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Research Project Manager Salary in The United States

The average Research Project Manager Salary in The United States is $80,000 per year . Salaries range from $64,100 to $105,100 . The average Research Project Manager Hourly Wage is $40.00 per hour . Hourly wages range from $32.10 to $51.90 . Salaries and wages depend on multiple factors including geographic location, experience, seniority, industry, education etc.

What is the Average Annual Salary of Research Project Manager in The United States ?

What is the average hourly wage of research project manager in the united states , where do research project managers earn more in the united states , other salaries, create a resume and cover letter in minutes with professional templates.

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Project Manager Salary Statistics in US [2021] by Industry, Location, Experience

Editorial Team

Project managers are capable of increasing organizational efficiency, reducing company costs, and raising revenues by overseeing strategic projects from their start to completion. Almost all organizations across the world agree that effective project management has a significant influence on their success. For this reason, they are willing and prepared to pay for it.

The job of project managers is intricately complex and the difficulty of their work makes organizations to pay them well. Regardless of the company, the location, or type of project, a project manager’s role demands a great deal of foresight, planning, attention to detail, and access to relevant tools. But like any other profession, the type of company, location, and experience can substantially influence your earnings.

Here we analyze the annual salary of a project manager by position, years of work experience, type of project, and PMP status. Also included is the annual salary by location for various cities in the US.

Annual Salary by Position

Senior Project Manager (Project Manager III)

The average salary for a Senior Project Manager in the United States is $ 115,735. However, the exact salary earned depends on the certifications an individual has obtained, experience, and geographical location. The type of industry and organization are also critical in determining the manager’s salary. In most cases, Senior Project Manager works under the general direction of a Program Manager or in certain cases, a Portfolio Manager.

One of the primary responsibilities of this role is the oversight of high-priority projects. These projects often demand high standard functional integration and considerable resources.

Annual Salary by Position Description

Source: Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—Eleventh Edition (2020) by Project Management Institute

Project Manager (Project Manager II)

On the other hand, Project Manager’s salary averages at $ 102,173. This translates to a percentage difference of 13.3% when compared to the Senior Project Manager average salary.

A Project Manager works under the supervision of either a Senior Project Manager or a Program Manager. This role oversees one huge project or multiple projects. In particular, it involves creating schedules to ensure timely project completion, identifying the right resources, assigning of responsibility to subordinates, and assembling a project team whenever needed. Moreover, a Project Manager may communicate with Senior Project Manager or Functional Manager concerning the status of particular projects.

Junior Project Manager (Project Manager I)

When it comes to Junior Project Manager, the national average salary is $91,245. This means a percentage difference of 12% in comparison to that of a Project Manager. A Junior Project Manager is normally supervised by a Senior Project Manager or a Program Manager. The position is charged with overseeing small projects or some phases of a huge project. Their responsibility spans throughout a project life, from the initial to the final phase. This role requires familiarity with project objectives and system scope, and the function and role of every team member in order to effectively coordinate team activities.

Project Manager, Program Manager, Portfolio Manager: What’s the Difference?

Project Manager

Notably, a project fits within a program and programs fit in portfolios. Thus a Project Manager takes charge of a specific project and balances deliverables or scope of work to meet the objectives of the project using available resources and allocated budget, within the schedule.

Program Manager

Program Managers, on the other hand, manage multiple projects . While a Program Manager is not involved in micromanaging those projects, he helps to ensure the right work is undertaken between the correct projects at the appropriate time.

Throughout a program, a Program Manager focuses on the benefits that an organization can realize and then works towards making that happen. The program manager realigns or removes any project that doesn’t provide value to the organization. Program managers align different projects to business strategy and communicate any strategy changes to project teams to familiarize themselves with the changes and what should be done.

Portfolio Manager

According to the PMBOK Guide, a portfolio constitutes programs, projects, operations, and other portfolios that are managed together to realize strategic objectives. So a portfolio manager is responsible for managing programs and projects within a portfolio to attain strategic objectives. Portfolio managers look at programs and projects holistically to understand how they align with business goals. They prioritize portfolios based on available resources, whether its equipment, space, people, or money. That helps to achieve a balance by selecting and implementing certain programs and projects. At their level of operation, they monitor and control portfolios to ensure they are aligned with strategic objectives.

