Project Management Specialists
Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.
What it pays
Project Management Specialists earn a median of $49.19/hr — about $102,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $29.61/hr; the top 10% earn $80.76/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Project Management Specialists earn a median of $49.19/hr — about $102,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $29.61/hr; the top 10% earn $80.76/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Assign duties or responsibilities to project personnel.
- Communicate with key stakeholders to determine project requirements and objectives.
- Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
- Create project status presentations for delivery to customers or project personnel.
- Develop or update project plans including information such as objectives, technologies, schedules, funding, and staffing.
- Identify project needs such as resources, staff, or finances by reviewing project objectives and schedules.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
Time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 1.8% of project management specialists are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are take-charge, organized and detail-focused and people-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a project management specialist make?
- The median pay is $49.19 per hour — roughly $102,500 a year, with the real range running from about $29.61/hr (10th percentile) to $80.76/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a project management specialist?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a project management specialist actually do all day?
- Assign duties or responsibilities to project personnel. Communicate with key stakeholders to determine project requirements and objectives. Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.