Have you ever wondered: what is an enterprise project manager? It's a project management role in a highly competitive field, and those who want to join it need the right qualifications and skills.
But if you're up for the challenge, then becoming an enterprise project manager could be a lucrative career path.
On average, an enterprise project manager earns over $95,146 USD per year—making it an attractive option for those looking to get ahead in the business world (more on this later!).
But before applying for this position, there are a few key questions that must be answered: What is an enterprise project manager? How does their role differ from that of a traditional project manager? And what qualifications do they need in order to be successful?
What Is An Enterprise Project Manager?
Project management is an essential part of any business or organization, and it's important to understand the differences between enterprise project managers and ‘regular’ project managers.
An enterprise project manager is part of the enterprise project management office (EPMO) and therefore oversees multiple projects occurring simultaneously and company-wide across different departments in order to ensure that they're meeting deadlines, staying on budget, and achieving their desired outcomes.
According to the PMI, this sets the EPMO apart from a project management office (PMO), which normally focuses on streamlining and optimizing project management practices for a department or business unit.
As project portfolio management (PPM), which means that all initiatives and workflows support the organization's roadmap and overall strategic objectives, is part of the EPMO, enterprise project managers must have a strong understanding of how all the pieces in an organization fit together in order to make sure everything runs smoothly.
One of the main other business objectives and deliverables of an EPMO is to implement enterprise project management (EPM), which means to provide ‘standards, processes, and delivery approaches to improve project performance across the organization’.
This includes being familiar with enterprise project management software, such as Microsoft Project or Asana, which are used to keep track of tasks and progress. Additionally, they should be able to communicate effectively with stakeholders from all departments in order to coordinate efforts and ensure everyone is on the same page.
All projects at the enterprise level are complex projects which strive to achieve a major benefit as part of an organization's change management efforts, so an enterprise PM needs to understand the bigger picture from a strategic point of view and how his or her deliverables fit into the organization's strategic objectives.
This increased complexity obviously leads to higher uncertainty and project risks compared to small standalone projects.
Therefore, anyone that aspires to become an enterprise PM within a large organization shouldn’t be risk-averse and should have a good grip on dealing with uncertainty—because there will be plenty.
Enterprise Project Managers vs Project Managers
The primary difference between an enterprise project manager and a project manager lies in the scope of their responsibilities and the job description. An EPM will typically have more experience managing larger projects that involve multiple project teams working together towards a common goal.
They must also be able to handle complex tasks such as project planning, budgeting, resource allocation, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
On the other hand, a project manager will usually be responsible for smaller projects that don't require as much oversight or coordination between teams.
Enterprise Project Managers vs Senior Project Managers
The distinction between an enterprise project manager and a senior project manager can be subtle but important. A senior PM will typically have more experience than an EPM when it comes to managing large-scale projects involving multiple teams working together towards a common goal.
They also tend to have more authority when it comes to making decisions about resources or budgets, since they are often seen as having greater expertise in these areas than their junior counterparts.
Additionally, senior PMs may also be responsible for providing mentorship or guidance to junior team members throughout the course of the project's life cycle.
In my opinion, experienced senior project managers and program managers make perfect enterprise project managers due to their extensive experience and seniority.
According to research by Zippia's data science team, the majority of enterprise project managers move on to a senior project manager position, which is an ideal starting point for a long-lasting and even possibly executive career. I will cover possible career paths in more detail below.
In conclusion, there are many differences between enterprise project managers and project managers or senior project managers when it comes to their roles within organizations.
While both types of PMs play an important role in ensuring the successful completion of projects on time and on budget, EPMs tend to have more responsibility due to their ability to oversee multiple projects at once while still maintaining control over each individual task within those projects.
What Do Enterprise Project Managers Do?
To sum up, an enterprise project manager is a highly skilled professional who must be able to manage multiple projects at once while also leading teams of people. They must have excellent communication skills, be able to think strategically, and have strong problem-solving abilities.
