Assistant Project Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an assistant project manager. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an assistant project manager.
Who is an Assistant Project Manager?
Many persons are faced with the dilemma of the choice of career, which is normal for every growing child, or teenager. The best way to go about this dilemma is to make detailed and continuous research on possible careers, putting into consideration what you have passion for, the requirements, and the job description of the supposed career. With this in mind, your search is narrowed, and it becomes easier to make a decision. If you have the passion or zeal for motivating people through your ideas or helping people do the same, then you may consider becoming an assistant project manager.
In understanding who an assistant project manager is, it is paramount to know the meaning of the terms therein. An assistant lends help or support. A project is a planned endeavor with a specific goal that is accomplished in different steps or stages. A manager is one whose job it is to manage something such as a business. An assistant project manager is an expert who helps with the planning and coordination of projects, also handles administrative duties, and manages independently, some of the necessary elements to make sure projects are carried out on time. Assistant project managers act as assistants to project managers and help with the planning, coordination, and execution of projects in a company. They are faced with the duty of identifying customers’ goals and needs, keeping and preserving project documents, and, completing projects as directed by the project manager.
Furthermore, they are more like an auxiliaries and as such cannot take action without the directives of the project manager, except for places where initiative is needed to play a role. The assistant managers not only oversee projects but also analyze data gotten from project executions, and create and convey reports. This position as an assistant project manager can be a stepping stone to becoming a project manager fully, depending on the accumulated experience. The major objective of an assistant project manager is to ascertain the efficiency, utility, and continuity of all projects via adequate and accurate communication with related personnel. To be successful as an assistant project manager, you need to be prompt and timely with delivering tasks and projects assigned to you by the project manager, and also ensure that reports and analyzed data collected are accurate and clear. To be regarded as an experienced assistant project manager, you should have an overview of all activities going on in a project, be able to identify issues when they arise, and be capable of resolving them promptly. If you derive joy in assisting people to carry out projects or help people achieve a goal, or reach an objective, then you should consider becoming an assistant project manager. If you also have the zeal for carrying out tasks and projects and making sure they are properly done, then you should also consider the role of an assistant project manager.
Assistant Project Manager Job Description
Below are the assistant project manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an assistant project manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The job description of an assistant project manager consists of his responsibilities. These responsibilities though tedious in the eye of one, who has no experience in the field, would be seen in the opposite by an experienced individual. You can either work alone or work with a team. The job description of an assistant project manager may vary according to the employer or organization. Below are the responsibilities of an assistant project manager:
- Support the management and organization of projects.
- Relate and communicate with investors and stakeholders as regards project needs, deliverables, and objectives.
- Assist with ideas and plans on upcoming projects.
- Contribute towards the building and development of projects.
- Perform helpful researches to assist other departments and sectors.
- Carry out administrative functions such as drafting invoices, scheduling meetings, and drawing estimates.
- Keep hold of data analytics and report the progress of assigned projects.
- Complete all tasks as issued by the project manager in due time and efficiently.
- Work hand in hand with the project manager to help achieve a common goal or reach an objective.
- Allocate functions and duties to other staff to reach a goal faster and easier.
- Supervise projects and ensure they are carried out promptly.
- Outline and view all objectives to ensure they are obtainable and achievable.
- Help with the procuring and purchasing of tools and materials needed to carry out various projects.
- Communicate effectively with property owners, tenants, and insurance adjusters.
- Ensure proper and adequate documents are being collected from clients.
- Act as an intermediary between clients and project manager to ascertain project success.
- Attend to inquiries and concerns throughout the project.
- Cover up for the project manager in cases of vacations or leave.
- Provide great customer service when needed.
- Have attention to detail and be capable of safeguarding clients’ properties and data.
- Attend all pieces of training.
- Adhere to all safety guidelines and principles as well as legal requirements to ascertain a safe working environment and maintain safe machines and types of equipment.
Qualifications
It is not enough to choose a career, but it is also fundamental to gather the necessary qualifications needed. There are so many criteria for becoming a professional in any field or going into that field entirely. Without these qualifications, you will end up making just wishes which will not be actualized. The qualifications in their entirety might not be necessary to begin the career journey, but the acquisition of all gives you a competitive advantage and fastens your journey to professionalism and expertise in the given career. While some careers would require just a few of the qualifications to begin the journey, others would require a complete acquisition. An assistant project manager should have the following qualifications:
- A High school diploma or GED (General Educational Development) would first need to be acquired.
- An associate or Bachelor’s or master’s degree in project management, business management, or any hiring-related discipline or administrative course.
- Proven work experience of not less than 2 years in project management or any administrative assistant position.
- Knowledge of computer operating systems such as Microsoft Office and any project management software.
