Skip to Content

Who Reports to Project Managers?

Project management concept.

Being the head of a project means having a team report to you and, in the case of project managers, the project coordinator or line manager usually reports directly to them. 

To ensure that a project is completed on schedule and to a customer’s satisfaction, a project manager is ultimately responsible for its quality. The project manager is more of a leader in this regard, and they must be able to put their faith in others to see a plan or process through to completion. Let’s take a closer look at the roles of the project manager and coordinator, and then look more in-depth at the role of the project manager and the types of occupations that often necessitate it.

An Overview Of The Project Management Role

Plan, initiate, and oversee the project’s implementation and mostly work with multiple teams of employees, subcontractors, and clients at the same time. Interactions with the clients at the onset as well as executives ensure that they get an in-depth understanding of the expected goals or outcomes of the clients. A timeframe for completion is set and plans for each stage of implementation are developed.

Then resources, processes, materials, etc. are identified. To maintain a comprehensive picture of the entire project, it may be necessary to delegate duties or large portions of it to project coordinators or groups of personnel.

Responsibilities of the Project Manager

The work of a project manager begins with the preliminary planning that takes place before the start of a project. An important part of this is to break down the process into manageable stages and accurately estimate the amount of time and resources required for each major project stage. Risk assessments, resource allocations, and budgeting are all sophisticated calculations that project managers must undertake to account for both the company’s time and financial needs as well as the client’s quality expectations.

Project managers keep an honest and precise illustration of all the intersecting and concurrent phases of the process as soon as the project has started. Having to check in with numerous departments may be necessary, and evaluating work after each stage is completed. The responsibilities of a project manager often overlap with those of other team members.

Project management skills would include the following:

  • Efficiency
  • Creating a Long-Term Strategy
  • Make Sense of Complicated Procedures
  • The Communication of Multiple Tasks (between executives, the clients, and the teams)
  • Investing in the Future
  • Management of Resources

Role of the Project Coordinator

Project manager making presentation.

The administrative duties of one or more projects may be delegated to a project coordinator who works directly under a project manager. In this way, they ensure that the project manager’s deadlines and milestones are met by all members of the team as well as divisions. As a result, project coordinators should be well-versed in all components of the work, such as the timeline, the budget, and any other specifics.

In contrast to project managers, project coordinators are responsible for implementing crucial aspects of a project. The project coordinator’s job is to take care of the everyday details of a project so that the project manager may concentrate on the bigger picture and any difficulties that may occur. Coordinators’ duties can grow to include many projects, or they can take on supervisory responsibilities in the form of project management.

Responsibilities of a Project Coordinator

To keep a project on track and schedule, the project coordinator serves as a point of contact for all parties involved. You’ll need to coordinate client and internal team communications, plan meeting times and dates to stay on schedule, and notify the project manager of any concerns regarding timelines or budgets. To keep a project going forward at all stages, a project coordinator’s duties may involve working with spreadsheets and reports, as well as keeping and filing documents regularly.

An ideal candidate will have the following characteristics, which are shared by both project managers and project coordinators.

  • Interpersonal communication in the workplace (especially via email and phone)
  • Expertise in Problem Solving,
  • Time Management
  • Data Entry
  • Technical skills

Top Sectors for Project Management Careers

You can find Project managers in practically every industry. However, there are a few that have more opportunities than others. At first look, they may seem dissimilar, but each one has a similar demand for new ideas and high levels of output.

However, the daily responsibilities and roles may differ. The more you learn about the various fields where project managers are needed, the better off you’ll be. The information will help you stay on track as you learn the skills you need to succeed in your chosen field.

You can find project managers in these sectors:

Engineering and Construction

Project management team with engineers and architects.

The construction sector is booming, but despite the high demand, profitability is difficult to come by due to factors including regulatory uncertainty, rising expenses, and a host of others. The benefits of building project managers can be found in this. These experts can manage a wide range of stakeholders and resources with precision.

They may be involved in the construction of residential, commercial, or industrial properties. Most project managers work on brand-new construction, but some also oversee renovations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that construction managers will have an 8 percent increase in employment between 2019 and 2029.

A construction manager’s beginning compensation is typically between $50,000 and $60,000 per year, then up to $100,000+.

Healthcare

The current healthcare business faces two major challenges: cost and compliance, both of which can be handled with the help of expert project managers. Healthcare project managers might even work for medical device suppliers or pharma businesses, but they are more commonly engaged by local health services, hospitals, and outpatient centers. The healthcare project manager assists clinical professionals and other personnel in a patient-centered setting by dealing with a wide range of issues. The following are a few examples of projects that they might be in charge of:

Healthcare project managers’ salaries can vary between $78,500 and $140,000, based on the job’s complexity. ZipRecruiter estimates that the annual salary for a project manager in this position is $102,628.

Technology and Information Services

Back view of young project manager man managing digital charts.

In today’s IT world, there are more ambitious projects than ever. To boost efficiency and accuracy, organizations rely on cutting-edge technology. Even with a sufficient budget, these activities can be challenging to undertake because of their vast scale.

Organizations rely on IT project managers to maximize the return on investment (ROI) from complex technical systems, while also ensuring that projects stay within the company’s budget. Earnings for project managers in the IT industry can be rather high. As low as $43,000, while ZipRecruiter data shows an annual average compensation of $105,291, with the highest earners making up to $145,500 each year.

Financial Sector

However, even in the finance industry, a trained workforce is needed to keep prices down and productivity up to meet financial goals. When compared to their peers in other fields, finance individuals are likely to have a more focused approach. Priorities like cash flow forecasts and acquired value management are at the top of their list.

Finance project managers can earn anywhere from $46,500 to $139,500 per year, depending on a wide range of characteristics, including education and experience. ZipRecruiter’s data shows an average annual salary of $106,740.

Insurance Industry

There are a lot of high-stakes projects that large insurance brokers hire project managers and consultants for. This position necessitates a strong understanding of risk management. Project managers inside the insurance industry can expect to make a starting salary of $47,000 per year, with a professional median of $74,704 a year, according to PayScale.

Nevertheless, many can earn six figures or more if they have the necessary expertise and qualifications.