Annual Salary by Years of Work Experience

This involves experience acquired in project management as well as from non-project management industries. Thus, it is the totality of a person’s experience regardless of the industry.

More experience translates to a higher pay. Those new and with an experience of less than three years can anticipate to earn $76,218.After two years, that salary will have an 8.62 percent increase. If you spend five to nine years in the profession, your average pay stands at $92,470 , a percent increase of 11.7 from those with an experience level of between three and four years.

Professionals who break the ten-year mark can expect big bucks. With 10 to almost 15 years of experience, you can expect average earnings of $ 106,773 . That means an individual realizes a 13.4% pay increase from the previous level’s salary. The longer one spends in the industry, the more one should expect to earn.

An individual with an experience of 15 years should anticipate an annual average salary of $ 115, 047. After five years, one can expect an average salary increment of about 10.12%. This means that an experience of 20 years or more attracts an average salary of $ 126,696. Many organizations offer bonuses at different levels of experience based on the importance of an employee to them and their skill-sets. After passing the ten-year mark, it is common for outstanding employees to assume management as well as executive positions. These positions come with more and extra earnings.

Experienced Project Managers have the ability to align projects with strategic goals in order to deliver value. This is achieved by leveraging their expertise and experience to manage projects effectively. With a good reputation, a business can easily earn the trust of customers and in the end achieve its goals. Thus, individuals with many years of experience in project management qualify for better salaries.

Annual Salary by Years of Work Experience in Project Management

Like other industries, the salary of professionals in project management is determined by their level of experience in the profession. This means your experience as a Project Manager will have a considerable effect on the amount of money you take home. A project manager with an experience level of less than 3 years takes home $ 87,459.

This pay reflects the skillset of junior project managers that consists of basic knowledge and skills in application development methodologies, risk management, and scrum . They are also considered to have less experience in the management of project scope. But after acquiring an experience of between three to nearly five years, the annual salary in project management industry rises to $ 94,816. This pay translates to 8.41 percent increase from the entry level pay.

After five years of experience in project management, one can expect an average annualized salary of $ 107,668. This means a project manager can anticipate a pay increase of 23.11% after spending five years in the profession.

Once reaching the 10-years mark and all the way to 14 years of experience, you should expect earnings of $ 122,461. This is a difference of $ 14,793 from individuals at a five-year experience level.

With regard to project management professionals with 15 to 19 years of experience, their pay rises to $ 131,102 which is a 7.06 percent increase from the previous pay level. On the other hand, a professional worker with 20 or more years of experience in project management takes home $138,128 thereby receiving an increment of 5.34% from the previous level.

Therefore, the industry-explicit experience a project manager has will have a direct effect on their annual earnings. Managers who have worked in the project management industry for more than 20 years will definitely be paid more. The rise of earnings with years is a clear indication that experience is highly regarded in project management. While the earnings of Junior Project Managers may be little compared to senior and experienced project managers, they should expect to earn more as they gain more experience in the industry.

Annual Salary by Type of Project

As a Project Manager, the industry you work in has a considerable influence on your annual earnings. Companies that are within the thriving industries offer high salaries. Top-paying industries have complex projects that often need specialized knowledge of some software and related tools. Besides, the skillset for one project may be different from that of other projects. Some projects will require specialized skills that may be rare. This means the few individuals will the required skills will be offered high pay as organizations compete to have them manage their projects.

Quality management project managers get an average pay of $ 114,850. Projects in this industry appear to attract less pay compared to those in other popular industries.

The annual salary for those working on operations projects is $ 117,529. This means operations projects attract a better pay than quality management projects.

Slightly above the operations projects in terms of remuneration are the construction projects . A Project Manager working in the construction industry can anticipate a salary of $ 118,678.

On the other hand, those managing projects on regulatory compliance and supply chain/logistics management receive a pay of $ 119,122 and $ 120,730 respectively. So between these two projects, you will earn $ 1,608 more if you go by a supply chain project.

