Project management is a core functional area in many businesses and organizations, especially where project-based work is key to workflows. While project management is especially relevant in industries like technology and manufacturing, project management professionals can find exciting work in a wide variety of industries.
Key Takeaways:
- Project managers begin as coordinators, associates or schedulers, and can progress to director, VP and C-suite roles over time.
- Project managers need soft skills like communication and organization in addition to technical skills like project planning and timeline development.
- A master’s degree in project management can set you up for faster career advancement by equipping you with advanced skills.
Why Choose Project Management as a Career Path?
One of the benefits of a career in project management is that it offers a clear path when it comes to career progression. No matter what industry you end up in, you will have a clear idea of what skills and experience you need to gain in order to make your next career move.
Project Management: Title Hierarchy and Salaries
| Role | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level Roles | |
| Project Coordinator | $64,600 |
| Associate Project Manager | $75,100 |
| Project Scheduler | $83,300 |
| Mid-Level Roles | |
| Project Manager | $100,200 |
| Product Owner | $120,200 |
| Lead Project Manager | $119,200 |
| Senior-Level & Leadership Roles | |
| Director of Project Management | $156,500 |
| VP of Operations | $160,600 |
| Chief Operating Officer (COO) | $163,800 |
Source: Lightcast
How Do I Start My Project Management Career?
To begin your project management career, you’ll need to have a strong interest in project management and an education that has provided you with strong analytical thinking skills. A bachelor’s degree will meet the education requirements for entry-level roles, and when you’re ready to advance to mid- and senior-level roles, you can consider a master’s degree in project management.
Skills for Aspiring Project Managers
There are a few skills you should already have before you begin your project management career. Most employers will not require expertise in highly technical skills (you can acquire these on the job), but you should have robust interpersonal and thinking skills, including:
- Written and verbal communication
- Organization and time management
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Adaptability
With these foundational skills, you’ll be better prepared to develop technical skills in your first project management role. However, it’s always a good idea to learn as much as you can before starting a new role, so we recommend familiarizing yourself with these basic technical project management skills:
- Project planning and mapping
- Project scoping
- Writing project briefs
- Timeline development
- PM softwares such as Jira, Asana and Trello
- PM tracking methodologies such as Gantt charts and Kanban boards
Entry-Level Project Manager Positions
Entry-level project management roles typically consist of tasks related to project support, especially as it relates to task management and team coordination. In these roles, you’ll gain valuable, real-world skills and experience in project management that prepares you for future roles.
Project Coordinator
Median Annual Salary: $64,600 (Lightcast)
Project coordinators are responsible for the logistical aspects of project management, and they typically handle day-to-day administrative duties. So, rather than running a project or a portion of a project, they are responsible for certain tasks and functions for most or all projects.
Some of the responsibilities of a project coordinator include:
- Monitoring task completion
- Organizing reports, invoices, contracts and other documents
- Scheduling and note-taking at meetings
- Billing and bookkeeping
- Ensuring teams have the equipment and supplies they need
Associate Project Manager
Median Annual Salary: $75,100 (Lightcast)
Also referred to as junior or assistant project managers, associate project managers support the lead project manager, especially in larger projects where a single PM needs to offload a portion of the project responsibilities. For example, associate project managers may:
- Communicate with vendors and staff
- Lead meetings about the project
- Delegate tasks to staff
- Report on progress to the lead PM
- Check in with team members to ensure timeliness and remove blockers
Associate PMs may also get the opportunity to lead their own small projects.
Project Scheduler
Median Annual Salary: $83,300 (Lightcast)
Project schedulers are specialized, junior-level PM professionals who are often employed in the construction and engineering industries, where it is beneficial to have separate project management and project scheduling roles.
Their tasks include:
- Planning the project schedule
- Coordinating tasks and stakeholders
- Monitoring the timelines of scheduled tasks
- Remediating any delays
- Reporting progress to relevant stakeholders
How Do I Break Into an Industry?
There are project management roles available in a number of fields, but the most highly sought-after roles tend to be in the larger, project-based industries: tech, construction and engineering, finance and health care. These industries offer significant opportunities and attractive salaries for project managers.
To break into an industry, there are a few key steps you need to take:
- Gain experience in that field however you can. Internships are a great way to gain experience in your ideal industry, build industry-specific skills and learn how your dream field works.
- Build strong relationships with professionals in your ideal industry. Attend networking events, engage with professionals on LinkedIn and try to seek mentorship opportunities where you can. These connections can help you land exciting roles.
- Develop your professional knowledge while working in other roles. While you’re working, you can seek professional development opportunities like certificates and short courses that enhance your industry-specific knowledge and skills.
Most project management experiences can naturally provide the skills for other roles later on, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t find a job in your ideal industry at first. For example, if you find yourself doing project scheduling work at an education company, you’ll understand how to develop timelines that take large pools of stakeholders into account — a crucial skill for health care project managers.
Mid-Level Project Manager Roles
Mid-level project manager roles require a combination of education, a few years of experience and an advanced technical skill set. Mid-level roles typically involve some people management in addition to extensive project leadership and ownership.
Importantly, mid-level roles are where project managers begin to synergize their skills in communication, strategic thinking and team operations. This allows PMs to ensure that day-to-day operations and individual projects are in alignment with the organization’s long-term strategic development goals.
Project Manager
Median Annual Salary: $100,200 (Lightcast)
Once you’ve advanced through the ranks of junior project management roles, you’re ready to become a full-fledged project manager. You likely already know that project managers are in charge of managing the end-to-end project lifecycle.
This means that project managers worth with various operational and implementation team members to:
- Develop strategies to meet performance objectives
- Determine project parameters
- Create timelines and meet deadlines
- Hold meetings with project team member and leadership
Project managers (especially those with a few years of seniority under their belts) will likely have a few direct reports who assist them with projects and day-to-day operational work.
