What does a project management associate do?
Project Management Associates assist project managers with various tasks needed to complete a project. They are involved in all phases of the project management cycle.They usually act as the liaison between the project management team and other external departments. They coordinate with other departments to follow up documents and other necessary items for the project. They also work on the administrative requirements needed in the project, which may include filing of paperwork, managing documentation, taking minutes of meetings, and overseeing records management.
Project management associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real project management associate resumes:
- 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.
- Update and post status reports to SharePoint for client review.
- Provide subject matter expertise to PMs on project management tools.
- Perform final QA review of withheld/produce documents to ensure documents are logged in accordance with project specifications.
- Provide analysis and documentation to incorporate the new desktop model into the network architecture, security model and disaster recovery plan.
- Define technical strategy for integrating SaaS applications with other CRM/ERP applications and data sources.
- Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones for highly complex SaaS platforms
Project management associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Project Management Associates are proficient in Project Management, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
We break down the percentage of Project Management Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 32%
Provided hands-on project management defining business process, application, and technology requirements for multiple applications across all business units.
- PowerPoint, 12%
Created manuals on Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Presentations for staff.
- SharePoint, 6%
Managed a SharePoint production project for international business in the Middle East & Africa.
- Process Improvement, 6%
Worked closely with Quality Improvement to develop, implement, and monitor Balanced Scorecard projects for process improvement initiatives.
- Client Facing, 3%
Plan and coordinate highly visible projects related to client facing new implementations and internal stabilization projects to enhance the overall performance.
- Resource Management, 3%
Maintain professional services automation software platforms (Projector and Quick Arrow), such as revenue reconciliation and resource management.
Most project management associates use their skills in "project management," "powerpoint," and "sharepoint" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential project management associate responsibilities here:
The three companies that hire the most project management associates are:
Compare different project management associates
Project management associate vs. Associate vice president
An associate vice president's role is to implement the company's policies and regulations, all while overseeing the business operations within a particular area. Typically responding to a president or stakeholders, an associate vice president's responsibilities revolve around supervising management officials, devising strategies to boost sales and public brand awareness, liaise with external key suppliers and agencies, and craft new policies when necessary. Furthermore, an associate vice president must promptly respond to issues and concerns and develop a budget for the company.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, project management associate responsibilities require skills like "powerpoint," "sharepoint," "resource management," and "project scope." Meanwhile a typical associate vice president has skills in areas such as "healthcare," "oversight," "portfolio," and "avp." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Associate vice presidents tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $140,546. In contrast, project management associates make the biggest average salary, $99,927, in the media industry.associate vice presidents tend to reach similar levels of education than project management associates. In fact, associate vice presidents are 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.9% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Project management associate vs. Associate director
An associate director oversees the daily activities and business operations within a particular area. They are primarily responsible for devising strategies that aim for growth in profit and customer satisfaction, implementing policies and standards, evaluate the workforce, providing support to various departments, and setting goals in terms of budget and sales. Furthermore, they must regularly report progress to the director and coordinate with managers and supervisors in the joint effort to reach the vision and mission of the company.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real project management associate resumes. While project management associate responsibilities can utilize skills like "powerpoint," "resource management," "project scope," and "administrative tasks," associate directors use skills like "patients," "healthcare," "oversight," and "portfolio."
On average, associate directors earn a higher salary than project management associates. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, associate directors earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $143,618. Whereas project management associates have higher pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $99,927.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Associate directors tend to reach higher levels of education than project management associates. In fact, they're 6.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Project management associate vs. Senior project coordinator
A senior project coordinator is responsible for analyzing client accounts and determining efficient project management systems and processes according to business requirements and client specifications. Senior project coordinators ensure that the team meets the project goals by providing and assessing every progress of the project's milestones and adjust plans as necessary. They also consider the project's budget limitations in strategizing techniques that would drive more revenue resources for the business and increase the company's brand image to the market.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, project management associates are more likely to have skills like "resource management," "operational aspects," "project issues," and "capm." But a senior project coordinator is more likely to have skills like "purchase orders," "project support," "data collection," and "visio."
Senior project coordinators earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $69,175. Comparatively, project management associates have the highest earning potential in the media industry, with an average salary of $99,927.When it comes to education, senior project coordinators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to project management associates. In fact, they're 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Project management associate vs. Communications project manager
A communications project manager is in charge of overseeing the development of internal and external communication materials. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify client or company needs, developing effective communication strategies, coordinating different teams to ensure the quality and accuracy of projects, setting objectives and goals, and managing schedules and budgets. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Types of project management associate
Updated January 8, 2025