While certain projects may relate to different industries or fields, they attract a pay that is more or less the same. Such include research and development, manufacturing, and information technology projects with a mean salary of $ 121,625; $ 121, 182; and 121,322 respectively. The minimal variation between salaries in these projects suggests that their level of complexity is almost equal. Besides, most of the skillset required to execute these projects successfully may be regarded to be at the same level.

On the other hand, business transformation projects attract a higher salary compared to all the above projects. A Project Manager overseeing a business transformation project can anticipate to part with an annual salary of $ 123,546. This indicates that business transformation is among the thriving industries and organizations in that sector are willing to pay more in order to have their projects executed successfully.

One of the top-paying industries is engineering . This is clearly indicated by the annual salary of engineering project, which is $ 127,908. Engineering projects are highly complex and might take a longer period to complete than those in other industries. Besides, they demand project managers with specialized skills. The complexity of engineering projects coupled with the level of special skills needed translates to a hefty annual salary for project managers.

Annual Salary by PMP Status

Project management professional (PMP) is a certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). In the project management industry, it is recognised as a credential for project managers. Regardless of the stage at which you are in your profession, the PMP certification shows employers and peers that you are a qualified professional who is well-versed in all aspects of project management. Besides, the certification is a recognition of your ability to effectively manage projects. It is also issued to appreciate the hard work that a project manager has demonstrated previously.  

In this sense, this certification has some influence on your salary. Individuals without a PMP certification are likely to be termed as unqualified. Some employers will argue that you will have difficulties in bringing a project to completion. Others will show uncertainty in your ability to deliver value.

As a result, employers offer managers without a PMP certification should expect an annual remuneration of $ 100,247. But with a PMP certification, you can expect earnings of $ 123, 314 and if you have had it for less than a year, then your annual salary averages at $ 98,679. Project Managers who have been having the certification for more than a year can expect a higher pay and this also varies with the number of years you have been having the PMP certification.

In particular, project managers who have been having the certification for less than five years but not below one year qualify for a salary of $ 110,157. If you have held your PMP certificate for at least five years and up to nine years, you can expect to take home $ 129, 644. This is a 17.7 percent increase from the previous level.

Project managers who have been certified for 10 years can expect big bucks because together with those who have been certified for less than 20 years, their earnings average at $ 138,171.

Organizations across the world demonstrate a higher regard not just for project managers with many years of experience but also those that have been certified for more than 20 years. This is evidenced by an annual salary of $ 145,350 for project managers with such status. This pay is influenced by the fact that a PMP certification is regarded as the most valuable in the project management industry. When employers are hiring project managers, they usually prioritize individuals with this certification. Being a universally recognized certification, it greatly improves your resume and employers consider project managers who have had the certification for many years to be better than others. So after acquiring the certification, a project manager can expect to realize some salary increases as years go by. With this certification and years of experience in the industry, a project manager is likely to qualify for more projects with hefty earnings.

Annual Salary by Location

This is a general overview of Project Manager salaries from different cities in the US. Each city is identified alongside the state it is located.

Salary information by location is gathered in various ways. In this case, Glassdoor receives salary estimates from project managers on voluntary basis from different companies and locations. These salary data does not include benefits.

Source: Glassdoor https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/project-manager-salary-SRCH_KO0,15.htm (data taken on April 1, 2020)

Notably, Lincoln is the city with the lowest average annual salary for a Project Manager which is at $ 51,845. On the other hand, Anchorage stands out with the highest annual salary of $ 74,281.

Majority of the towns (51.81 percent) have an average salary of between $ 60,000 and $ 69,999. Seven cities have an average salary of above $ 70,000 which is 8.43 percent. The other 33 cities in this list make up 39.76 percent and have an average Project Manager salary of less than $ 60,000.

