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Business OperationsTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.Critical OccupationOccupation identified by industry partners as critical to business success.

Project Manager

Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of the staff implementing the project. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.

Annual openings

2,658

BLS median wage

$110,050

Typical education

Associate's degree, though some employers value a Bachelor's Degree

10-year growth

+8%

Career requirements

What does this career require?

The education, credentials, and on-the-job competencies Colorado employers expect for this role.

Typical education

Associate's degree, though some employers value a Bachelor's Degree

Credential requirement

A certification is expected for this job (with a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification highly valued by Employers), with education and/or experience in a lower-level role valued as well as needed to obtain the certification.

Work experience

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. Work experience as a Project Coordinator, a Team Leader on a project or as part of a Project Management Office is highly valued.

Employer competency information

Feedback from employers identifies the following critical competencies and how they apply for this job

  • Planning & Organizing; Lead the planning and organization for the successful completion of entire projects.
  • Communication, Teamwork, & Psychology — Influence multiple team members to follow the project plan, complete a wide variety of tasks on time and within budget, often under stressful circumstances. Includes goal and deadline communication and providing feedback on progress.
  • Working with tools and technology — Know and be able to utilize the tools (such as Snowflake), technologies, and methodologies specific to Project Management.
The [Project Management Institute (PMI)](www.pmi.org) has additional information on Project Management jobs, competencies, and career development activities. Among their certifications, the PMP is the industry standard starting point with several additional industry (such as construction) or skill specific (such as Agile) certifications available - with the PMI-CPMAI growing in demand.
These jobs exist across many different industries, such as Business Operations, IT, Construction, and Energy. Your skills could enable a change to a job in a new industry.
The job openings and salaries presented are an accumulation of all levels of Project/Program Management across all industries, with job openings being high because it represents the total number of jobs in all industries.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

  • With kids/peopleOccasionally
  • On a computerOccasionally
  • Outdoors / on-siteOccasionally
  • With your handsOccasionally

Interests it draws on

  • Business Support
  • Business Management

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Assign duties or responsibilities to project personnel.
  2. Communicate with key stakeholders to determine project requirements and objectives.
  3. Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
  4. Create project status presentations for delivery to customers or project personnel.
  5. Develop or update project plans including information such as objectives, technologies, schedules, funding, and staffing.
  6. Identify project needs such as resources, staff, or finances by reviewing project objectives and schedules.