Job profile

Project Manager (PM)

Project Manager (PM) Job Profile

What is a Project Manager?

A Project Manager (PM) ensures that employees and suppliers responsible for delivering a certain project understand what is expected of them. This includes setting clear deadlines, delegating tasks and managing risk.

While some project contributors only concentrate on certain phases of a project, Project Managers will oversee the entire process from start to finish.

Project Managers are usually sector related. These are some of the types of Project Managers on the current market:

Marketing Project Manager- manages marketing-related initiatives.
Architectural Project Manager- is in charge of all elements of a building project’s design and construction.
Engineering Project Manager- develop new goods, designs, procedures, or offers by planning, directing, and coordinating their development.
Project Management Office (PMO) Manager- manages project management standards, templates, tools, and processes for the entire organisation
Construction Project Manager-monitors construction project planning and execution.
Electrical Project Manager- is in charge of managing electrical system design, installation, and supply
Systems Project Manager-manages all aspects of high-value networking projects
Information Technology (IT) Project Manager- develop, organise, and integrate large-scale and high-impact cross-functional information technology initiatives

Your first responsibility will be to identify all of the project’s hazards and determine how to manage them. As a result, a crucial activity on your to-do list will be to schedule regular check-in meetings as well as meetings focused on more particular aspects of the project. You’ll also need to make project plans and budgets, which project management software may assist with. Some 66% of UK companies using project management software tools keep their projects within the budget and the project management software market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.67% between 2020 and 2025.

As a Project Manager, you may be in charge of one or many projects. Being a PM is a very versatile profession, you’ll never work on the same things. The project manager is also frequently the individual that the organisation holds accountable for the project’s success or failure.

Responsibilities

A project manager ensures that projects are completed on schedule, on budget, and in accordance with objectives. They put together teams, plan project expenses, handle hazards, and ensure that team members stick to their deadlines.

The following are examples of specific responsibilities:

Plan for and get project resources such as budgets, teams, and tools.
Motivate team members, resolve pain spots, and conduct quality assurance to keep projects moving forward.
Communicate with stakeholders (including program managers) and project team members in order to to establish goal alignments
Carry out planning in accordance with your client’s demands, which will entail identifying goals and objectives, defining roles, and creating task schedules and timetables. Gantt charts, for example, may be used to generate a visual project plan.
determining the project’s scope
Keeping track of the project’s progress
Estimating the cost of a project and sticking to a budget
Identifying dangers
Troubleshooting
Leading quality assurance
Keeping to the timetable
Project resource management (including teams and workers)
Make any required adjustments throughout the project implementation procedure

Salary

In the UK, project management creates £156.5 billion gross value added (GVA) annually. According to National Career Service UK, wages for Project Managers in the United Kingdom range from £28.000 to £75,000, depending on skill set, region, company and experience.

Salaries can be greatly influenced by job location. No wonder that PMs in London, UKs business hub, earn more than their counterparts in other regions in the UK. A Project Manager in London earns an average of £69,000, this salary decreases to the average of £50,500 in the Midlands and £49,300 in the North of England.

Many project managers only work part-time or on a contract basis. Part-time denotes that someone is only accessible part-time to manage projects and must complete other tasks in the meanwhile. This could be advantageous for the company employing a part-time Project Manager, as it minimises costs linked to resources and allows for a flexible resource allocation.

Usually, bonuses are given to project managers based on performance and merit.

Working hours and work location

As a Project manager you’ll spend the most of your time at the office, but also expect to travel to meet with customers and attend project team meetings. Work hours for Project managers will range from 37 to 39 hours per week in the period from 8am to 6pm, the nature of some projects might necessitate work or appointments in the evening.

Project management is a rapidly expanding field with many prospects in different types of industries. The following are some of the most popular sectors that require project managers:

IT
Software development
Architecture
Construction
Telecommunications
Engineering
Real estate development
Finance
Healthcare
Insurance
Manufacturing
Pharmaceuticals

Freelance project managers agree on a daily rate for the term of their contract, with average daily rates ranging from £363 to £663. Their work hours vary depending on the short-term contract that they sign and implementation deadlines.

Qualifications

In order to become a Project Manager, you’ll need the perfect combination of education, job experience, and transferable skills. Depending on the employer, the necessary project manager qualifications may differ. It’s not strange that a company would select the most experienced and educated team members to manage their projects, or that a recruiter would look for candidates that meet these criteria. On their way to getting qualified, the majority of project managers take one of two routes. An organised and traditional course of study may be a choice for you, whether you’re pursuing a degree at a university or college or enrolling in a certification program. An MSc in Project Management is one of the best ways to ensure those high salaries and most interesting jobs with some of the best companies in the UK. On the other hand, some companies provide internal programs that can assist you in moving into project management or give possibilities for shadowing and mentorship.

The Project Management Professional certification (commonly referred to as the PMP) is the industry’s gold standard; hundreds of hours of project management experience are required before you can take the exam. If you don’t have the experience, you can take the test to become a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) after taking an online course if you don’t have it. Certification isn’t required for all project management positions, but it can show that you’re serious about this job and can help you get your CV in front of the right people.

Skills

Project management necessitates a mix of technical know-how for managing a team and project, as well as a number of essential workplace abilities. Some of the skills that a Project Manager should posses or acquire are:

must have skills:

Leadership
Organisation skills
Maths skills
Bargaining skills
Technical Expertise
Scheduling and Time Management
Monitoring skills
Multitasking
Budget management
Policy knowledge
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Clear and concise communication
Risk Management
Conflict resolution
Motivational skills
The capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and make judgments under duress

Work experience

Some Project Managers love their work because they are constantly challenged; no two days are the same. Others appreciate the fast-paced nature of the work. Another characteristic that many people like about the work is that you can truly finish something and go on to a new challenge, which isn't true of many other jobs.

In percentages, your job as a Project Manager will look something like this :

“Eating the frogs” – 10% of the day – Meaning you should tackle the most difficult problems first, or do whatever you suspect would cause problems first.
Group meetings – 20% of the day
Managing Projects or People – 40% of the day
Keeping the Momentum of Projects – 20% of the day
Relaxing – 10% of the day

Career prospects

You are probably asking yourself what can I do with a Project Management degree? The answer is, you have numerous profitabile options to choose from.

As previously mentioned, Project Managers are an integral part of the world industry, from small scale businesses to large international companies. London, being the business lifeline of the UK offers some of the best paid work opportunities in the field of Project Management.

In terms of corporate advancement, Project Managers may be able to pursue numerous senior and executive-level roles after accumulating expertise in the area. Two of them are project management office (PMO) director and chief operating officer (COO).

Employers

Related Courses

To be successful as a Project Manager, you must have a bachelor's degree at the very least. An MSc, on the other hand, is highly sought. As previously said, an MSc will help you find a better career, make a higher pay, and advance up the corporate ladder more quickly.

Here are some MSc recommendations:

MSc in Project Management

This one-year full-time program, delivered by the University of the West of Scotland, will provide you with the executive training you need to kick-start your career in project management. UWSs London Campus offers this programme in the heart of London’s business centre.