The top 5 cities with the highest pay are:

• Anchorage – 74,281 
• Seattle – 71,148
• Juneau – 70,982
• Madison – 70,906
• Bridgeport – 70,422 

The reason that contributes to their high average pay for project managers is a high cost of living. These cities have a higher cost of living than most of the other cities in the US. The cost of food as well as utilities is relatively higher than elsewhere in the US. For instance, Anchorage’s average monthly bill for utility is $ 238. This figure is expected to rise during winter. Thus, most companies in these five cities respond to the high cost of living by paying their project managers relatively higher in comparison with cities in other states. This way, they ensure that the productivity of project managers is not reduced due lack of satisfaction.

The annual salary of project managers is determined by various parameters including the position, years of experience, and PMP certification. The kind of project that project managers are involved in is also a key factor that influences their annual salary. Employers are willing to pay hefty salaries to experienced project managers. This is because expertise comes with experience and every organization wants its project to be managed by an experienced professional to be guaranteed of successful completion.

A project manager with a combination of many years of experience and PMP certification is highly likely to win many projects and in the end take home a hefty pay. In fact, during interviews for project managers , most employers prioritize people with the required skillset, experience, and certification. That is aimed at hiring the best project manager who will help a business achieve its goals.

Source 1: Project Management Institute. Website: https://www.pmi.org/

Source 2: Glassdoor: Website: https://www.glassdoor.com/

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Budget Salaries for My Research Project

Salaries make up the largest category of direct costs on a sponsored project. When preparing a budget, start by making a list of all Stanford personnel who will support the proposed statement of work. If a person will be hired once the award is funded, simply estimate their salary and percentage of effort and list them as TBD (to be determined).

Project personnel salaries budgeted as direct costs

Stanford employees: the PI, co-PIs, co-investigators, ASR (Academic Staff Researchers), technical support staff, graduate students, research assistants, and administrative support staff (working directly on a major project), Stanford employees acting as collaborators.

Project Personnel salaries NOT budgeted as direct costs

Stanford Hospital and VA employees are not budgeted in the personnel budget category. Stanford Hospital employees are budgeted in “Patient Care.” Check with your  RPM (Research Process Manager) in the School of Medicine or OSR for advice regarding VA employees. Other non-Stanford employees may be proposed as consultants or as the personnel in a subaward.

Salary information to include in the budget:

1. The person's   role on the project (not job title) and the person's name 

Example: Rafael Nadal, Lead Protein Synthesizer   not  Rafael Nadal, Professional Tennis Player

2. The   percentage of effort or person months devoted to the project

This includes all responsibilities (including teaching and research) together and may not exceed 100% FTE. The portion of salary charged to the project is based on the percentage of FTE committed to the project. Remember that any percentage of effort committed in a proposal and subsequently devoted, must be accounted for later as project expenditure (either a direct project charge or cost sharing).

Nominal contributions of effort “as needed” may be included and NOT quantified. In this case, where no % FTE is specified, no cost sharing is committed. A “part-time” commitment, on the other hand, implies a specified % FTE, and that amount should be quantified. If awarded, “part-time” effort must be either directly charged or cost shared.

View how to convert percent effort to person months .  

3.  The   appointment type (academic, summer or calendar) 

Nine Month Appointment and Summer Effort A faculty member on a nine-month appointment can only be paid from sponsored projects up to 90% during any of the summer months. Salary charged to sponsored projects during the summer months must be consistent with effort expended during the same period.

Limits on Salary Amounts (Salary Caps)

NSF limits salary compensation for senior project personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year from all NSF-funded grants. This effort must be documented in accordance with the applicable cost principles.

If anticipated, any compensation for such personnel in excess of two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget, justified in the budget justification, and must be specifically approved by NSF in the award.

NIH will not pay requested salary above the annual salary cap. If salary is requested above the salary cap, NIH will reduce that line item to the salary cap, resulting in a reduced total award amount.  When preparing a detailed budget, you must base your request on actual institutional base salaries (not the cap) so that NIH staff has the most current information in hand at the time of award and can apply the appropriate salary cap at that time.

The DHHS (department of Health and Human Service) salary cap limits the amount which can be charged to a DHHS project (or related cost sharing account) by limiting the maximum annual salary rate for a 100%, 12-month FTE. The rate is set annually and applies to all awards made that year.