Product Owner
Median Annual Salary: $120,200 (Lightcast)
Product owners are not always considered “project managers,” but this type of role is essentially a highly specialized project management position. Experts in the Scrum and Agile methodologies of project management, product owners are project managers who operate within IT and tech fields and teams.
Their responsibilities include:
- Collaborating with technical, marketing and sales teams
- Translating customer requirements into product functionality
- Dividing the product creation process into iterative steps
- Ensuring product compliance with budgets and deadlines
Lead Project Manager
Median Annual Salary: $119,200 (Lightcast)
After some experience as a project manager, you may transition into a lead (or senior) project management role. While their role is largely the same as project managers, lead project managers take a larger leadership role. This includes delegating tasks across many projects to their direct reports or the entire project management team.
Lead project managers will also work with other operational leaders, such as the project management director or operations VP, to identify important objectives and goals. They will also ensure that these goals are being met in each project.
Senior Project Management & Leadership Careers
After many successful years of direct project management experience, many project managers will seek high-level roles within project management. Beyond that, project management professionals may leverage that experience to pivot into VP or C-suite roles in broader company operations.
Director of Project Management
Median Annual Salary: $156,500 (Lightcast)
While lead project managers can oversee a wide portfolio of projects, the director of project management oversees the operations of the entire project management function. In addition to ensuring successful project completion, project management directors take a strategic role in aligning project operations to broad organizational goals.
Some of their day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Managing and leading the project management team/department
- Defining PM strategies that align with the organization
- Optimizing PM processes
- Collaborating with other senior leadership across the organization
- Managing resource allocation, including project and department budget
- Tracking performance
- Championing the needs of the project management team
Project Manager vs. Project Director vs. Director of Project ManagementProject managers, project directors and director of project manager may seem like incredibly similar roles, but to the seasoned PM professional the difference is clear. Generally, the difference lies in the level of authority they have over projects and team members.
|
VP of Operations
Median Annual Salary: $160,600 (Lightcast)
Project management teams typically are housed in the operations department, so once you’ve had experience leading the entire project management function, the next step is operations as a whole. A vice president of operations is responsible for leading business operations, and this individual will typically collaborate with various departments to communicate company needs and gain insights about performance.
Operations VPs will typically:
- Lead the day-to-day operations of the company
- Manage the budget for their department, programs and projects
- Mentor and support the directors and managers of the operations department
- Monitor the performance indicators of various teams
- Support teams when unforeseen challenges arise
- Identify opportunities to improve cross-functional processes within the department
Chief Operations Officer
Median Annual Salary: $163,800 (Lightcast)
In some companies, the COO will effectively have the same responsibilities as a VP of operations. But in companies with both roles, the COO takes on a broader, more strategic role. As such, the chief operations officer won’t be working on the day-to-day operational success of the company.
A COO is typically considered the “second in command” of an organization, collaborating very closely with the CEO. They take a big-picture approach to operational success and focus more on the long-term success of the entire organization’s operational processes. COOs are also responsible for setting high standards that lead to a better operating organization, making improvements such as:
- Creating more efficient processes and workflows
- Ensuring high-quality products and services
- Lowering costs where possible
Alternative Careers for Project Managers
After a few years working as a project manager or lead project manager, many PM professionals find that they are ready to move up or shift roles. However, not everyone wants to become a director or work their way up to the C-Suite.
There are many alternative career paths for project managers who are looking to leverage their experience to make a career shift. Consulting roles are a great choice, as project managers can lend their process improvement and operational expertise to organizations who are looking to improve in those areas.
Here are some potential alternative careers for experienced project management professionals:
- Non-operational leadership roles
- Consultant careers, such as business consultant or management consultant roles
- Program management
- Business analysis
- Operations management
How an MSPM Can Help Career Progression in Project Management
A Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) can be extremely beneficial to PM professionals who are looking for ways to jumpstart or advance their project management careers. In entry-level roles, an MSPM can provide you with crucial advanced knowledge that you can leverage on the job. And, this education can set you up for a faster path to career advancement.
As project managers move up in their careers, high-level skills and knowledge become even more important to advance. With an advanced project management curriculum, valuable faculty connections and robust career support, a master’s in project management can become a powerful tool to land senior-level roles.
Master Project Management at GW Business
Advance your career with the GW School of Business’s Master of Science in Project Management, available online or in-person. Our PMI®-accredited master’s in project management program blends cutting-edge analytics with essential leadership skills. Through online courses, on-demand lectures and optional live sessions, you’ll gain the skills you need to lead projects, think strategically and make a meaningful impact.
We believe in supporting our students through their academic journeys: every student accepted into our summer and fall 2025 online graduate programs will receive an automatic tuition scholarship.
Learn more by requesting a brochure, or start your application today!
Since 1928, GW School of Business students have leveraged our global presence to pursue practical, insightful expertise in the world of business from an enviable vantage point. One of the most diverse cities in the United States, D.C. is home to leading organizations in the health care, hospitality, media, government, defense and technology sectors. Our faculty are thought leaders and educators in these areas and more, and they’re ready to provide you with the business and management expertise you need to succeed.
Sources
- Project Management Institute — What Is Project Management?
- Asana — 25 Essential Project Management Skills
- Cprime — What Is Agile? What Is Scrum? Agile FAQs
- Societe Generale — What Is a Product Owner? Roles & Skills (Job Description)
- Teal — What Is a Director of Project Management? Explore the Director of Project Management Career Path in 2025
- Bowdoin — COO vs. VP of Operations: What's the Difference and Which Should You Choose?
- Coursera — What Is a Project Manager? A Career Guide
- Indeed