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Business project manager
Commercial project lead, project manager
Business project managers plan tasks and organise people and resources to complete work projects on time and on budget.
Average salary (a year)
£29000
Starter
£75000
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
37.0 to 42.0 hours
a week
Work Hours
between 8am and 6pm
attending events or appointments
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this job through:a university course; an apprenticeship; working towards this role; applying directly
University
You can study for a degree in any subject, then either
join an organisation's graduate management training scheme, complete a postgraduate qualification in project management
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
Apprenticeship
You could get into this career by doing an apprenticeship, such as
Associate Project Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, Project Manager Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
These take between 2 and 4 years to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
higher and degree apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships
guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work
You may be able to become a project manager in your organisation, if you've worked for some time in a project support role.  You'll need to complete project management qualifications on the job.
Direct Application
In certain sectors, for instance, engineering, construction or cyber security, you may be able to apply directly for jobs if you have an in-depth knowledge of the industry gained through several years' experience.
Skills in planning, business analysis and data management could also give you an advantage.
More Information
Career Tips
You could take a course covering project management methods, like PRINCE2 and Agile to help you understand these approaches.
Further Information
You can find more details about careers, training courses and apprenticeships in project management from the:Association for Project Management, Project Management Institute, Chartered Management Institute
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    Leadership skills
    Business management skills
    Persistence and determination
    The ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
    To be thorough and pay attention to detail
    To be flexible and open to change
    The ability to organise your time and workload
    Excellent verbal communication skills
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
As a business project manager, you will
develop detailed plans, using project management tools, to deliver what the client wants, set up and lead a multi-skilled project team, work out timescales, resources and costs, monitor and report on progress, issues, quality and risks, deal with problems and adapt plans to meet changes during the project lifecycle, work closely with the senior management team
Possible green job
This job could help the environment.
For a business project manager to be a green job, you could
build in sustainability to your project plans, limit the environmental impact of tasks to help businesses meet their sustainability targets, make good use of technology and adopt flexible ways of working to reduce office travel
Working environment
You could work in an office, at a client's business or from home.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
You can develop your career by completing professional qualifications through the:Association for Project Management (APM), Project Management Institute (PMI), Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
With experience, you could become
a senior project manager, co-ordinating several projects, a freelance consultant, advising businesses on the best way forward, an operations manager, with overall responsibility for products and services
For multi-sector project management in engineering and manufacturing, you could do a Project Controls Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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