What is an IT Project Manager? Explore the IT Project Manager Career Path

The Day-to-Day as an IT Project Manager

IT Project Managers are responsible for successfully accomplishing an organizations’ IT goals by planning, organizing, and budgeting resources. IT Project Managers lead teams to complete projects, such as software and application development, hardware installations, network upgrades, cloud computing and virtualization rollouts, or business analytics and data management infrastructure. They work with hardware, network, business, service management, help-desk, and information security teams to organize and complete projects.

IT Project Managers work with: Engineers, Developers, Analysts, Administrators, stakeholders, and other tech professionals. IT Project Managers typically work for software or tech companies, cybersecurity organizations, IT firms, medical companies, consulting firms, financial services corporations, and other organizations that implement IT systems. They usually work a 40-hour week but will work overtime during certain phases of their projects. There are remote and onsite IT Project Manager positions.

Each project brings its own unique challenges and tasks to the table. For the most part, though, the IT Project Manager’s job is quite formulaic. You’ll find IT Project Managers meeting with their team, attending meetings with stakeholders, staying on top of emails and project management tickets, strategizing and planning, hiring new staff, training new employees, researching the best technologies for their project, communicating with employees to make sure the project stays on track, planning and creating timelines for projects, handling delays, and solving problems.

What Skills Should IT Project Managers Have?

IT Project Managers must be organized, resourceful, and able to lead. They should be a strong communicator because they’ll be managing a team and collaborating with upper-level management, as well as hiring and training new staff. A key skill for this role is the ability to translate technical knowledge into language non-IT staff can understand.

A technical understanding of hardware, software, network, infrastructure, security, coding languages, frameworks, libraries, and technologies is expected for this role. The IT Project Manager must be proficient in Microsoft Excel and Project, and many companies also use other project management and data analysis software that a Project Manager will be expected to learn and use. While not every organization or project uses these methods, proficiency in Agile project management style and Scrum is beneficial.

The IT Project Manager should have a deep understanding of every stage of project management, from initiation to closing. They are responsible for: keeping the project on track, the results of the project, the quality of the final product, staying on budget, coordinating resources, testing and auditing throughout the project lifecycle, solving issues, and recommending strategies. Technology changes rapidly, each project brings new challenges, and methodologies can be optimized for efficiency. As such, IT Project Managers should expect to constantly learn on the job. They will also gather, monitor, and analyze data on efficiency, quality, progress, research, and more throughout the project.

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Learn the Skills You Need to Become an IT Project Manager

Project Management

Project management is the practice of leading a team's work through planning and team management to meet a goal and deadline with a completed project.

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IT

IT stands for information technology. It is the study and use of computer and telecommunication systems for storing, retrieving, and sending information. IT is primarily used within the context of business operations and usually comprises the maintenance, set up, and protection of computers, hardware, servers, networks, and infrastructure within a business enterprise.

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Project Management Certification

The most common project management certifications are awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI). These professional certifications ensure your ability to meet the demands of projects and employers by creating rigorous standards based on ongoing research. Some certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA).

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Microsoft Project

Project is a project management software product by Microsoft. It is both a desktop computer program and a cloud-based program. Project is used to track projects, assign resources to tasks, develop a project schedule, manage a project budget, and analyze workloads.

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IT Project Manager Salaries

An IT Project Manager in the United States makes, on average, $99,195 annually, according to Indeed.com.

Salaries for IT Project Managers vary by region within the the United States. Listed below are some IT Project Manager salaries for specific areas with the United States compared with the average national salary:

U.S. Average $99K source n/a
Washington, D.C. $121K source
+22.64%
Orange County, CA $114K source
+15.56%
Miami, FL $109K source
+10.08%
New York City $108K source
+9.44%
Los Angeles, CA $105K source
+6.12%
Chicago, IL $102K source
+3.54%
Houston, TX $102K source
+2.93%
U.S. Average $99K source n/a
Dallas, TX $97K source
-1.51%
Fairfax, VA $82K source
-17.02%
Alexandria, VA $75K source
-24.2%

Typical Qualifications to Become an IT Project Manager

Most employers are seeking an IT Project Manager with a bachelor’s degree in project management or computer science. Some IT Project Managers have even completed their master’s degree in IT project management. It is possible to land an IT Project Manager job without a bachelor’s degree, but the candidate will need to have equivalent work experience.

