The following article discusses the career path of Systems Project Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Systems Project Managers.
Job Duties
Systems project managers love to work with many different people. They work in IT, which is a fast paced environment that is constantly changing. They have extensive responsibilities, therefore, and simply maintaining the necessary knowledge to keep up with this is a job in itself. They must be able to understand various types of technology at the same time.
They work with other staff members, ensuring that they can benefit from the company’s technological systems. They focus on client relations, IT projects, and offer strong customer service. They also often play a supervisory role for other staff members, setting goals, assigning work, and ensuring that objectives are met. They may also have to resolve conflict issues.
Furthermore, they are responsible for the implementation and functioning of the servers. They also have to upgrade databases and ensure all services are at top performance. Usually, they supervise new equipment installation and ensure all projects run smoothly from start to finish.
Other job duties of a systems project manager include:
– Holding meetings with the organization’s key stakeholders to ensure they are aware of new projects and remain up to date with developments
- Forecasting, tracking, and creating project budget changes
- Measuring technological performance
- Creating detailed plans for projects with critical path tasks included
- Recording the requirements, assumptions, and constraints of other clients and stakeholders in order to ensure that needs can be met
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 367,600 computer and information systems managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Computer systems design and related services: 22%
- Information: 11%
- Finance and insurance: 11%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 10%
- Manufacturing: 8%
How to Become
A bachelor’s degree in an area relating to computer science is usually required. Some also complete a master’s degree in areas such as project management. The master of business administration (MBA) is particularly popular.
Education Requirements
A systems project manager is generally expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in information or computer science, or a related field. This means they have an in-depth understanding of software development, computer programming, and mathematics. They may also complete business classes and courses in Management Information Systems (MIS).
It is increasingly common for these professionals to also hold a master’s degree, particularly the MBA. This takes two years to complete and is usually studied while working. This matters, because work experience is also very important. Systems project managers will usually already have several years of working experience before they take on managerial responsibilities.
Because computer systems are used in every organization in the world, systems project managers must have industry-specific experience as well. Indeed, this is now commonly expected. Someone who has gained IT experience in a manufacturing environment, for instance, is unlikely to become a systems project manager in an educational setting afterwards.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective systems project managers have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Strong analytical skills
- Excellent business skills
- Great communication skills, both verbal and written
- Good decision making skills
- Inspirational leadership
- Strong organizational skills
- Mathematical skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
The national average salary estimate for Systems Project Manager was $86,680. This number is estimated from over 225,524 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $45.15 and monthly of $7,223.
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$24,000
$188,000
The following section lists Systems Project Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, New Hampshire had the largest quoted salary of $106,424 while Ohio had the smallest quoted salary of $68,087.
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Systems Project Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| CyberCoders | New York | $237,172 |
| Motion Recruitment Partners Prod | New York | $210,000 |
| Anderson Frank | New York | $160,874 |
| Crossfire | California | $149,668 |
| Request Technology | Virginia | $146,492 |
| Cisco | California | $144,200 |
| Amazon.com | Washington | $135,495 |
| Liberty Mutual | Indiana | $132,463 |
| Texas Instruments, Inc | Texas | $126,179 |
| SystemsAccountants | Massachusetts | $125,668 |
| Nigel Frank International | Illinois | $125,601 |
| Information Technology Services, Office of | New York | $123,714 |
| Vaco, LLC | Florida | $123,663 |
| Fenway Search Group | Massachusetts | $120,000 |
| Robert Half Technology | Virginia | $117,855 |
| The Judge Group | Pennsylvania | $113,036 |
| LOS ANGELES METRO | California | $112,812 |
Learn More
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Network Engineer | $88,447 |
| Finance Manager | $88,446 |
| Management Consultant | $88,374 |
| Pricing Manager | $88,102 |
| Systems Engineer | $87,511 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $85,591 |
| Gaming Manager | $84,668 |
| Risk Analyst | $84,024 |
| Internal Auditor | $83,754 |
| Information Technology Manager | $83,668 |
