Trending Project Management Roles in 2024

One major factor for the trend of project management roles continuing to grow in 2024 is the continued emphasis on innovation and digital transformation across industries. Complex project execution requires competent experts in the field of project management. The main factor boosting the demand for project managers is the rising use of data and analytics in business decision-making.

There is a rising need for project managers that are knowledgeable in data analytics, resource planning, and artificial intelligence. They help companies make the most use of their data and resources to cut costs and guarantee project success. Specific project managers are assigned projects for the company. These initiatives are developed, followed, and carried out inside the organization based on their competence. To gain expertise on project management you can enroll for Project Management trainings today.

What is Project Management?

A project is a short-term endeavor having a clear purpose or target to be accomplished. The scope, money, and time are the core constituents of every project. Having said this, project management is the process of organizing a team of individuals to complete a project. For achieving the project goals, project management includes resource planning and coordination. It also requires duties like establishing the project scope, locating the stakeholders, creating a project plan, keeping track of progression, managing risks, funds and concluding the project.

Hence, there are several project management roles that are necessary for fulfillment of a project. For instance, while a project manager’s role is to look after the entire project and ensure it is completed within the specified time frame; a Scrum master assures that the team is following agile principles in the project. A project sponsor is responsible for providing funds, resources and assistance for the project’s success.

Effective project management helps to ensure projects are completed within budget, meeting all deadlines and to the desired quality parameters.

Importance of Project Management Roles in Organizations

Without project management, there would have been a lack of team management, strategic planning, quality disaster and lots of risks in an organization. Therefore, an effective project management plays an important role in balancing the client requirements, adhering to the estimated budget, identifying risks, utilizing resources and maintaining the product quality within a given time frame. Below are some major advantages of project management roles in an organization:

1. Productivity and Money Savings

Every project has a predefined budget and specific time. Therefore an accurate planning is necessary for finishing the project within the allocated budget and given time. By using the techniques and methods of various project management roles, it becomes easy to track the project status from the beginning and anticipate deadlines.

2. Improving Communication

While working in a team, transparent communication is necessary otherwise project handling becomes difficult. Therefore, with an effective project management smooth collaborations and communications are possible among the team members and stakeholders.

3. Understanding Business in a Better Way

A composed project management helps to identify the risks and threats related to the project. Therefore, with the correct resources it becomes a hassle free task to understand resource allocation when needed. With proper management, you can plan the entire project well and execute it throughout the project cycle.

Depending on the experience level and various industries, the job titles for project management are decided.

Project Management Roles Based on Experience Levels

Project management roles and titles can be generally categorized according to the level of experience of the candidate, along with relevant certifications and educational qualifications. To hop on the career ladder of project management you can enroll in PMI PMP course and upskill.

A. Entry-level Project Management Roles 

The entry level project management titles and roles revolve around the assistance and supporting the senior project managers. The job description encompasses project documentation, meeting coordination, and communing with the stakeholders. Therefore, strong communication skills, knowledge about the tools regarding Project management, etc., is the primary prerequisite for beginner-level project management roles.

1. Project Coordinator

The responsibilities of a project coordinator include assisting the project managers in tracking and coordinating the projects. Their work may involve arranging meetings, monitoring project deadlines, writing project documents, and preparing budgets.

2. Assistant Project Manager

The assistant project manager reports to the project manager. Starting from the performance report making, scheduling project tasks, and evaluating the budget - all these fall under the responsibilities of an Assistant Project Manager. Problem-solving and analytical skills are also required to get these project management position titles.

3. Associate Project Manager

In the project management job titles list, the associate project manager often reports to an assistant project manager. Whenever time it's necessary, the associate project manager will be in charge of a dedicated staff or small unit. They also help in project analysis and work on risk management techniques.

4. Junior Project Manager

Under the direction of senior project managers, junior project managers facilitate the design, conducting, and reporting of project activities. They also organize project activities, produce monthly updates, and interact with stakeholders.

5. Project Scheduler

Project schedulers are responsible for developing, implementing, and updating project deadlines, objectives, and plans. The senior project managers evaluate the risks as well. Their main task is to check the quality of any given project and the completion of it without missing any deadline.

Project Management Titles (Entry-level)	Average Salary Range per year (USD)
Project coordinator	$32,000-$57,000
Assistant project manager	$38,000- $75,000
Associate project manager	$43,000-$87,000
Junior project manager	$41,000-$74,000
Project scheduler	$37,000-$66,000

B. Senior-Level Project Management Roles

Among the various project management roles, the role of a Senior Project Manager is very versatile. They are in charge of dealing with several projects, communicating with the other junior project managers, stakeholders, interviews, as well as providing valuable inputs throughout the project life cycle, to ensure successful project execution.