Now let’s look at the responsibilities of an enterprise project manager:
- Developing standard project management and business processes to ensure project success
- Creating detailed project schedules and manage dependencies for each project
- Oversee project execution of several projects in parallel
- Prioritizing, task management (ie. assigning tasks to team members)
- Monitoring project progress
- Ensuring that deadlines are met, budgets are adhered to, and resource management is handled
- Working with stakeholders to perform risk analysis and develop solutions
- Tracking performance metrics as well as budget and time-tracking as required
- Reporting results back to stakeholders during regular project reviews
- Providing guidance and support for team members as needed
In addition, enterprise project managers must be able to work well with other departments in order to ensure that all projects run smoothly. They must also be able to and adapt quickly when changes occur in order to keep the project on track. Finally, they must be able to motivate their teams in order to get the best results possible.
What Qualifications Do Enterprise Project Managers Need?
To become an enterprise project manager, you must have a combination of education and experience in the field.
Generally speaking, employers prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field such as engineering or computer science. Additionally, many employers require at least five years of experience in project management or related fields.
Some employers might also require project management certifications like the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from PMI.
Finally, it is important for enterprise project managers to be knowledgeable about the latest trends in the industry and stay up-to-date on new technologies that can help them better manage their projects.
They should also be familiar with various project management tools used in the industry such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Asana or the like.
Overall, becoming an enterprise project manager requires a combination of education, experience, and skills to be successful in this role. With the right qualifications and experience under your belt, you can make a great career out of managing large-scale projects within organizations.
Enterprise Project Manager Skills
These project management skills are divided into two main categories: hard skills and soft skills.
Hard skills refer to technical knowledge and abilities, while soft skills refer to interpersonal and communication abilities, such as organization, relationship management, foresight, problem solving, and being able to work both independently and as part of a team.
The most important hard skill for an enterprise project manager is the ability to analyze data and make decisions based on the results. They must be able to interpret complex information quickly and accurately within their decision-making process and then act accordingly.
Additionally, they should have a strong understanding of information technology and information systems (brush up on this with our list of IT project management books here), the software development life cycle (SDLC), and project management methodologies such as agile project management techniques like Scrum or Kanban, if their organizational landscape requires it (the same is true of traditional project management approaches like waterfall).
In addition to these hard skills, enterprise project managers must also possess certain soft skills in order to be successful. Communication is one of the most important soft skills for this role, as they must be able to effectively communicate with both internal and external stakeholders.
They should also have strong organizational and relationship management abilities in order to manage multiple projects at once. Lastly, having foresight is essential for anticipating potential risks or issues before they arise.
From this it follows that being an effective enterprise project manager requires a combination of both hard and soft skills. Having the right mix of technical knowledge and interpersonal abilities will help ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. And with the right set of skills, an enterprise project manager can successfully lead their organization towards success!
Average Salary For Enterprise Project Managers
The average salary for an enterprise project manager is $95,146 per year in the United States. This figure is based on data from Glassdoor, one of the most popular job search and salary comparison sites.
The salary range for enterprise project managers varies depending on experience. Those with more experience tend to earn higher salaries than those with less experience.
For example, a senior enterprise project manager with 10 to 14 years of experience, earns an average of $108,105 per year while a junior enterprise project manager earns an average of $80,587 as annual base pay.
Location is another determining factor for an enterprise project manager's salary. In the highest paying state, Washington, an enterprise PM earns on average $132,146, compared to an average pay of $82,250 in Oklahoma, the lowest paying state.
In addition to salary, there are other benefits that often come with being an enterprise project manager, such as flexible working hours and remote work opportunities. Many companies also offer bonuses or stock options as part of their compensation packages.
Read more about enterprise project manager salaries here.
Ready To Become An Enterprise Project Manager?
If you are looking for a rewarding career that offers competitive pay and great benefits, then becoming an enterprise project manager may be the right choice for you! With the right qualifications and dedication, you can make a successful career out of this role and enjoy long-term job security.
This role requires dedication and perseverance—but the rewards can be great. With average annual salaries topping $90,000 and opportunities for growth, it’s no wonder that more and more people are joining the enterprise project management sector.
To continue learning more about how to become an enterprise project manager, or to stay updated on any further developments in this field, subscribe to The Digital Project Manager newsletter—we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.