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.
Also called: Design Project Management Specialist, Fiber Project Manager, HR Project Manager (Human Resources Project Manager), Implementation Project Manager, Movie Project Management Specialist, Planning Development Specialist
Median pay
$102,320
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$61,580 – $167,970
People employed
1,066,670
Holland code
ECS
Enterprising · Conventional · Social
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you comfortable sitting at a desk most of the day?
- 2.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 3.Do you want a job with little physical risk?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Project Management Specialists pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What project management specialists do
- 01Communicate with key stakeholders to determine project requirements and objectives.
- 02Identify project needs such as resources, staff, or finances by reviewing project objectives and schedules.
- 03Submit project deliverables to clients, ensuring adherence to quality standards.
- 04Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems.
- 05Plan, schedule, or coordinate project activities to meet deadlines.
- 06Request and review project updates to ensure deadlines are met.
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Knowledge
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
Work styles that stand out
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Self-Control
Education and first steps
O*NET has no education survey data for this job.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.
- On-the-job training: over 3 months, up to and including 6 months.
- A certification can help.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from project management specialists
- Information Technology Project Managers96% · group pay
- Administrative Services Managers90% · +12%
- General and Operations Managers90% · +3%
- Computer and Information Systems Managers89% · +71%
- Training and Development Managers87% · +30%
Change into project management specialists
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Information Technology Project Managers96% · $116,580
- General and Operations Managers90% · $105,770
- Administrative Services Managers88% · $114,130
- Media Programming Directors85% · $90,360
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers85% · $107,230
Majors that lead here
- Information Technology Project Management
- Business/Commerce, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Project Management
- Science/Technology Management
- Construction Project Management
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.