Business Management and Operations
Program Manager (General)
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Manages ongoing program activity, or a group of related projects, for a company or organization. May work in production, administration, advertising/marketing, human resources, technology, finance and other technical areas such as engineering.
Job Outlook
There were 2975 Program Manager (General) job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 100079 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Program Manager industry, which includes the Program Manager (General) career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Program Manager (General) jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $87,887.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $86,503.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Program Manager (General) postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $70,461.
Education and Experience
Posted Program Manager (General) jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55% |
| Master's Degree | 33% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1% |
| Other | 8% |
Posted Program Manager (General) jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 15% |
| 3 to 5 years | 43% |
| 6 to 8 years | 20% |
| 9+ years | 22% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Program Manager (General) positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication Skills (47%)
- Planning (38%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (36%)
- Problem Solving (25%)
- Organizational Skills (21%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Program Management (73%)
- Project Management (42%)
- Budgeting (36%)
- Scheduling (23%)
- Stakeholder Management (11%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Staff Management (14%)
- Project Planning and Development Skills (12%)
- Customer Service (11%)
- Customer Contact (8%)
- Business Development (7%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Microsoft Project (7%)
- Conflict Management (5%)
- Atlassian JIRA (4%)
- Lifecycle Management (3%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Program Manager (General) skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Program Manager
- Program Director
- Program Specialist
- Program Manager II
- Program Technician
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Director of Program Management
- Project Manager (General)
- Director of Project Management
- Client Engagement Manager
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Program Manager (General) jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Microsoft Corporation (2943)
- Amazon (2890)
- Anthem Blue Cross (2573)
- Facebook (863)
- Bcd Travel (708)
North Carolina
- Microsoft Corporation (191)
- Cisco Systems Incorporated (61)
- IBM (55)
- Wells Fargo (53)
- Goodwill (47)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Burning Glass Technologies. For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Burning Glass Technologies - Frequently Asked Questions.