When you’re looking through applications, the best project manager resumes showcase applicants who not only achieve company goals but also foster team unity and creative thinking. Project management done right results in happier employees, stronger results, and fewer mistakes
Hiring a project manager is an investment to make carefully. You want a qualified candidate who aligns with company culture, so a well-written job listing is crucial to finding your ideal hire. We’re ready to help you write your most effective project manager job description to grow your business.
Writing Your Project Manager Job Description
While some companies like Apple and Microsoft are household names, it’s likely that applicants will first hear about your company through your job ad. That means your post should represent your company well.
Sadly, many job descriptions fail at this, so it’s no wonder companies get so many generic and dull project manager cover letters in return. Most fall into two categories: confusing and generic or overly-detailed and hyperbolic.
Rather than be an exhaustive list of requirements and qualifications, it should be a snapshot of daily work life.
An excellent project manager job description explains the company’s vision, the reason for hiring, the problems they solve, and how the future project manager will help the company. Rather than be an exhaustive list of requirements and qualifications, it should be a snapshot of daily work life.
Project managers are the go-between for the project employees and the company. So, a project manager job listing should focus on how the new PM will assist everyone, both with daily tasks and overall company goals.
To attract applicants, it’s important to write well. The best kind of writing is clear and concise, and job descriptions are no exception. The University of Arizona’s writing center website stresses that clarity matters even more in business writing because the goal is to communicate concrete ideas.
Overall, tell the details of the job while emphasizing the overall goals of the company. It should inspire without exaggerating and should be personal without being syrupy. Be careful not to go overboard—highlight what you need and save the rest for the interview.
A Project Manager Job Description to Stand Out
As the saying goes, the devil’s in the details, but that isn’t the case in many job descriptions. Future project managers typically have no concrete idea of the company or the team they’re supposed to be representing.
Be descriptive with your role expectations; include specifics on the types of teams/groups the future hire will be working, managing, or coordinating with. Project managers will also likely want to know the company’s culture and vision to see the whole picture.
Specialization is also key; if you need an aerospace project manager who specializes in stress fractures, say it from the start. Devote one to two sentences on how this new hire will guide the project to success and help the company as a whole.
Now that you know what to include, you can jot down a rough outline:
- Start with a description: who’s the company? what’s the project? what type of project manager are you looking for?
- Next, move to a rough description of the project manager’s duties, required experience, company benefits, and company bio (per the outline above).
- Lastly, with the general structure in place, add the details we suggested above, including:
- Company goals/vision
- More specific responsibilities
- Concise qualifications
And remember—if you’re hiring for a technical project, acronyms and jargon are probably okay and expected, but if your projects are less technical, stick to simple language.
This is also the time to sell your project team. A project manager’s main goal is to make sure the project progresses, which means communicating with the team frequently and on a personal level. What you choose to include is crucial. Emotive language and active verbs are great, but take care not to go overboard. Subtle touches go a long way.
The next step is the hardest part of any writing project: revision.
Mostly this means cutting filler and making everything easy to read. Make sure to use bullet points and keep excess wordage to a minimum. If you end up cutting so much that it sounds dry, focus on specifying word choice instead of keeping excess.
Once everything is recorded, take a break. When something becomes familiar, we tend to miss mistakes, so work on something else for a time. A quick review from peers can be an excellent idea, too, especially if they’re familiar with the role.
Once you’re sure the content is great, fix any minor errors, misspelled/misused words, and grammar mistakes. Then you can post your job ad and wait to meet your new project manager shortly.
How to Structure Your Project Manager Job Description
To make a clean, clear, and readable job description, you should have the following five sections.
Job details
This section of the job posting should outline the position at a high level. Project management can be a relatively similar title across multiple industries; however, by using specific nouns and verbs, you personalize the job description to your company.
For example, you can list who the new hire will answer to, what processes they’ll be in charge of, and a general overview of what they’ll do daily. No need to make a list—find a good way to summarize their tasks into a couple of sentences.
About us
This is an opportunity to explain why your company is worthy of applying. You can briefly include a bit of the company’s history. Focus on what niche the company operates within and why your company stands out from other companies.
What you’ll be doing
Call it what you wish, but this section must be short and specific. It should illustrate your specific needs on a regular basis while being easy to read since applicants will be reading this section with care.
Potential managers need to know exactly what makes your project and team different from those at other companies. Though you might list some general tasks, be clear in explaining your expectations to minimize confusion and maximize the number of qualified applicants.
