Role profile
Project manager (IT and tech)
Also called: IT project manager · Technical project manager · Program manager (overlaps) · Scrum master (overlaps) · Delivery manager · Project coordinator (junior)
Project managers plan and run projects so that they finish on time, within budget and with the agreed scope, coordinating the people doing the work. The BLS category spans all industries; in tech, they are hired by software companies, IT consulting firms, corporate IT departments and government contractors.
- Median pay, 2025
- $102,320
- $61,580 to $167,970 (10th to 90th percentile)
- US jobs, 2025
- 1,094,300
- Project Management Specialists
- Outlook, 2025-35
- +7%
- Much faster than average
- Typical entry
- Bachelor's degree
- No prior experience required
What the work looks like
- Break a project into milestones and tasks with owners and dates that the team actually agrees to.
- Run standups, planning meetings and status reviews, and keep them short.
- Track progress in Jira, Asana or a similar tool and spot slipping work before it becomes a missed deadline.
- Manage scope changes: write down what was asked, what it costs in time, and get a decision.
- Keep a risk and dependency list, and chase other teams and vendors for the things the project is waiting on.
- Report status to sponsors and executives honestly, including bad news early.
- Run a review at the end to capture what to repeat and what to avoid next time.
How people get in
The BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical, often in business or project management, and notes that some employers prefer a technical degree in the industry they work in. For tech project management, some technical background makes it much easier to earn the trust of engineers.
Most people do not apply for this job cold. They become the organizer on their team (a developer, analyst, QA tester or support lead) and take on coordination work until it is the main part of the job. Project coordinator roles are the most common junior entry point.
Certification is not required but helps. The PMP requires documented project experience before you can sit the exam, so it suits people who have already been running projects; agile credentials such as Scrum certifications are common for software teams.
Skills employers ask for
- Project planning and scheduling
- Agile and Scrum practices
- Jira, Asana or Microsoft Project
- Risk and dependency tracking
- Budget tracking
- Stakeholder communication
- Status reporting
- Basic understanding of the software development lifecycle
- Meeting facilitation
- Vendor coordination
Outlook to 2035
The BLS projects 7% growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 76,500 openings a year across all industries, not only tech. This is a large occupation, so the number of openings is high even with moderate growth. In tech specifically, teams that run lean agile processes sometimes fold project management into engineering or product roles, so technical fluency helps protect the job.
How the pay compares
Project manager (IT and tech) highlighted against the other 13 roles we track.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Project Management Specialists. Pay is 2025 median annual wage; outlook is projected employment change 2025-35.