What does a Senior Project Manager do?
Senior Project Managers work in all types of industries and organizations to accomplish specific initiatives and projects. Their role is to facilitate the completion of a program, project, event or product release by coordinating the activities of an entire team. Senior Project Managers build a team of employees, each with their own core role in accomplishing a project, then develop ways for team members to interact and report progress. Senior Project Managers delegate tasks to individual Project Managers, setting clear standards for their work that they’ll use to integrate each task into a completed project.
Senior Project Manager skills and qualifications
A quality Senior Project Manager will have strong communication and management skills. They must have the ability to follow direction from management, manage budgets and deadlines and have a history of successfully promoting teamwork.
Here are several other skills and qualifications Senior Project Managers should have:
- Leadership qualities, such as motivation techniques and conflict-management
- Computer literacy for spreadsheet and word processing software
- Time management skills, especially familiarity with calendar management and goal setting
- Familiarity with the work being done by each team member
- Knowledge of project management processes, such as Scrum and Agile
Senior Project Manager salary expectations
A Senior Project Manager makes an average of $117,107 per year. Salary may depend on level of experience, education and the geographical location.
Senior Project Manager education and training Requirements
Many Senior Project Manager jobs require a bachelor’s degree, at minimum, though candidates with graduate-level education may have more specialized research and writing skills. A degree in business also provides skills in management, organization and strategic planning frequently used on the job.
Pre-employment training often comes in the form have years of relevant industry experience and previous roles in leadership and project management. Once hired, external candidates may need several months of training in their job’s specific industry before beginning their duties, allowing for time to learn about a company’s needs, style and teams.
Senior Project Manager experience requirements
As a senior leadership position, these professionals typically have many years of industry experience, such as in software development, design and computer tools and with the programs needed to perform the position. Many also have served in team lead or project management role for a few years as well. Depending on the needs of your organization, you may prefer a Senior Project Manager with at least 10 years of industry and supervisory experience. They should be well-versed in a number of computer applications and scheduling tools.
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