What Is a Technical Project Manager? (How to Become One)

Project management is one of those skills that is required in nearly every industry. In business, a project manager is someone who leads a team and makes sure that each member is aware of the goals and objectives of the team, their role, and the project output.

A technical project manager works primarily with information technology (IT) or other technical support teams, leading projects from start to finish. Technical project managers need to be skilled with the basic organizational and time management skills that any project manager has, along with technical knowledge of IT.

Learn more about what a technical project manager is and how to become one.

What is a technical project manager?  

A technical project manager is someone who has technical expertise in IT, manages IT projects, and leads technical teams within an organization. Because it requires both technical and management skills, you can think of technical project management as a hybrid role. 

If you have a keen interest in technology, want to see projects through to completion, enjoy motivating and encouraging others, and can work well under pressure, a technical project management (PM) career path may be right for you. 

Technical project manager vs. project manager 

Explore how technical project managers and project managers compare in the table below. 

Read more: What Is a Project Manager? A Career Guide

Technical project manager jobs

As of June 2022, Glassdoor lists over 88,000 technical project manager jobs in the United States, some of which are with companies like American Express, IBM, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Wells Fargo, and Pearson Education. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the computer systems design industry, which includes business, financial, architecture, and engineering occupations, employs the highest number of project managers—and they earn a mean annual wage of $114,930 [1, 2].

In your job search, you may come across technical project manager positions at different levels of seniority, including entry-level, junior, senior, and principal roles. You may also see more specialized roles that require technical expertise, such as Agile project manager, Scrum Master, and DevOps project manager. 

Read more: What Is a Scrum Master (and How Do I Become One)?

While there is crossover among these roles, there may be specific differences that you’ll need to keep in mind as you consider your career in technical project management. For example, a DevOps project manager adapts the waterfall or linear PM methodology (emphasizing one final product) to Agile methodology (iterative cycles, each with a deliverable), so that software issues can be corrected throughout the project development process. 

Technical project manager salary

So, how much can you make as a technical project manager? According to Glassdoor, the base salary for a technical project manager, on average, is $111,037 in the United States. Someone in an entry-level position as a technical project manager can expect to make a base salary of around $69,241, while a senior technical project could make around $124,430 [3, 4, 5]. 

What do technical project managers do? 

Professionals in this role specifically manage projects that involve a high level of technical expertise and act as the lead subject matter expert in their company when it comes to technology. As a technical project manager, you may also be in charge of:

• Hiring and training technical staff

• Improving the way projects are planned and resources are managed

• Managing a budget

• Researching new technologies for projects and maintaining them

How to become a technical project manager 

1. Obtain professional credentials. 

Technical project managers should have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a field related to technology, such as computer science, software engineering, IT, cybersecurity, or management information systems. Some positions may require a master’s degree. 

In addition, you’ll want to consider getting a PM certification, as this credential is recognized around the world, demonstrates your full understanding of project management terms, concepts, and methodologies, as well as your commitment to systematic processes.  

2. Sharpen your skills. 

Remember that technical project managers have technological and project management expertise. That means you’ll need to sharpen your skills in both areas. 

As a project manager, you’ll need general skills like recruiting and training new talent, managing a team, and organization, as well as specific skills in schedule planning, using project management software, Gantt charts, and Kanban boards, and implementing different methodologies. 

In terms of your technological expertise, look into the kind of projects you want to manage, as well as what employers are looking for to find out what skills you need. For example, as a technical project manager in the gaming industry, you will likely need experience in gaming, knowledge of cloud services like Amazon Web Services, experience with Agile or LEAN software development, and more. 

Read more: 11 Key Project Management Skills

3. Gain technical and project management experience. 

Your next step is to apply your credentials and skills to actual projects in order to gain relevant experience in technical project management. Reach out to your network to find volunteer or contract opportunities to serve as a project manager. You can also design and run your own project. 

4. Build your technical project manager resume.

As you gain experience, obtain credentials, and build skills for technical project management, it’s a good idea to assemble a strong resume that you can adapt to different job applications. 

Start by researching technical project manager careers on job sites like Glassdoor and Indeed to get a feel for the professional landscape and the opportunities that are available to you. Align your qualifications to each technical project manager job description and describe them in a compelling way on your resume.   

Read more: 10 Ways to Enhance Your Resume

5. Practice answering technical project manager interview questions. 

Prepare to answer common technical project manager interview questions even before you apply for jobs and land interviewers. That way, you can gain an understanding of what employers are looking for, get into the habit of describing your qualifications in detail, and address the technical side of project management.

Here are examples of questions you may be asked:

• What inspires you to manage projects from a technical standpoint?

• How much experience do you have in technical project management? 

• How have you applied your technical expertise to managing projects in the past?

Read more: 12 Project Manager Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

6. Apply for technical project manager jobs.

Once you have a solid resume template and have practiced a variety of interview questions, return to the job sites and do another search for technical project manager listings. Your goal is to draw upon all the insights you’ve gathered from steps one through four to narrow down the jobs that best match your career goals. 

Ask yourself these questions: 

• What are the required qualifications, and how do they align with my experience, skills, and credentials?

• What kind of projects and tasks would I be completing in each position, and how do these align with my interests and passions? 

As you apply for jobs and garner interest from potential employers, be sure to prepare thoroughly for each interview and brush up on your interviewing skills. 

Read more: How to Answer STAR Interview Questions

Begin your project management journey

Taking online courses can be a great way to learn about technical project management, build skills, and discover career opportunities. 

Google's Project Management professional certificate can help you gain the skills needed to succeed as a project manager, such as strategic thinking, project planning, and risk management.