use project management:

Developed a successful project management/implementation system.
Project Management Consultancy Delivering Master Planned City Land Development through building strategic partnerships tailored to specific development profiles and delivery strategies.

2. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how project directors use oversight:

Provided oversight to programs to ensure compliance with organizational standards, as well as regulatory criteria of core for developmentally disabled.
Provided management oversight of existing client reporting staff as well identification of existing Colleague reports for implementation within Business Objects environment

3. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how project directors use customer satisfaction:

Developed policies and procedures to ensure development and implementation of a high-quality program resulting in customer satisfaction and retention.
Project areas included customer satisfaction, industry analysis, new product/ market opportunity, product/brand positioning and advertising tracking.

4. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how project directors use hr:

Project included HR and Finance Shared Services technology implementation and consolidation of business functions to centralized facility in Charlotte, NC.
Launched corporate intranet which reduced administrative costs; provided HR and expense management functionality; shared company news and announcements.

5. Adaptive

Here's how project directors use adaptive:

Recruited Episcopal clergy for this prestigious, continuing education project focusing on adaptive leadership.
Develop an adaptive assessment instrument to assess the health-related quality of life for Sickle Cell patients.

6. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how project directors use erp:

Determined and implemented disaster recovery and business continuity plan for ERP and supporting systems.
Introduced overhauled process improvements, including installation of new ERP that improved data/output.

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7. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how project directors use excellent interpersonal:

Displayed excellent interpersonal traits in diverse environments, consulting with global regions regarding training requests and providing recommendations on training solutions
Demonstrated excellent interpersonal communication skills with all levels of client management and IS Management.

8. Strategic Thinking

Here's how project directors use strategic thinking:

Specialized in change management, effective strategic thinking skill development, high performance teaming, and leadership development.
Utilized strong analytical skills and the ability to mix creative approaches and imaginative solutions with logic and strategic thinking.

9. Financial Management

Here's how project directors use financial management:

Developed cost estimates, applied applicable surcharges in accordance with Security Assistance financial management regulations.
Performed financial management, administration and planning tasks that relate to customer engagements.

10. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how project directors use business development:

Partnered with business development team to maintain existing broker-dealer relationships and expand selling agreements in multiple channels.
Key areas of responsibility include development analysis, marketing planning and budgeting, and business development initiatives.

11. Construction Management

Here's how project directors use construction management:

Developed project specifications, construction documents and other technical documentation with the engineering, construction management, and commissioning groups.
Managed all permitting, land-use/entitlement, procurement, quality assurance, and on-site construction management through turnover/occupancy.

12. Excellent Organizational

Here's how project directors use excellent organizational:

Solved business challenges by driving initiatives with excellent organizational planning skills and structured execution of projects.
Leveraged excellent organizational and time management skills.

13. Public Health

Here's how project directors use public health:

Worked closely with Communications Director for Cleveland Department of Public Health.
Supervised production of community outreach and public health promotional videos.

14. Project Scope

Here's how project directors use project scope:

Project scope involved consolidation of the Northeast operations into one mega facility located in southwest Tennessee.
Budget Development / Financial Accountability Accountable for successfully developing initial project scope and total project budgets.

15. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how project directors use professional development:

Co-authored and implemented project to provide consultation, technical assistance and professional development to three Washington DC public schools.
Provided targeted professional development opportunities for secondary and post secondary faculty, board members, and business-industry partners.

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What skills help Project Directors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on project director resumes?

Elisa Chan

Assistant Professor of Marketing, New York Institute of Technology

In my opinion, the fundamental skills required for marketing jobs haven't really changed. What changed is where or how these skills are applied. So my response to this question might sound cliche, but I strongly believe that it is true. Strong statistics and marketing analytics ability to show that you are able to make data-driven decisions. Interpersonal skills to show that you can respectfully and effectively interact with others, which are indicative of how you will manage work relationship as well as that with clients and customers.

What project director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Nicole Jones Young Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Franklin and Marshall College

Gap years are interesting to me. There is a difference between someone who has ample monetary resources and voluntarily decides to take a "gap" year to travel the world, as opposed to someone who involuntarily takes a "gap" year because they legitimately cannot find a job.
For students who opt not enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, I would recommend that they utilize this time in a strategic fashion, primarily expanding their network, increasing their skills related to data analytics/analysis, and reading or researching within the broader business field as well as their particular field of interest. Expanding your network is always beneficial because of the value employers place on referrals. If students do not know where to start, I would recommend they join their applicable professional organization and begin attending events (virtual events can still help build relationships).
While specific job duties may differ, the ability to understand and utilize data is in high demand in virtually every job role. Having comfort with data-both quantitative and qualitative--can be a highly beneficial skill that many in the job market may not have to offer.
I also recommend continued reading and researching, as whenever you do enter the workforce you want to know what is going on. I am never surprised, but always disappointed when I ask my students if they heard the latest job numbers or if they saw a recent news article. It is hard to articulate your value to an organization's problems if you are unaware of what they are. Stay current.
Interestingly, I would not recommend that someone enroll in a graduate program simply to take up time. If you just love school, have a clear focus, or had already planned to enroll in graduate school prior to COVID, then proceed. However, if you are unsure about your interests or future career goals, enrolling in a graduate program may be a large investment of time and money that may not result in securing a job of interest upon completion.

What type of skills will young project directors need?

Jennifer Tockman

Director of Career Development and BOLD Women's Leadership Network, Colby-Sawyer College

Flexibility, ability to adapt to whatever style work style, and the environment we are using given the world around us, working as a team (even if remote), can be a self-learner, especially in a private fashion. Excellent communication skills are also essential for success.

What soft skills should all project directors possess?

Milena Stanislavova Ph.D.

Professor of Mathematics and Chair of Economics Department, University of Kansas

Working and collaborating in groups, presenting to different audiences, writing technical reports, grant applications and researching new topics are all essential soft skills. Much of today's world relies on data, so collecting, summarizing, organizing and presenting data is also an important soft skill that is becoming quite fundamental.

Do you want to know more?

List of project director skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a project director resume and required skills for a project director to have include:

Project Management
Oversight
Customer Satisfaction
HR
Adaptive
ERP
Excellent Interpersonal
Strategic Thinking
Financial Management
Business Development
Construction Management
Excellent Organizational
Public Health
Project Scope
Professional Development
Program Management

Lifecycle Management
Team Training
Data Collection
Revenue Forecasting
Direct Reports
PMO
Project Budget
Strategic Plan
Data Analysis
Business Processes
Client Relationships
Research Projects
Mental Health
Market Research
Technical Assistance
Community Outreach

Management System
Project Development
R
QA
Program Development
Government Agencies
IRB
Escalation Management
Contract Negotiations
EPC
SPSS
Community Organizations
Manage Client Expectations
Samhsa
Excellent Management

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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