- Applicable certificate, license, or training as an assistant project manager may be required depending on the company.
- Useful knowledge of related industry implements and tools.
- The capability of working effectively under tight schedules and pressure and with minimal supervision.
- Ability to prepare and deliver reports on project details and progress.
- Ability to work with a team.
- Acquisition of basic and essential skills.
Essential Skills
Your skills as an individual are like lubricants and are capable of driving you toward your financial and human developmental journey. These skills are there to make ease all your undergoes and better your personality and make you valuable. The possession of these necessary skills makes you stand a chance of gaining valuable employment and gaining value before your employer. To become a successful assistant project manager, you would need certain skills; some of these skills can be seen as soft skills, while some others can be regarded as hard skills. Soft skills are those which can be acquired basically through any form of education or some sort of work experience and are necessary for the shaping of your right temperament for a project management job. The hard skills are those you acquire specifically for this role and are acquired via training or on the job. The essential skills of an assistant project manager are as follows:
- Project management skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Effective construction skills.
- Leadership skills.
- Basic computer operation skills, like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft office, and PowerPoint.
- Efficient multitasking skills.
- Highly detail-oriented, that is, attention to detail.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Risk management.
- Collaborative skill.
- Analytical skill.
- Documentation skill.
- Cost management.
- Forecasting and planning.
- Time management.
- Critical thinking.
- Adaptability
As an assistant project manager, you would have many encounters with clients and would be meant to address so many issues, this requires that you be a good orator and should communicate efficiently, clearly, and audibly. The process of evaluating financial or economical risks and developing possible means of avoiding them is known as ‘risk management; this is a fundamental skill needed in an assistant project manager. As an assistant project manager, there should be an awareness of potential profits and losses and the actions that would lead to any; ideas on how to avert the losses should then be directed to the project manager. You should also frequently look at the costs of projects, and protect the organization from going over budgets or making extravagant budgets. You should furthermore be time conscious and prompt in delivering projects entrusted to you. Time management is one of the most important skills needed as an assistant project manager, as it presents you positively in front of your boss. As an assistant project manager, you would need to be a critical thinker, thereby proffering fast solutions even when under pressure, and also taking fast actions which would not cost the company. At times, there would be a need to carry out multiple tasks and projects simultaneously; your ability to carry out these tasks simultaneously makes you regarded and well-respected.
Every other skill listed above is of utmost importance, especially for one who wants to become a successful assistant project manager.
How to Become an Assistant Project Manager
For every undergoing and objective, there are always steps and procedures to be taken. The same applies to choosing a career; there are steps on how to become a professional in a given field. A journey of a thousand miles they say begins with a step, find below the steps to becoming an assistant project manager.
Firstly, you would need to obtain a bachelor’s, associate or master’s degree in any administrative or project management discipline. This is required by virtually all employers of assistant project managers.
You would then need to gain experience, and acquire relevant skills by searching for an entry-level job position. This would help you strengthen the necessary skills for an assistant project manager, like communication skills, etc. This entry-level job should be related to the position of an assistant project manager.
It is advised to carry out voluntary works and project overview to showcase your acquired skills, as this increases your recommendation chances. Finally, prepare your resume, get ready your portfolio of previous tasks carried out, probably a recommendation letter from the area of entry-level job or voluntary work, and apply for the role of an assistant project manager where you find a vacancy. This gives you a better chance of getting employed for the role.
Where to Work as an Assistant Project Manager
Owing to the abstractness of the nature of the role of an assistant project manager, an assistant project manager can work anywhere, in any physical industry, and organization of any size. Nevertheless, assistant project managers are mostly needed in organizations with higher management and multi teams and sectors. You can work in various fields and industries like healthcare, customer service, construction companies, estate management firms, marketing firms, educational sectors, and so many others.
Assistant Project Manager Salary Scale
The salary scale of an assistant project manager is being determined by a few factors just like any other profession or career. Some of these factors include the country and location of the firm or industry, the financial strength of the company, the educational attainment of the employee, the years of experience and the experience gained by the employee, and the skills acquired by the employee. Some countries pay more than others, but generally, assistant project managers are paid well irrespective of the country, but lesser than the project manager.
The annual salary of an assistant project manager in the United States is estimated at $84,144, with an estimated average salary of $60,565 per year. In the United Kingdom, the annual salary is estimated at £36,985 and the average at £35,608. Coming down to South Africa, the average pay of an assistant project manager is R211,800 annually, which can rise to R480,000, depending on the already mentioned factors. In Nigeria, the salary of an assistant project manager can begin at ₦1,548,000 annually and rise to ₦4,848,000 depending on the aforementioned factors.