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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.

Program Manager

Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of multiple projects and potentially across multiple products or services. Lead and guide the work of multiple teams implementing multiple projects. Likely serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.

Annual openings

2,658

Median wage

$110,050

Typical education

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

Growth 2026–2032

+8%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

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

Credential requirement

A certification is expected for this job (with a Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification valued by some 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 Manager is highly valued.

Employer competency information

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

  • Leadership — Leading multiple Project Managers and multiple key clients requires strong people leadership skills.
  • Planning & Organizing — Lead the planning and organization for the successful completion of entire programs.
  • Communication, Teamwork, & Psychology — Influence multiple teams 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 be able to utilize the tools (such as Snowflake), technologies, and methodologies specific to Program Management.
The [Project Management Institute (PMI)](www.pmi.org) has additional information on Program Management jobs, competencies, and career development activities. Some Employers value additional specialized industry (such as Construction) or skill-specific (such as Agile) certifications. Some large employers also have individuals managing a portfolio of programs, with the Portfolio Management Professional tied to this role.
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

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenNo
  • On a computerYes
  • OutdoorsNo
  • With your handsNo

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.
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