Project management is a large field with opportunities in many industries. The job description of technical project managers is to oversee technology development and production. That is to say, to effectively lead their teams and manage a company’s IT projects, they need a variety of hard skills and leadership strategies for better results. In this article, we’ll explain what technical project management jobs is, the salary, and the requirements to earn a certificate.
What is Technical Project Management?
Technical project management is a unique branch of the field that comes with its own challenges and opportunities. To scale through, all project managers must possess organizational prowess, leadership capability, and communication skills to be successful. They can also add technological knowledge and expertise to the equation.
Thus, technical project management is the process of managing IT or IT-related projects. Hence, a technical project manager/management job description is critical to the conception, development, and execution of these projects to earn a salary. In addition to understanding the technical content of the project, they must handle all the duties normally assigned to project managers, such as:
- Planning
- Scheduling and timeline maintenance
- Execution
- Managing the budget
- Communication with stakeholders
- Ongoing maintenance
Also, anyone interested in technical project management will need to balance a high level of technical capability with skills such as leadership, time management, and big-picture thinking.
Who is a Technical Project Manager?
A technical project manager works on technological projects in many industries, including engineering, manufacturing, and IT. Their duties differ depending on the size of the company and the industry, but some common duties within the technical project management role include:
- Evaluating and refining technical project proposals
- Planning all stages of a project
- Scheduling steps within a larger project
- Delegating tasks to team members
- Scheduling and leading regular team meetings
- Creating and implementing a project budget
- Training IT staff members for a project
- Exploring and analyzing software and hardware options for technical projects
- Testing, maintaining, and updating the production technologies
What Is the Difference Between a Project Manager and a Technical Project Manager?
The core difference between a regular project manager and a technical project manager is that the TPM also brings to the table a technical background and expertise, whereas the non-technical PM may only be experienced in project management. Typically, this expertise lies somewhere in the IT or engineering fields.
How Do I Become a Successful Technical Project Manager?
Regardless of your professional path or current role, experience in other jobs helps you in your desire to become a technical project manager. In fact, many technical project managers have previous career experience in operations management, business analytics, and software engineering. To help you here are a few steps that will help you in your journey toward gaining technical project management experience.
#1. Discover the Right Path for You
Before you begin your technical project management journey, take some time to explore and identify if this career is right for you. This can be done by Reading the stories of other technical project managers, conducting informational interviews with industry professionals to gain insider insights, or seeking out volunteer projects that will increase your exposure to technical projects.
#2. Analyze Your Educational Options
Now that you have an idea of how technical project management works in the real world, it’s time to explore the educational options to help you gain the skills you need to break into the industry. As you explore learning opportunities, identify which ones support your career goals by positioning you for success as you work to advance in your current career or seek new opportunities.
#3. Get Certified
Once you’ve gained the hard skills and hands-on experience through a boot camp or online course, it’s time to pursue project management certifications. Certifications show that you not only have project management business acumen but also have specialized technical skills beyond the typical scope.
#4. Practice Interview Questions
Prepare to answer common technical project manager interview questions even before you apply for jobs and land interviewers. That way, you can have an understanding of what employers are looking for, get into the habit of describing your qualifications in detail, and address the technical side of project management. Here are examples of questions you may be asked:
- What inspires you to manage projects from a technical standpoint?
- How much experience do you have in technical project management?
- How have you applied your technical expertise to managing projects in the past?
#5. Secure a Professional Role
The final step of becoming a technical project manager is to secure a job opportunity in the field. Tap into your professional network for job referrals, attend industry events, and keep working on independent projects to keep your skills up-to-date. Also, target roles that will allow you to combine your previous experience with your new technical skills and push you closer to your professional goals.
Technical Project Management Job Description
If you’re in the market for a technical project manager, you’ll want to make sure that the candidate is a good fit with your organization. That can mean many things. For one, every organization has a culture and if your candidate doesn’t conform to that culture, there will be problems.
In addition, we will list the basic responsibilities, skills and qualifications, education, and training necessary for a well-rounded technical project manager. Your technical project manager job description should contain information regarding the qualities and skills the most qualified candidates should have. This includes proficiency with a minimum of one web development language, strong teaming abilities, and extensive leadership experience.