DHHS establishes the funding limitation for salaries at the time that a competitive award is made. However, if subsequent (non-competing) funding is awarded during a year with a higher salary cap, NIH will allow existing funds to be re-budgeted to that level. Typically, no new funds will be awarded for this purpose. 

• DHHS salary cap may change annually
• DHHS funds salary up to the level of the cap in effect on the award date
• Use a special expenditure type to capture difference between actual pay & what can be charged to a DHHS award

View Salary Cap  details

Other sponsors

Other sponsors such as Juvenile Diabetes Association may have salary caps. Read  the program announcement carefully to determine if a sponsor has a salary cap.

Proposal Preparation Costs

Proposal preparation costs (typically comprised of salary for the PI and/or others) may not be charged to sponsored projects unless the proposal is being prepared for submission to a current sponsor for a non-competing extension or continuation of its currently awarded project. In those circumstances, it is appropriate to charge those proposal preparation costs directly to current projects. Costs for development of proposals for submission to other sponsors, or for work that does not relate to ongoing projects, is not allocable to current projects and may not be charged to those projects.

Guidance for Budgeting Faculty Effort

Effort should be committed as anticipated by the program scope and reflected in the proposal as a percent of effort or in person months.

The equation for calculating man months is  % effort x months (academic year, calendar year or summer). 50% of a calendar year appointment is calculated as 50 x 12 = 6 mm

View more information on how to convert percent effort to person months .

Stanford requires a commitment of effort on the part of the PI during the period in which the work is being performed. This effort may be expended during the academic year, summer quarter only, or both. Committed effort shall be direct charged or cost shared.

The requirement of PI effort does NOT extend to:

• Equipment grants
• Seed grants for students/postdocs where the faculty mentor is named as PI, dissertation support, training grants or other awards intended as  student augmentation
• limited-purpose awards characterized by Stanford as Other Sponsored Activities, including travel grants, conference support, etc.  View definition and examples of Categories of Sponsored Projects

In preparing proposals, PIs must not over commit themselves or others. Distribution of effort must take into account the time required for teaching and campus citizenship.

Individual schools may have their own thresholds for how much FTE faculty members must reserve for non-research activities. Research-only faculty on 12-month appointments may typically charge up to 95% to sponsored projects year round. See below for requirements for summer salary.

PIs may submit proposals on the assumption that not all will be awarded, but, at the time of award, a reasonable representation of time to be devoted to the project, whether that effort will be paid for by the sponsor or by Stanford, is necessary. Subsequent changes in levels of effort may also require advance notification to and approval by sponsors.

View  RPH Special Requirements Related to Sponsor Notifications and Prior Approvals

A faculty member who is on a nine-month appointment may be paid from federal and/or non-federal sponsored projects for no more than 90% during any of the summer months. Salary charged to sponsored projects during the summer months must be consistent with effort expended during the same period.

View Frequently Asked Questions on Faculty Effort for more information

Stanford requires individuals new to the position of Principal Investigator (PI) to understand the regulatory environment in which sponsored research is conducted. Stanford requires each of its PIs to complete a brief course:  PI Training: Stewardship and Compliance for Principal Investigators . This course outlines the regulatory environment for sponsored research. It is comprised of two modules: 1) Research and Scholarship and 2) Financial Management.

Guidance for Budgeting Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar

Graduate student assistantship.

This is a form of student employment in which the student earns a compensation package that includes both salary and TAL (tuition allowance) for the performance of research or teaching as part of the student’s academic and professional training and development.

Stanford establishes  Minimum Salary Rates for RA/TA Appointments .  Departments may establish their own guidelines as long as funding rates meet or exceed those established by Stanford.

View graduate students salary and tuition allowance here

(select Salary and TAL Tables on the top navigation of the page)

Note:  TA salary is not an appropriate charge on a research grant.  Also, stipends, tuition and health insurance are not appropriate charges on research grants other than federal training grants or federal fellowships.