1. Project Team Lead / Project Team Leader

A solid foundation of performance management is required for the successful completion of project management. The duties of a project team lead differ depending on the organization, profession, as well as the project's terms of the occupational hierarchy. Their role comprises coordination with various managers, department heads, stakeholders, and team members. Task amendment, allocation, encouraging members regarding targets, and checking the performance goals are some of the notable duties of a project team lead.

2. Project Manager

Executing projects and accomplishing objectives are some of the few responsibilities of a project manager. A project manager’s role is to coordinate with the team members to throughout the project life cycle and ensure that the tasks are completed within a set timeline, keeping in mind the various goals, and pre-decided budget. From leading the group towards a common outcome, productive work distribution, to managing deadlines, and taking charge of the deployment's responsibilities, a project manager is responsible for all that goes behind completing project.

3. Senior Project manager

Senior project managers have experience of 10-15 years, with comparatively greater responsibility in the project management titles list. They may be assigned multiple tasks simultaneously and placed in charge of exceedingly challenging and substantial assignments. Senior project managers could serve as significant contact persons for project team members and stakeholders.

C. Director of Project Management/Project Director 

A project director is responsible for supervising overall coordination, direction and implementation of a project till it is completed. The role includes maintaining relationships with stakeholders, vendors, clients and contractors. A project director is in charge of handling the entire finance and administration operations.

D. Vice President of Project Management / VP of Project Management 

A VP manages the project’s strategic direction. Again, progress reports and coordinating with the stakeholders, guiding other project managers are also part of his responsibility.

E. Other Roles 

Besides the aforementioned job roles, there are a plethora of job titles related to project management available in the job market for various industries, depending upon factors such as experience, skill set, educational qualifications and more. The titles in project management for other roles are as discussed below:

1. Sponsor

Individuals of top leadership that support initiatives and have a significant amount of authority and influence are referred to as project sponsors. The duties of a project sponsor imply establishing the budget, obtaining essential hazards and benefits, setting aims and targets, evaluating the project's viability, and interacting with collaborators or stakeholders.

2. Stakeholders/the Project Steering Committee

To guide teams correctly and monitor their work and assist them with the performance of the task progress, a stakeholder is required in a project management job role. With their excellent decision-making skills, they can meet the project objectives successfully. Usually, they do not work on a project directly but are closely associated with other project managers to guide the latter. The main target of the stakeholders or the project steering team is to facilitate the accomplishment of the project's objectives and consistency with the company vision.

Project Management Titles (Senior-level)	Average Salary a year (USD)	Average Salary Range in a year (USD)
Project Team lead	$77,000	$49,000-$117,000
Project Manager	$75,000	$49,000-$116,000
Senior Project Manager	$105,000	$73,000- $147,000
Project director	$137,000	$85,000-$220,000
Vice President of Project Management	$170,000	$110,000-$250,000
Project Sponsor	$143,000	$85,000 - $220,000

Project Management Job Roles Based on Different Industries

As project management professionals an individual gets an immense opportunity to develop their expertise.
For instance, construction project manager roles include checking and developing business projects. On the other hand, an IT project manager will deal with managing software and technology projects. These roles vary from industry to industry. To get a market edge in your resume, you can join the accredited PRINCE2 course for better opportunities.

Following is the list of project management roles and positions in different industries. Each of these project management related job titles have a required skill set, and an understanding of the industry:

1. Construction Project Manager

A construction project manager's role includes checking and monitoring the construction work from the initial to the final stage. They must ensure the tasks are all completed within the specified time. Their role includes planning a budget, allocating different tasks, strategically planning the project, and coordinating with stakeholders, contractors, engineers, architects, etc.

2. Architectural Project Manager 

A architectural project manager should monitor an architectural project's stages of design and construction. They maintain a close eye on the business' progress to make sure that everything is progressing as planned. Generally, they design, arrange, and review construction agendas to make certain assignments comply with all security and regulations.

3. Energy Project Manager 

An energy project manager titles in project management are given to the individual who organizes, designs, and implements energy projects. Some important energy projects are wind farm development, solar power installation, and other energy-efficient building projects. Therefore, their roles comprise management, budget planning, scheduling, team handling, and other activities to meet the project goals.

4. Electrical Project Manager

An electrical Project manager checks planning, implementing, and designing electrical projects with contractors, architects, and engineers. Their key responsibilities involve budget planning, resource allocation, supplying quality-based projects, and meeting targets. The essential skills required to become an Electrical PM are technical expertise, time management, and leadership qualities.

