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Information Technology

IT Project Manager

Plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as liaison between business and technical aspects of projects. Plan project stages and assess business implications for each stage. Monitor progress to assure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met.

Annual openings

761

BLS median wage

$139,580

Typical education

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

10-year growth

+12%

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.

Remote work

Some companies (information technology companies for example) and jobs (such as call center support) offer the opportunity for staff to work remotely, including from rural locations. To see if a job offers this opportunity, please review job postings from job banks such as ZipRecruiter, Indeed or ConnectingColorado, and look for key words such as "location independent", "remote", "virtual", "telecommute", "flex" or for companies posting the same job in many locations.

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.
  • Working with tools and technology — Know and being able to utilize the tools, technologies, and methodologies specific to Project Management.
  • Change Management — Implementing a new computer system encounters challenges from users that don't like change. Understanding how to overcome those challenges is an important people-related skill.
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 additional skill specific (such as Agile) certifications available. The PMI-CPMAI growing in demand.
IT-specific Project Management jobs differ depending on the employer and project size. Some roles are part of a large project that has an entire Project Management Office with specialized roles while others are tied to the implementation of a specific software or product (such as Workday or Salesforce) with the role leading the interactions with the client as an Engagement Manager during an implementation.
The job openings and salaries presented are an accumulation of several different IT jobs.

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.

Automation exposure

Low exposure

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

A typical day

  1. Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope.
  2. Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
  3. Monitor or track project milestones and deliverables.
  4. Submit project deliverables, ensuring adherence to quality standards.
  5. Assess current or future customer needs and priorities by communicating directly with customers, conducting surveys, or other methods.
  6. Direct or coordinate activities of project personnel.