What does a project manager do?

As businesses grow and pivot to meet ever-evolving goals and deliverables, having highly-skilled and capable Project Managers on their teams becomes crucial to their ongoing success.

A good Project Manager essentially needs to be an all-rounder – someone who can manage the end-to-end delivery of a project and has the knowledge and drive to bring all of a project’s elements together cohesively and effectively.

What is a Project Manager?

A Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day planning, management, and delivery of an organisation’s project(s). They can be employed to work on a specific project, or they can be employed to work on several projects simultaneously.

Projects can range from short-term projects spanning just a few weeks, right through to large-scale long-term projects that can span over several years. The elements of a project a Project Manager is responsible for include:

• Project planning, including scoping the project

• Scheduling project tasks and milestones

• Forecasting and managing project budgets

• Identifying and mitigating risks

• Managing quality control

• Planning human resources and other resources

Interested in project management as a career? There are 5 key reasons you should consider an MSc in the subject:

What industries are Project Managers employed in?

• Because many businesses – no matter what their industry – often have a range of goals and deliverables they need to meet to remain successful, the demand and need for Project Managers is high across a whole host of industries.Just some of the industries that employ Project Managers include:

• Mining/construction

• Manufacturing

• Retail

• Information technology (IT)

• Hospitality

• Engineering

• Education

• Financial services

• Healthcare

What skills do Project Managers need to have?

A Project Manager needs to be skilled in a range of areas to be successful. This is because business projects can include several elements and cover multiple disciplines. It’s also because business projects can often be complex and require a diverse skillset. The skills Project Managers need to have to be successful can include:

• Strong leadership skills

• Expert-level communication skills

• Human resource management skills

• Budgeting and accounting skills

• IT skills

• Risk management skills

• Project planning skills

• Agile skills

The more diverse skillset you have in these and other areas, the greater your employability as a Project Manager, and the more in-demand you will position yourself within the global job market.

How much can a Project Manager earn?

How much you can earn as a Project Manager often depends on the industry you’ll be working in, your level of experience and your qualifications, as well as the size of the organisation you’ll be working for. Typically, the more experienced and qualified you are, and the larger the organisation and the more complex their project needs, the more you can expect to earn as a Project Manager.

In the UK, a 2021 salary survey found Project Managers earned an average of £47,500 a year. The highest salaries were reported in the energy and utilities industries, with annual salaries of £70,000 and above.

In the USA, the average annual salary for a Project Manager in 2022 is around $90,000, with the most experienced Project Mangers earning as much as over $130,000 a year.

A career as a Project Manager can be a very lucrative and financially rewarding one, regardless of where in the world you choose to work.

How can an MSc in Project Management help me become a Project Manager, or to get a promotion?

Because you need to have such a diverse skillset and knowledge to become a Project Manager, it’s especially important to gain a qualification that will equip you with these skills and knowledge to boost your employability.

An MSc in Project Management will empower you with the necessary expert skills and knowledge you need to be successful as a Project Manager – whether you’re looking to take the first step into a career in project management, or seeking to get that promotion you’ve been working towards in your current organisation.

An MSc in Project Management can help you launch your career or get a promotion by:

• Giving you access to valuable knowledge and insights from expert academics and leading industry professionals

• Helping you to master how to become a successful project manager – no matter what your work experience or degree background

• Fast-tracking your career with a masters-level qualification that will position you as a highly-skilled and knowledgeable Project Manager in the global job market

If you’re ready to launch or further your career in project management, discover how our MSc will position you as a highly-skilled and capable Project Manager in the global job market: