In the Seattle job market, there are at least 3 different interpretations of the Program Manager title. Two are common in IT and software products companies, although one of those appears outside those industries as well, and the third appears mostly in connection with health and human services, marketing and similar business functions. No doubt other exist as well. So what are these different interpretations, how do we identify which is which, and why is it important for the job market?
In software products companies, whether for installed products or for software as a service, a ‘program manager’ typically has accountability for a set of features in a product, defining those features, guiding engineering teams through their creation, interacting with product managers to release the features into the product, and collaborating with other roles as needed to meet those goals. The rhythm of work for this type of program manager is more closely tied to the product release cycle than for other types of program managers.
In IT groups, and in businesses where project management is a primary delivery model, a ‘program manager’ typically follows the definition provide by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and has accountability across a set of projects, possibly with a common delivery platform or other unifying elements, providing oversight and guidance to the individual project teams on things like inter-project constraints, assumptions, dependencies, issues, and risks, development of project team capabilities, common project management methodology, and other elements beyond the scope of the individual projects. Often these roles are associated with a function within the business called a Program or Project Management Office (PMO).
Finally in a number of areas outside those above, including health and human services, marketing and similar business functions, ‘program manager’ has a similar meaning to that used by PMI in that a person accountable for a collection of activities organized around a common theme but may not have other characteristics such as being a collection of projects, and having a definite schedule and set of deliverables. Thus, for example, a health care program may deliver a set of medical services to an identified constituency for an indefinite period of time – the person accountable for the program often being called a ‘program manager.’
Why does this matter in the job market? First, for individuals searching for positions of any of these types, it is critical that they be clear about which type of program manager position they seek. In all their communications and job-seeking activities, they need to clearly establish which kind of program management experience they have and similarly what kind of position they desire. Being unclear in either aspect can lead to wasted time and energy pursuing positions of the wrong type and potentially negative employer responses when candidate experience doesn’t match with the needs of the company. Second, for the employers posting positions, it is important to be clear as well to avoid receiving candidate responses that are potentially unrelated to the type of program management skills required.
Finally, for job seekers with a program management focus, don’t just assume that every program manager position is for you. Be sure to read job descriptions closely and critically evaluate the qualifications to identify which type of program manager is being sought. The time, energy and reputation you save will be your own.