NIH Special Requirements

NRSA Requirements (Graduate Student  & Pre and Post Doc Compensation) NIH Stipend Levels for 202 0

Stanford clarification: The Graduate Student Compensation Limit for Fiscal Year 2017 NRSA (National Research Service Award) awards research grants is tied to the "0" level of experience stipend level for postdocs. Therefore, the limit is $48,432 (salary plus benefits and tuition) when budgeting graduate students on research grants. 

Postdoctoral Scholars

The Stanford provost establishes minimum funding levels based on the years of cumulative research experience a Postdoctoral Scholar has accumulated when appointed. Departments may establish their own guidelines as long as funding rates meet or exceed those established by Stanford. If you have questions about funding rates or guidelines, please contact the  Office of Postdoctoral Affairs .

Staff Salaries by Project Role

You can list other personnel by project role. If multiple people share the same role such as “lab technician”, indicate the number of personnel to the left of the role description, add their person months/percent of effort together, and add their requested salaries together.

The salaries of secretarial/clerical staff should normally be treated as F&A costs. Direct charging of these costs may be appropriate where integral to the statement of work and individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity. Be specific in your budget justifications when you describe the roles and responsibilities of other personnel.

Administrative Salaries as Direct Costs

While administrative salaries and expenses are normally charged through the F&A (Facilities & Administrative) cost rate, federal regulations describe when administrative and clerical salaries can be charged directly to federally sponsored projects.

You can propose charging administrative and clerical salaries to a federally sponsored project if ALL of the following conditions are met:

• Administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity. The requirement that the cost is “integral” means the services are essential, vital, or fundamental to the project or activity
• Individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity
• A budget justification must be included in the proposal
• The cost are not also recovered as F&A costs

NIH modular grants  or similar grant instruments do not require line-item budgets. (Note: Rebudgeting authority may be used to charge administrative expenses not included in the approved budget if specific rebudgeting authority for clerical and administrative expenses is allowed by award and sponsor rebudgeting guidelines. See, for example,  NIH administrative requirements .)

All deans' office administrative activities must be consistently treated as F&A costs. Therefore, no deans' office administrative expenses shall be charged directly to sponsored awards . Deans' sponsored project activities are subject to RPH 15.4.3

Any other administrative costs that are required to perform the technical scope of work may be directly charged as long they provide technical benefit to the sponsored project.

Non-federally Sponsored Projects

Direct charging of administrative or clerical salaries to a non-federally sponsored project is appropriate if the services benefit the sponsored project. Some non-federal sponsors may have specific requirements for direct charging of administrative costs. Such requirements need to be addressed in proposals.

Read  RPH 15.4: Charging for Administrative and Technical Expenses

Budget Fringe Benefits

Fringe benefits are directly related to salary charges and require separate line items in the budget (apart from salary). There are four separate rates for the following employment statuses.

• Benefits-eligible faculty and staff
• Casual/temporary employees
• Graduate students Research Assistants /Teaching Assistants

The fringe benefit rate is applied to salaries to cover ancillary expenses such as retirement benefits, health and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, contributions to social security and retirement plans. 

The federal government reviews and negotiates the fringe benefit rate with Stanford. Use the most current rates by viewing the rate chart on the web. See  fringe benefit  rate here. An additional rate is added to the benefits rate for faculty and staff on non-governmental awards.

Applying TGP (Tuition Grant Program) Fringe Benefit Rate

The TGP (Tuition Grant Program) Fringe Rate is assessed on regular benefits eligible salaries charged to all NON-government funded PTAs including sponsored projects, operating budgets, and auxiliary PTAs.

Regular benefits-eligible salaries charged to government-funded PTAs, academic service centers and sponsored project cost sharing PTAs are exempt from the TGP charge.

The TGP charge is subject to facilities and administrative costs (F&A) and infrastructure charges. The TGP fringe benefit rates can be found on the  Rates  page of this site. The TGP charge appears in expenditure type 51770 Fringe Benefits TGP.

If you have any questions or need more information about the application of the TGP Rate, please contact the  University Budget Office  or ,  Research Administration Policy and Compliance, at extension 3-9102.