5. Systems Project Manager

A system project manager ensures that all operations are consistently recorded. Moreover, they create data required functionality, analyze the proposals from informational networks deeply, and design after planning them. They might have to collaborate on network conception and implementation with other specialists.

6. Engineering Project Manager

The tasks of an engineering project manager focus on designing, leading, and managing innovative or new designs, services, or techniques. Also, in critical design development phases, an Engineering project manager has to coordinate with other managerial leaders for research purposes. They are also responsible for making budget plans and the staffing system of the company.

7. Software Project Manager

Software project managers are responsible for leading a team properly to successfully accomplish a software development project. Their responsibilities are related to software planning and execution. With their leadership skills, they guide the team members in budget planning, risk management, and project allocation. A part of their job role is to communicate with stakeholders regarding budget allocations, and project progress from time to time.

8. Information Technology (IT) Project Manager 

Project manager roles for IT focus on promoting economic objectives linked with a given project and managing resources in alignment with the company goals. The IT projects are related to backup recovery, cloud migration, mobile, and web development, etc. Starting from allocating project tasks, handling teams, preparing a budget, and monitoring the development and output of teammates are a few prominent duties of an IT project manager.

9. Healthcare Project Manager

Several healthcare institutions hire and work with healthcare project managers to improve service quality. It helps in adding customer value and retention. Therefore, a healthcare project manager should have strong communication, flexibility, problem-solving, and critical analysis competencies. Their projects are related to budget practice, checking on the productivity of the team members, making project plans, and applying modern technologies for patients. Again, safety related to the hospitals and staff is also the prime responsibility of a healthcare project manager.

10. Pharmaceutical Project Manager

For medical development process supervision from the beginning to the final phase, a pharmaceutical project manager plays a crucial role. They perform a large number of activities with project managers in those other sectors. For instance, budgeting, meeting deadlines, guiding teams, and many more. The distinctive role that a pharmaceutical project manager carries includes collaboration with scientists and biochemists to launch new medicinal products. A pharmaceutical PM should have a specialization in Life Sciences and substantial years of experience in the field.

11. Marketing Project Manager

Marketing project managers are required to supervise a project with other marketing executives. They take care of everything from the inception phase to conceptualizing and evaluating the marketing-based projects. Their responsibilities also include content creation, strategic planning of content, handling social media accounts, commercializing ads on social media, and budget planning. A marketing project manager has to work with both internal employees of the company along with freelance writers, graphic designers, etc.

12. Consulting Project Manager

A consulting project manager examines the project's overall strategy. The responsibility also comprises making budgets, allocating tasks, reviewing the projects within a given time, and maintaining the quality of each project. A consulting PM should always have decent backup strategies for managing risks.

13. AX Project Manager

The skills required for the AX project manager are strong analytical skills, problem-solving expertise, and great communication. The AX project manager role centers around Microsoft Dynamic AX Software. They should be able to implement designs, prepare a budget, work on the threats, meet deadlines, and take care of the quality parameters.

14. PMO Manager

For supervising the growth and development of any project, a company requires a PMO Manager. They analyze and provides input on the project procedures and methodologies. Additionally, they will check if, within the budget, the quality projects are delivered to the clients. Other than this, a PMO manager also has to function along with other team leads from various related projects to meet the targets.

Project Management Roles as Per Industries	Salary In Average Per Year (As per Glass door)
Construction Project Manager	$84,745
Architectural Project Manager	$92,348
Energy Project Manager	$96,121
Electrical Project Manager	$95,568((as per Indeed) *
Systems Project Manager	$97,000
Engineering Project Manager	$106,000
Software Project Manager	$105,000
Information Technology (IT) Project Manager	$91,000
Healthcare Project Manager	$89,000
Pharmaceutical Project Manager	$112,000
Marketing Project Manager	$79,000
Consulting Project Manager	$105,000
AX Project Manager	$108,000 (as per Indeed) *

Conclusion

The scope of project management roles is increasing as the projects are increasing in numbers. Moreover, the complexities related to the projects are also growing. Companies seek individuals who have relevant expertise and knowledge in efficient project management. Furthermore, the demand for project managers will increase by 33% between 2026-2027.

Factors like globalization, emphasis on digital transformation and adoption of agile project management methodologies cause an increasingly high demand for project management expertise. The job opportunities for project management are on the rise in industries like healthcare, IT, automotive and more. Join the KnowledgeHut Project Manager courses to upskill your project management expertise, and kickstart your career as a project management professional today.