Senior Project Manager Job Description Template

Senior project manager, standing next to a flow chart, leading his team.

From information technology to healthcare to manufacturing, moving a project from kick-off to completion requires a specific (and sought-after) skill set. The project management field continues to explode, as more companies across industries depend on speed and agility to remain competitive.

Senior project managers play important roles in departments like product development, research, and even marketing. Unlike their less-experienced project management colleagues, senior project managers have “been there, done that” when it comes to ensuring success, averting project disasters, and cleaning up the messes and mishaps that come with even the most well-planned projects.

If you’re ready to recruit a star player to produce the best outcomes for your business’s projects, writing a clear, concise senior project manager job description is your first step. Use this sample as a guide, customizing your listing as needed to attract the most qualified candidates.

Senior project manager, standing next to a flow chart, leading his team.

Senior Project Manager

[Intro Paragraph] Think of the introduction paragraph as the “movie trailer” for your senior project manager job description. It should catch the candidate’s attention, highlight all the good parts of your company, and entice them to buy a ticket (or in your case, apply for the position). It’s also a great place to use language that exhibits the company culture and your commitment to employees.

Keep in mind that today’s jobseekers consider an employer’s overall brand positioning and integrity as part of their evaluation process. A recent survey found that 91 percent of all candidates view this as an important factor. As employers in search of top senior project managers, you must clearly communicate your organization’s mission, goals, values, and the customers you serve. sharing community involvement initiatives and social causes your business supports is a plus. Also, be sure to highlight your business’s competitive advantage, any customer satisfaction awards, and employee satisfaction ratings that will help your senior project manager job description stand out.

Quality Engineer Job Responsibilities:

  • Collaborates with stakeholders to document project scope, deliverables, goals, risks, blockers, success measures, and estimated resources needed.
  • Ensures that projects remain in-scope and meet budgetary, scheduling, and quality requirements.
  • Creates, manages, and distributes project communications artifacts like charters, schedules, and budgets.
  • Provides project status updates at predetermined time intervals to all stakeholders.
  • Communicates routinely to management, customers, project team members, and other stakeholders, actively soliciting and addressing customer and project team feedback.
  • Assists in business development efforts to create project proposals, RFPs, estimates, and schedules.
  • Sets and monitors project budgets and staffing requirements.
  • Ensures adherence to legally binding requirements.
  • Plan, schedule, monitor, and report on activities related to the project, including subcontractor monitoring
  • Establishes key project criteria metrics.
  • Develop project control and reporting procedures and manage changes in operational plan
  • Plans and leads status review meetings, which may include internal team members, vendors, and customers.
  • Responsible for training, managing, and motivating the project team, as well as resolving team conflicts.
  • Resolves technical and operational issues as required.

[Work Hours & Benefits]

Through experience, a senior project manager knows they will likely lead projects that require working hours outside of the typical 9-5, 40-hour per week structure. The industry your company is in will also dictate what standard work hours typically look like, and if the position requires travel. Be sure to include these expectations in the senior project manager job description. Transparency early in the recruitment process will weed out applicants who are unable to work evenings, weekends, or holidays.

Geographic region, industry, and years of experience all factor into determining the compensation and benefits for a senior project manager. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great resource for conducting research about what you can offer to remain competitive. In general, expect to offer traditional benefits like participation in group health insurance, paid time off (PTO), and 401(k) plans. If you’re in a tight labor market, consider increasing your company’s appeal by offering the following incentives:

  • Signing bonuses
  • Education reimbursement
  • Productivity bonuses (quarterly, bi-annually, or annually)
  • Paid time off for community service participation
  • Pre-tax transportation, healthcare, or childcare reimbursement accounts

Senior Project Manager Qualifications and Skills:

Senior project managers are leaders and skilled problem solvers. They’re accountable for the success of an initiative, often coordinating efforts across departments and managing cross-functional teams. They’re used to reporting progress to business owners or the executive team as well as inspiring team members to see the big picture and push toward their shared goals. Here are standard qualifications and skills to list as part of your senior project manager job description:

  • Excellent project management skills including prioritization, scheduling, and documentation.
  • Ability to build strong relationships and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Strong grasp of current communication, project tracking, budget management technologies.
  • Excellent meeting, workshop, and conference facilitation skills, with proven knowledge of how to foster attendee participate and collaboration in small and large groups.
  • Knowledge and experience of with different project management frameworks, including waterfall and agile.
  • Solid technical understanding and ability to define and refine requirements through a project lifecycle.
  • Employs strong analytical and problem-solving skills to manage shifting priorities, demands and timelines.
  • Ability to quickly learn, understand and apply new technologies.
  • Willingly to mentor more junior team members and share knowledge.
  • Positive, can-do attitude with the ability to succeed in a fast-paced work environment.

Education & Experience Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree in project management, business management, or related area of study.
  • 5-7 years of experience as a Project Manager or similar position responsible for defining and managing project scope, timelines, profitability, and effective delivery of products or services.
  • Experience in managing delivery of customer-facing and internally facing products or services.
  • PMI or PMP certification or similar from an accredited organization.
  • Intermediate to advanced proficiency with industry-standard word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software programs.

[Call to Action] Use the end of the senior project manager job description to tell applicants what’s next. Most importantly, provide clear instructions on how to apply for the position.

Use Your Senior Project Manager Job Description to Attract Top Talent

Once you’ve crafted a clear, specific, concise job description, jumpstart the search for your business’s perfect fit. Post your job for free and attract the best candidates on Monster. Get started today!