Need to post a project manager role this week? This project manager job description is a free template you can copy, edit and publish as is. After the template you'll find what the job looks like day to day, U.S. pay data from O*NET, sample interview questions and a few writing tips that help the right people apply.
Project manager job description template
What a project manager does
A project manager is paid to get a defined piece of work done on time, on budget and to the agreed standard. Much of the week goes to talking: checking in with the people doing the work, chasing answers from sponsors, and negotiating with vendors. The rest goes to keeping the plan honest, updating the schedule when a task slips, and writing a status report that says what's really happening. O*NET's task list for this occupation matches that picture: setting requirements with stakeholders, planning and coordinating activities, monitoring milestones and costs, and resolving problems with project staff.
The hard part is authority. Most project managers lead people who report to someone else, so they get results through clear plans, early warnings and trust rather than direct orders. A good one spots a risk two weeks before it becomes a missed date.
At a startup, a project manager often runs every kind of project, from a customer rollout to an office move, with light process and a lot of improvising. At a large company, the role usually sits inside a project management office with set templates, gate reviews and a formal change process, and the work leans toward reporting and governance. Say which version you're hiring for, because the two attract different people.
Skills and qualifications
O*NET rates this occupation as needing considerable preparation, where most jobs ask for a bachelor's degree but some don't. In its survey for Project Management Specialists, 64% of respondents said a bachelor's degree is required for new hires, 12% said an associate's degree and 6% said a high school diploma. No license is required, so treat certifications as a plus, not a gate.
Salary
O*NET files this work under Project Management Specialists (13-1082.00). Its reported titles include Implementation Project Manager and Project Management Consultant, so it's a close match for most project manager roles. Based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, the U.S. median is $102,320 a year ($49.19 an hour). The 10th percentile is $61,580 and the 90th percentile is $167,970.
Pay varies a lot by place: the California median for the same occupation is $120,910. Check your state on O*NET's local wage page before you set a range. Then publish that range in the post, since a growing number of states and cities require pay transparency and many candidates skip listings without it.
Interview questions for project manager candidates
- "Halfway through, your project is three weeks behind. Walk me through your first two days." Strong candidates find the cause before they fix it, check the critical path, then go to the sponsor with options (add people, cut scope, move the date) and a recommendation.
- "A senior stakeholder asks for a new feature in a status meeting. What happens next?" Listen for a change request, an estimate of cost and schedule impact, and a decision made by the right person, not a quiet yes.
- "How do you decide which risks go to the sponsor and which you handle yourself?" Good answers weigh likelihood and impact, and name a threshold, such as anything that moves a milestone or the budget.
- "Tell me about a project that failed or nearly did." The best answers own their part, use a clear STAR structure, and explain what they now do differently.
Our full project manager interview questions page has 20+ questions with what good looks like, red flags and a 1 to 4 rubric. Pair it with the interview scorecard template so every interviewer scores the same things.
Writing tips for this role
- State the project size. "Projects of $200K to $1M over 3 to 6 months" tells candidates more than any adjective. Without it, people who've run a $5K website refresh and people who've run a $50M build both apply.
- Don't make PMP a hard filter. Plenty of strong project managers never sat the exam. List it as nice to have unless a client contract requires it.
- Include the title variants people search for. Candidates look for "project manager," "technical project manager" and "implementation manager." If your internal title is "delivery lead," put the common title first.
- Be honest about authority. Say whether the role has direct reports or leads a cross-functional team. That one line saves both sides a wasted interview.
- Check you need a project manager at all. If the job is ongoing process work, an operations manager may fit better. If it's deciding what to build, look at the product manager template.
Screening project manager candidates with AI
Project manager resumes often look alike: the same tools, the same certifications, the same "delivered on time" claims. NTRVSTA scores and ranks every resume against your job description, then runs a live first-round interview with an AI interviewer, by video avatar or audio only, that candidates can take at any hour. Behavioral questions follow the STAR method, and the interview adapts to each answer, so a vague story about a late project gets a follow-up instead of a pass. You can add your own scenario questions per role, like recovering a slipping schedule.
Hiring managers get a score breakdown, video snippets of key moments and a shareable report before the scenario round. If you're new to automated scoring, read how AI interviews are scored first.
Questions
Should a project manager job description require a PMP?
Usually not. A PMP shows someone knows standard terms and methods, but it doesn't show they can deliver under pressure. Make it a must-have only if a client or government contract requires it. Otherwise list it as nice to have and test delivery skills in the interview.
What's the difference between a project manager and a program manager?
A project manager runs one project with a defined end. A program manager oversees a group of related projects and the shared goal behind them, such as a company-wide system migration made up of several rollouts. Program managers tend to be more senior and spend more time on dependencies between projects.
How technical should a technical project manager be?
Technical enough to understand estimates, spot unrealistic plans and follow engineering trade-offs in a meeting. They don't need to write production code. Ask them to explain a past technical decision in plain language: if they can, they're technical enough.
Want to see how an adaptive AI interview handles a project manager first round? Book a 20-minute demo with our team, or try a sample interview yourself. More templates live on our job descriptions hub, and our guide on how to write a job description covers the basics.
