Project manager job description.

What does a project manager do?

 

A project manager plans, executes, and delivers projects on time, within scope, and within budget. They coordinate resources, manage risks, and act as the central communication point between stakeholders and delivery teams.

 

Core responsibilities include creating project plans, defining milestones, managing timelines and budgets, and reporting on progress. They also handle change requests, issue tracking, and quality control.

 

In smaller companies, they may manage delivery across departments. In larger organisations, they often specialise by domain (e.g. IT, product, transformation) and may operate under a formal PMO structure.

 

Key responsibilities of a project manager.

 

Project managers lead the delivery of initiatives on time and within scope. Their responsibilities typically include:

• Defining project scope, objectives, and delivery plans

• Managing timelines, risks, budgets, and stakeholder expectations

• Leading cross-functional teams through planning and execution

• Communicating status updates and reporting to leadership

• Identifying and resolving project issues and blockers

• Tracking project KPIs and delivery milestones

• Facilitating workshops, reviews, and retrospectives

• Managing vendor relationships and contract delivery

• Ensuring documentation and compliance with internal frameworks

• Supporting post-project evaluation and lessons learned

This role blends delivery management, communication, and cross-team coordination.

 

Skills and requirements for a project manager.

 

Project managers lead planning, delivery, and stakeholder alignment. Employers typically look for:

• 4–8 years of experience managing digital or operational projects

• Skilled in creating project plans, timelines, and budgets

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

• Experience working with cross-functional delivery teams

• Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, or MS Project

• Confidence managing risks, dependencies, and change control

• Ability to deliver against milestones and measure success

• Understanding of agile, waterfall, or hybrid methods

• Comfortable reporting progress to clients or senior leadership

Most project manager ensure timely, successful project delivery.

 

Average salary for a project manager.

 

In the UK, the average salary for a project manager typically ranges from £40,000 to £60,000, depending on sector, delivery scope, and stakeholder management.

• Mid-level project managers earn between £40,000 and £50,000

• Senior PMs running enterprise transformations or multi-stream programs can earn between £51,000 and £60,000

• Agile or Waterfall fluency can influence salary banding

Best pay is found in digital transformation, financial services, and SaaS delivery roles.

 

Career progression for a project manager.

 

A project manager is responsible for the successful planning, execution, and delivery of projects. This core business role leads to senior programme or operational strategy positions. A common progression includes:

 

Project coordinator

 

Supports documentation, stakeholder updates, and basic delivery tracking.

 

Project manager

 

Owns project scope, timeline, and resource management. Delivers results and manages risk.

 

Senior project manager

 

Manages larger, more complex projects or portfolios. Coaches juniors and optimises delivery methodology.

 

Programme manager / Portfolio lead

 

Coordinates programmes of work across departments or regions. Balances long-term vision with short-term execution.

 

Head of project delivery

 

Leads enterprise-level projects. Defines frameworks, tools, and cultural change across business functions.