- Prepare and present high-level plans with estimates for executives and cross-functional leaders based on estimated outcomes
- Communicate frequently in a professional manner with construction personnel and trade professionals regarding project specifications
- Use Python to work with the data team and build realistic models for data-capture
Qualifications
The importance of clear, concise, and accurate qualifications are paramount in a world where job markets are flooded with unrealistic job descriptions and underqualified applicants.
Don’t create a novel’s worth of qualifications; instead, create a minimum qualifications list that you, your team, and your company agree is reasonable. Does the position really need six years of experience and certification, or is it better to ask for three years of experience and a driven personality?
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science or related field, or equivalent work experience
- Minimum 5 years of experience managing commercial and private projects
- Intermediate knowledge Microsoft Project, ClickUp, Asana, or equivalent
Salary and benefits
Salary and benefits are an important addition as well since applicants are primarily concerned with these after filing their application.
Giving a salary range instead of a strict sum allows wiggle room. Depending on the experience and skills a candidate brings to the table, you can offer either the high or low end of the range. This also provides additional room to negotiate if you believe the candidate will make a counteroffer.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager
Although the main responsibilities of a project manager will vary from company to company, the biggest differences between project manager jobs are seniority and industry.
However, there are enough responsibilities shared between project managers to have some generalities. Use the following roles as a guide to what you can include in a project manager job description.
Technician
To lead projects well, project managers need to have experience working with the same equipment and software their team members handle. Moreover, project managers are expected to find more efficient ways to use said technology to further progress, so it’s important to have strong technology skills.
- Assist team members in projects in improving network infrastructure by updating the physical plant and necessary software. Will also be required to assist team members in improving overall team digital hygiene, optimize servers as needed, and implement new policies and practices to improve company data protection based on current research.
- Must have extensive knowledge of SDLC methodologies and proficiency with Jira software, Excel, AWS, and SQL.
Planner
Project managers drive the entire project from start to completion, so they need to be excellent planners to devise a solid strategy for finishing the project according to client guidelines. Knowledge of Agile methodologies and Scrum is critical.
- Develop clear, straightforward plans for given projects, including the project’s overall scope, task estimation, available resources and their allocation, and new work requests. Once a plan is finalized, evaluate individual team member capabilities and assign action items to team members accordingly.
- Must have obtained PMP and PMI-ACP certification. Must also be highly organized and excellent at time management with proficient knowledge of project tracking programs.
Leader & coach
A project manager must proactively guide team members to complete the project. This requires a thorough understanding of project requirements and progress metrics.
The best project managers are also coaches—they inspire their teams and encourage them to achieve their goals. Solid relationships within a team will improve performance and efficiency overall, so project managers must have strong relational abilities.
- Monitor and analyze team performance, conduct performance appraisals, train new hires, ensure compliance with all company policies, assure company vision and goals are met, oversee all project processes and facilitate problem resolution, research new practices and methods to teach team members, encourage employees, and demonstrate tasks as needed.
- Must be PMP certified, highly analytical, and have excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills. Must also have a personable demeanor and driven attitude to initiate change.
Administration
Part of planning and managing a project is paperwork—lots of it. From budgets and timelines to reports and presentations, project managers spend a lot of their time writing, reading, and analyzing data.
- Monitor progress and time management of all team members, manage reports and necessary documentation, and prepare all project plans, including but not limited to progress reports, reviews, budgets, and timelines.
- Will also conduct project reviews and assess the project during stages of completion, which may require reallocation of resources, assigning or altering action items to team members, altering employee schedules, and determining if fast-tracking or crashing are viable options.
- Must be highly organized and detail-driven with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.
Public communicator
Project managers must lead their team, plan their projects, use technology, and file paperwork, but if they can’t communicate with others well, their project will suffer and so will their job. Project managers must be able to communicate professionally with team members, other employees/managers, and clients alike with minimal trouble.
- Communicate internally and externally about progress to maintain, develop, and improve relationships between company members and between the company and clients. Will also be required to present comprehensive reports, recommend changes and ideas based on current research, and communicate all project plans and changes to upper management.
- Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be comfortable in a customer-service-oriented role that requires frequent communication with stakeholders, clients, team members, and upper management alike.
Conflict resolver
Nothing proceeds perfectly 100% of the time, and it’s up to project managers to solve issues and halt disputes before they spiral out of control. They must be able to find solutions to technical problems.
- Review and update project documentation as needed for accuracy, identify potential issues and project risks, and communicate all project goals/plans to upper management and relevant departments. Must also resolve remaining tasks left over from team members, communicate progress with clients, and take corrective measures as needed for underperformance.
- Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills with an emphasis on negotiation. Must also be analytical and an excellent critical thinker with a willingness to perform tasks as needed across departments to settle disputes and provide information.