Technical Project Management Job Description: Responsibilities
They are,
- Develop and manage the project, communication, resource plans, and processes
- Analyze all management and technical processes to ensure they’re delivered as expected
- Meet regularly with project stakeholders and define project goals and objectives
- Lead budget and resource allocation through all project phases
- Schedule project timelines
- Make estimates for the budget and schedule
- Generate regular reports to update stakeholders and manage projects
- Establish and train teams on processes and strategies
- Oversee day-to-day technical operations, including assignments and personnel review
- Define the roles and responsibilities of the team and determine clear deliverables
- Research and evaluate new hardware and software technology and help make decisions on the cost-benefit analysis of new purchases
- Update and maintain hardware and software systems as needed
Technical Project Management Job Description: Skills & Qualifications
They include,
- Strong leadership qualities and ability to motivate a wide variety of teams associated with the project
- Clear communication skills to guide project teams and coordinate with vendors and management
- Being able to solve problems
- Having analytical, computer, and math skills
- Knowledge of new and established software systems and the ability to train others on them
- Organizational and time management skills to keep teams and projects on schedule
Technical Project Management Job Description: Education & Training
The list below must be acquired,
- Master’s degree in project management or related technical field preferred
- Project management certification preferred
- Several years of professional work as a technical project manager
- Trained in project management and knowledge of various methodologies to deliver successful projects
- Experience leading, coaching, and developing technical teams
- Comfortable in a highly competitive, collaborative, and fast-paced work environment
- Managerial experience
Technical Project Management Salary
Technical Project management has become a popular job around the world, and not just because of the healthy salary. The income for project managers generally ranges between $61,000 and $135,000 per year. The average salary of a project manager is estimated to be about $94,774 a year, and additional compensation like bonuses lies anywhere between $2,000 to $21,000.
Also, the average salary for entry-level project managers is $75,109, while highly experienced PMs can bring home up to $126,00 annually. Mid-level project managers can earn up to $78,076 per year, while director-level project managers can easily take home up to $123,561 per year.
However, none of these stats are defining factors for your earning potential. Hence, the right combination of skills, experience, and tools is what’s important. You should focus on having excellent communication skills, the capacity to work with stringent timelines and budgets, and the willingness to handle challenging tasks. The better you are at your role, the more you’ll make for yourself.
Technical Project Management Salary: From Different States
In 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics assessed the technical project management salary, averaged them according to seniority levels, and adjusted them based on the cost of living per state. The top five highest-paying states for project managers are as follows.
- District of Columbia – $105,730
- Maryland – $99,170
- Virginia – $97,570
- New York – $97,340
- Massachusetts – $96,960
Additionally, The amount you can make per city will be different than the average earning potential for each state.
Do Technical Program Managers Code?
While most technical project managers aren’t expected to code (and most haven’t done serious development work in years), they have the background to make technical decisions, understand tradeoffs, and spot risks that a typical project manager might miss.
Technical Project Management Jobs
A technical project manager oversees the development of a new piece of technology or computer program. The jobs of technical project management is to create a schedule for the technical team to follow, identify important goals during the project, and ensure that a project is delivered on time. They must also maintain careful track of the team’s progress and address any issues that may crop up during the development cycle.
Technical Project Management Jobs: Various Job Titles
For technical project management jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:
- Entry Level Project Manager
- Project Manager
- Senior Assistant Project Manager
- Remote Contract Project Manager
- Part-Time Project Manager
- Remote Senior Project Manager
- Project Manager No Experience
- Remote IT Project Manager
- Remote Assistant Project Manager
- Remote Project Manager
What states have the most technical project manager jobs?
States with the most job openings for technical project management jobs include:
- Utah
- Maryland
- New Mexico
Technical Project Management Certificate
There are several project management certificates that you can get to become a project management professional. To determine which one is best for you, you’ll need to think about things such as your project management skills, the career path you want to choose, or your desired project management methodology specialization. So, choosing the right certification and training program for your project management career is an important decision. That’s why we’ve compiled the best project management certifications of 2023. But before looking at them in more detail, let’s first define what a project management certification is.
What is Technical Project Management Certificate?
A technical project management certificate is a test that authenticates someone’s project management skills, knowledge, and practical experience. In most cases, issuing organizations usually offer an accompanying training or education program so candidates can prepare for the test.
Technical Project Management Certificate: List of the Best
Before you make a decision, keep in mind that there’s no one-size-fits-all certification in project management. The best choice depends on your particular needs. for example, a program manager and a project manager need different skills, training, and different project management certifications. Below are the best to choose from,
- Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP)
- Associate in Project Management (APM)
- BVOP Certified Project Manager
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- Professional in Project Management (PPM)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Program Manager Professional (PgMP)
- PRINCE2 Certification
Additionally, completing those training programs and getting a technical project management certificate comes with many benefits for your career, such as staying current with a discipline that’s always changing, keeping up with the newest technology and techniques, and a higher project manager salary.
What Is the Life of a Technical Project Manager?
technical project managers typically take on a combination of project management tasks in their day-to-day work including, brainstorming, planning, scheduling, and designating project tasks, executing the project phases, managing the project budget, communicating with stakeholders, and collaborating with department heads.
References
- The Top Must-Have TECHNICAL SKILLS FOR RESUME With Examples
- PRODUCT MANAGER SKILLS: Top Product Manager Skills(
- Program Management: What Is It, Job Role, Salary & Difference.
- WHAT IS A TECHNICAL SCHOOL: What it is and Why it Might be Ideal for You
- PROGRAM MANAGER: Meaning, What They Do, Salary & Difference.
- TOP LEAD GENERATION COMPANIES OF 2023 ( Updated List)