View the TGP Rate

Handling Vacation & Disability Sick Leave Accrual

Stanford's agreement with the Office of Naval Research provides for xx% vacation accrual/disability sick leave (DSL) for exempt and non-exempt employees. The vacation accrual/DSL rates will be charged at the time of the salary expenditure. No salary will be charged to the award when the employee is on vacation .

Include in the budget justification:

"Stanford's agreement with the Office of Naval Research provides for xx% vacation accrual/disability sick leave (DSL) for exempt employees and non-exempt employees.  The vacation accrual/DSL rates will be charged at the time of the salary expenditure.  No salary will be charged to the award when the employee is on vacation."

Created: 03.31.2021

Updated: 05.13.2024

More From Forbes

5 highest paying skills for project managers in 2024, from research.

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To remain competitive and gain an edge as a project management professional, it helps to learn one ... [+] or more of these five critical skills this year

Within a competitive job market in which 25 million project managers are projected to be in demand over the next few years, it's critical for aspiring and existing project management professionals to stay ahead of the curve so they can secure the highest-paying roles. While the project management profession in itself is a well-remunerated industry, with U.S. median salaries jumping to as high as $120,000, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can sit back, relax, and assume you're worthy of a six-figure salary.

There are things that lie within your power, which you can do to dramatically skyrocket your earnings.

When exploring how to increase and even multiply your salary as a project manager, it's best to look into what are the highest-paying, in-demand skills within the project management industry, so that you can position yourself as best suited for a promotion, or as a star candidate when job-searching.

Highest-Paying In-Demand Skills For Project Managers

The compensation and salary data company, PayScale, compiled a list of high-paying skills which include a combination of hard, technical skills, and soft or power skills for those within the project industry.

It's worth noting that there are some industries in which the impact of these skills on your pay increase will be more visible than others. For example, considering programme/project management within the technology industry, you can expect to earn more for your skill set, as the tech industry is renowned for offering the highest salaries to project and program management professionals. As such, some of the skills listed below are more specific to the technology industry.

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However, many of these skills are equally in demand in other industries as well, so they can still be applicable and relevant to you.

These competencies include:

1. Agile Software Development

Using the agile software development approach for building and delivering software products entails prioritising flexibility responsiveness and adaptability to change as well as collaboration. Following this framework, you and your team would be working in sprints, (short iterations) which allows you to make incremental progress and quickly respond to stakeholder requirements and feedback to meet their needs.

This is the highest-paying skill for project managers, with Payscale data revealing that it can boost your earnings by 47%. Coursera and Skillsoft are two of the amazing resources that are available for you to learn this skill.

The tech industry offers the highest salaries for PMs

2. Business Analysis

Analytical thinking is listed in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023 as the number one skill needed by professionals over the next few years.

Business analysis, in simple terms, is when you identify business needs and research solutions for them. This skill comes handy in your PM role, as you will naturally be working with stakeholders on a regular basis to gather and analyze data on their needs and define requirements, and then propose the best solution with your program or project. This skill improves salary prospects by up to 43%.

3. Engineering Design

Next on the list is engineering design, which is of course more specifically focused on the technology industry. This involves taking the results of your business analysis, and creating detailed plans and specifications, including prototyping and testing, to ensure you deliver a high-quality product that satisfies your stakeholders' needs. This skill is more relatable to product managers, and provides a 14% uptake in salary.

4. Risk Management/Risk Control

With all the changes that are occurring to disrupt industries in 2024, it's no wonder that risk management and risk control are highly in-demand skills for project and program managers to possess. This skill also has the potential for a 14% salary boost, according to Payscale analysis.

You can learn more about how to comprehensively manage and plan for risk by undertaking courses and certifications such as those offered by the Institute of Risk Management, which are globally recognized.

5. Strategy

Strategic thinking is a trademark of leadership, and of exceptional program and project management. You need to be able to steer your project team in the right direction to achieve successful project outcomes, and this means you'll need to have a solid strategy that is clearly articulated so that everyone is on the same page. Setting clear goals and objectives, and assigning the right team members to fulfil each task according to their strengths requires some practice to get it right, but it can be achieved if you're persistent and intentional. Possessing and showcasing this skill results in a 12% salary increase.