Certificates are not required for this position, but an aspiring IT Project Manager can look into a Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Depending on the technology they are working with, they should also consider the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification from The Scrum Alliance and the CompTIA Project+ certification from CompTIA. Certificates are a great way for Project Managers who do not have degrees to land a job.

Searching for IT Project Manager Jobs

IT Project Managers typically work for software or tech companies, cybersecurity organizations, IT firms, medical companies, consulting firms, financial services corporations, and other organizations that implement IT systems. They usually work a typical 40-hour week but will work overtime during certain phases of their projects. There are remote and onsite IT Project Manager positions. It is possible to work on a contract basis as an IT Project Manager but it is less common unless this work is through a firm or recruiter.

Tips to Become an IT Project Manager

There are three paths you can take to land a job as an IT Project Manager. If you’re already in the tech industry in any capacity, talk to your supervisor about your intentions to become a Project Manager. They’ll be able to either: help you make a development plan to get you prepared for an internal promotion, or they’ll let you know that you won’t be able to move up within the company. If you can’t move up within the company, you can ask if they’ll still help you create a development plan, or you can create one on your own. As you work on sharpening your skills for the new role, start searching for a project management position at another company. Hopefully, your current employer will be able to give you a good recommendation.

If you’re not in the tech industry already but you have leadership experience, you’re on the right path! However, you’ll still need to upskill and learn specific methods and knowledge that are unique to IT projects. You should also consider getting a project management certification if you don’t already have one. If you’re not in the tech industry and you have zero leadership experience, it’s best to find a way to break into tech and work your way up through the ranks. Getting certificates while you work your way up can be helpful in this process. You can also go for more education through an online program, higher education, or simply upskilling in certain areas.

Anyone, including people who are already in the tech industry, can look for stepping stone positions, like Developer, Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, DevOps, Business Analyst, or Scrum Master and work your way into a Project Coordinator, Associate Project Manager, or Business Analyst position before becoming an IT Project Manager. These positions are all great starts to a tech career, but might not be the exact positions you’ll need to gain foundations for an IT Project Management position at every organization. Every company will have its own pathway to this position, so it helps to vocalize your intentions to become an IT Project Manager to your supervisor as early as possible so that they can help you get there.

Once you’ve found a path and made a plan for upskilling, try joining LinkedIn and Facebook groups for IT Project Managers and Project Managers, in general. You’ll find helpful tips, mentors, and even job postings there. IT-specific job boards will also be useful in your search. Lastly, networking is a must. Tell anyone you know in IT, including your current manager, that you’re looking for a position as an IT Project Manager. If you already have some experience in any of the positions listed above, look for positions on smaller projects. There’s a big difference in responsibility between a start-up, an enterprise project, and one module within a larger long-term project.

The last step to landing the job is acing the interview. Prepare yourself for technical interviews with mock-interviews either online or with a friend. You must be ready to: speak the jargon, answer situational questions, understand the technologies you’ll be discussing in the interview, and present yourself as a good leader.

What Job Titles Would an IT Project Manager Hold?

IT Project Managers can focus on specific types of IT projects such as software and application development, hardware installations, network upgrades, cloud computing and virtualization rollouts, or business analytics and data management infrastructure. Some IT Project Manager jobs will note those specializations in the title or the method of project management that the company uses such as Agile or Scrum.

IT Project Managers can look for these job titles:

IT Project Manager
Junior Project Manager
Associate Project Manager
Agile Project Manager
IT Project Leader

The Day-to-Day as an IT Project Manager

What Skills Should IT Project Managers Have?

Learn the Skills You Need to Become an IT Project Manager

Project Management

IT

Project Management Certification

Microsoft Project

IT Project Manager Salaries

Typical Qualifications to Become an IT Project Manager

Searching for IT Project Manager Jobs

Tips to Become an IT Project Manager

What Job Titles Would an IT Project Manager Hold?

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