When it comes to starting a career as a Technical Project Manager, it’s important you know exactly what the role entails and the benefits it can bring you. From the skills you need to get started to the average salary you can earn, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know.
Technical Project Manager Job Description
A Technical Project Manager is someone who can be considered to be both a tech guru and an inspiring leader. As someone who is instrumental in the planning and management of both IT and IT-related projects, those who want a career as a Technical Project Manager are required to have a high level of technical expertise as well as organization, leadership and communication skills.
What Does A Technical Project Manager Do?
The general responsibilities of a technical project manager often include:
- Analyzing, planning and developing scheduled projects
- Establishing and implementing training processes for all technical personnel
- Determining and defining clear deliverables, roles and responsibilities for all staff members
- Holding regular technical team meetings to help address any questions or challenges regarding upcoming projects
- Researching and evaluating hardware and software technology options for each project
- Updating and maintaining all production technologies, helping to ensure proper maintenance and installation is achieved
- Recruiting and training future employees to fulfil posted positions within the technical department
Qualifications for Technical Project Manager
In order to start your career as a Technical Project Manager, there are a number of different qualification you need to have. To start, you should at least have a bachelor's degree in management information systems (MIS), computer science or another engineering-related field.
In addition to your degree, you should have one or more certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI) that demonstrate you have a strong understanding of project management.
What Skills Are Important?
When it comes to starting a role as a Technical Project Manager, there are a number of skills that are considered essential.
- A clear understanding of the Project Management processes, strategies and methods
- A sense of personal accountability when it comes to both decision-making and supervising teams
- Experience training rising talent in the technology department
- The ability to be able to predict challenges and obstacles
- Strong managerial experience when it comes to both analytical thinking and problem-solving
- Excellent time management and organizational skills
Average Technical Project Manager Salary
For those looking to get started as a Technical Project Manager, entry-level roles can expect to learn a salary of up to $65,000.
If you have 1-4 years of experience, you can earn an average compensation of $78,000.
A mid-career Technical Project Manager with around 5-9 years of experience can usually earn an average salary of $92,000.
If you are an experienced Technical Project Manager and you have between 10-19 years of experience, you can earn up to $105,000. For those with more than 20 years of experience, that increases to $122,000.
How Do You Become a Technical Project Manager?
In order to become a technical project manager, you need to have a PMP, which can only be obtained by paying a fee to pass an exam. In order to apply, however, you need to meet the following criteria:
- Have a degree, such as a high school diploma
- Have 4,500 - 7,500 hours of experience when it comes to leading and directing projects
- Have 35 hours of formal project management education or have completed your bachelor’s degree
As the bar for attaining a PMP is high, a common concern for those looking to get a job as a Technical Project Manager is how they’re going to get up to 7,500 hours of experience without one. To put it simply, that would be the equivalent of roughly 4 years working 35 hours a week, which can seem daunting when you’re just starting out.
You may be pleased to know, however, that your experience leading and directing projects does not refer only to an official project manager role and it can include any of the roles listed below:
- Project Accountant
- Cost Controller Project scheduler
- Project Administrator
- Project Lead
- Assistant project manager
- Any other team lead role on a project
It is important to note that you don’t have to have planned a large or complex project in order to qualify. From charity functions to small events, they also count.
Technical Project Manager Jobs Near Me
For more information when it comes to working as a Technical Project Manager or if you would like to find technical project manager jobs USA, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the Field Engineer team. As a global freelance market place that connects businesses with engineers on demand, we can connect you to any roles you may be suitable for.