Risk management skills helps ensure your project is prepared for worst-case scenarios and minimizes ... [+] negative outcomes, including those that could affect your job directly

By investing in yourself this year by upskilling in one or more of these five essential competencies, you can position yourself to successfully meet the evolving demands of your stakeholders and the project management industry, and unlock numerous career-building and salary-boosting opportunities.

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Senior Project Manager

• Job Type Full Time
• Qualification MBA/MSc/MA
• Experience 8 years
• Location Kilifi
• Job Field Project Management  

JOB PURPOSE: 

The main purpose of the job is to coordinate the training, and other activities across the IDeAL consortium and to help develop the consortium’s annual activity plans, ensure resource availability and allocation and the delivery of each activity on time within budget.

Description: 

REPORTS TO:   Head of Training & Training Programme Manager  

BUDGET AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY:   Work planning and task allocation, requisition and procurement of supplies, consumables and ensuring sensible use of resources.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

IDeAL, the Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders, was established in 2008 as a research training platform at KEMRI-Wellcome with funding from the Wellcome Trust, it was subsequently designated IDeAL in 2015 with further funding from Wellcome and UKAID. Since then, IDeAL acquired a broader national and regional focus culminating in the formation of formal consortium that include KEMRI-Wellcome, Pwani and Strathmore universities in Kenya, Center for Infectious Disease, Zambia, Epicentre in Niger, University of Oxford and Glasgow, UK.

IDeAL aims to develop sustainable health research capacity by establishing a critical mass of local research leaders across all domains of health research, including laboratory sciences, epidemiology, clinical research, social sciences, health systems, and implementation research. The Initiative employs comprehensive framework for attracting recent graduates to health research through a graduate research internship scheme, offering high-quality Masters and PhD training, and retaining those trained in Kenya, the region, or research that is relevant to Africa. IDeAL ensures quality through financial support, operational assistance, a vibrant training environment, technical and leadership development, and post-training support. This framework is underpinned by core values that include diversity, inclusivity, equity and long -term horizon.

The holder of the post will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of all activities under IDeAL phase 2 and prudent use of IDeAL’s funding as per funder’s expectations .

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Identify and engage stakeholders including clients, team members, vendors, and other relevant parties in IDeAL to ensure alignment and collaboration throughout the project.  
•  Oversee the utilisation of IDeAL’s funds and resources to support project activities and deliverables.
• Develop comprehensive project plans to track IDeAL’s progress that outlines objectives, scope, timelines, milestones and resource requirements.
• Manage the relationship between IDeAL’s secretariat, partners institutions and collaborators
• Manage recruitment, administration and welfare of IDeAL-funded fellows.
• Risk management by Identifying potential risks in IDEAL and develop mitigation strategies to minimize the impact on project outcomes.
• Reporting by providing regular reports to IDEAL stakeholders on progress, issues and recommendations as well as maintaining comprehensive project documentation
• Quality assurance ensuring IDEAL  project deliverables meet quality standards and adhere to relevant regulations and requirements.
• Budget monitoring ensuring project expenditures and managing the project budget to ensure the costs are controlled and within approved limits.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Masters’ Degree in project management or related degree
• Project Management Certification i.e. PRINCE2, PMP, etc.
• At least 8 years’ relevant experience, 5 of which are in Project Management.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Understanding of operational aspects of multinational research and  capacity building consortia 
• Experience in developing or running undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate attachment and training scheme
• Experience on organizing workshops, conferences and short courses
• Good presentation skills.
• Some level of fluency in French will be an added advantage.

COMPETENCIES :

• Good knowledge of project management framework best practices as defined under PRINCE2 or PMP and demonstrate ability to implement PMO (Project Management Office) successfully.
• Demonstrated successful management work experience
• Strong IT skills and particular in the use of project management software,
• Strong report writing skills for funding and implementing partners
• Experience in planning for and implementing multi-country training projects
• Experience in planning for and coordinating high-level steering committee meetings
• Understanding of project financial reporting

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS:

• National and international travel to visit study sites for mentorship, training and trouble shooting.
• Be available to work flexibly, out of hours if necessary.

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