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What is a project management associate and how to become one
Project Management Associates assist project managers with various tasks needed to complete a project. Your responsibilities include performing project management duties to support the completion of projects, coordinating with other departments to follow up documents and other necessary items for the project, overseeing the cost and budget for the project, and ensuring the team completes the project on time. You also need to contribute to achieving department goals and objectives, ensure adherence to departmental policies, procedures, quality, and safety standards. Furthermore, you are expected to evaluate and prepare reports for all recommended changes, estimate costs for projects, and recommend changes to clients.
You need a bachelor's degree in business, political science, or project management to be considered for this position. You should also have a team-building spirit, analytical abilities, excellent organization, planning skills, and must be able to work under tight deadlines. You will earn an average annual salary of $79,304.
What general advice would you give to a project management associate?
Angela Grotto Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management, Manhattan College
- When job searching, be active and persistent - Network by setting up Zoom informational calls with professionals (alumni, people with whom your family work) to learn about jobs that you are interested in or to learn about organizations where you would like to work and then follow up with them; have someone you trust who is a professional review your resume and social media profile pages; carve out time every day to apply to jobs; use Handshake and LinkedIn as a resource; keep sending out applications; while job searching, volunteer or start your business project that showcases your skillset and then discuss it during your interviews.
- When interviewing, be creative - Use experiences from your academic career to demonstrate your capabilities. There are many skills you learn in class that are transferrable to the professional world. For example, as a student, you likely had to pivot to full remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, discuss how the new learning format has prepared you to work remotely as an employee, how small group projects have primed you to collaborate on a virtual team, and how small classes have equipped you to use technology such as Zoom.
- When deciding on a job offer, be open-minded - Your first job may not be the one you had imagined or hoped for upon graduation. Still, it may be a stepping stone to your ideal career or a way to build your network of professional connections. You create meaningful and valuable relationships with others who may one day help you get the job you want.
- When you land the job, be flexible - Show your employer or your boss that you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and do tasks that you were not necessarily trained for or are unrelated to your degree. Also, when circumstances at work change, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, show that you are willing to step up and do a different job, do someone else's job, or work on another project or team. This flexibility will demonstrate your versatility and how you can adapt to new and unpredictable situations. Lastly, embrace the "gig" economy - be willing to start as a temporary or contract worker with a company to get your foot in the door and build more professional connections.
Avg. Salary $89,544
Avg. Salary $59,228
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%
Asian 9.02%
Black or African American 7.66%
Hispanic or Latino 12.86%
Unknown 4.70%
White 65.09%
Genderfemale 59.86%
male 40.14%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is simple
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Project management associate career paths
Key steps to become a project management associate
Explore project management associate education requirements
Start to develop specific project management associate skills
Skills Percentages Project Management 31.97% PowerPoint 11.86% SharePoint 6.47% Process Improvement 6.01% Client Facing 3.27% Research project management associate duties and responsibilities
- Manage preparation of RFP and review of vendor proposals.
- Manage key PMO projects and operations at bio-pharmaceutical production site.
- Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones for highly complex SaaS platforms
- Prepare reports, minutes, presentations, and post all project documentation on SharePoint.
Apply for project management associate jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a project management associate 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
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Average project management associate salary
The average project management associate salary in the United States is $89,544 per year or $43 per hour. Project management associate salaries range between $60,000 and $133,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do project management associates rate their job?
Project management associate reviews
I like to work with a team. Satisfaction of seeing the successful completion of a project
Strict deadlines, and stakeholders. Feeling undervalued or underappreciated.
I enjoy problem-solving and identifying a path to completing a complex project. I like to ensure that moving parts come together smoothly and communicating successes and celebrating with the team.
Without the right support from project sponsors, a project manager is doomed to failure. There is an enormous amount of responsibility on a project manager to deliver a product on time and on budget, though without proper authority or backing, it's basically wheel spinning.
I like working with Clients and challenges.
I would rather work remote with little travel.
Updated January 8, 2025
