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Project Management Specialists

SOC 13-1082.00Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparation

Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as a point of contact for the client or customer. May work in any sector of the economy, including IT, construction, healthcare, finance, government, and many others.

Context coveredCross-sector PM practice across IT, construction, healthcare, financial services, professional services; PMO coordinator through senior PM through program manager.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Project plans, timelines, and Gantt charts — produce in MS Project, Asana, or Jira under a senior PM's review.
  2. Status reports for routine projects — compile from team inputs on a weekly cadence.
  3. Project budgets and burn-rate tracking — maintain accurately for a defined scope.
  4. RAID logs (risks, actions, issues, decisions) — keep current across project life.
  5. Stakeholder rosters and RACI matrices — produce for assigned projects.
  6. Project meetings — schedule, run-of-show, take notes, and circulate.
  7. Change-request paperwork — log and route through governance.
  8. Common project-management tools — use to team conventions across the PMO.
  9. PM-methodology fundamentals (PMBOK, Agile-Scrum, Kanban) — apply correctly on assigned engagements.
  10. Resource-allocation tracking and capacity views — maintain for the assigned PM portfolio.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. A small project (6-12 weeks, single team, defined scope) — own end-to-end with senior backstop.
  2. Project planning from a charter — produce a realistic plan + budget + resource model.
  3. Stakeholder management on a routine project — communicate effectively at multiple levels.
  4. Risk identification and mitigation planning — execute substantively across the project life.
  5. Project closeout and lessons-learned — facilitate at end of engagement.
  6. Cross-functional team coordination — drive accountability across disciplines.
  7. Vendor and contractor management — execute on routine engagement components.
  8. PM-tool administration (Jira workflows, Asana templates, MS Project files) — manage at project level.
  9. Junior PMs and coordinators — guide on technique and process.
  10. Status and steering-committee presentations — deliver credibly on owned projects.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Mid-complexity project portfolio — manage 3-5 concurrent projects across multiple teams.
  2. Difficult-stakeholder management — handle politically charged or distressed-project contexts.
  3. Project recovery and turnaround — diagnose and execute on troubled projects.
  4. Methodology selection and tailoring — apply waterfall / agile / hybrid appropriately to the project context.
  5. PM-team mentorship — provide formally and informally across the practice.
  6. PMO governance and reporting — contribute substantively to portfolio-level practice.
  7. Resource-conflict resolution across functions — negotiate at director and VP level.
  8. Vendor and SOW negotiation — execute with procurement on six-figure engagements.
  9. Program-level cross-project dependencies — identify and manage across owned portfolio.
  10. Quality and acceptance criteria — own across deliverables and through user-acceptance.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Multi-million-dollar programs or critical strategic initiatives — own as program manager with executive sponsorship.
  2. Program portfolio governance — set practice across multi-quarter cycles.
  3. Hiring, leveling, and PM-career development — shape the PMO talent pipeline.
  4. PMO strategy and methodology — author or co-author for the organization.
  5. Executive-sponsor partnerships — manage on multi-quarter or multi-year programs.
  6. Crisis-management on at-risk programs — lead through with composure and clarity.
  7. Senior consulting on cross-organizational programs (M&A, transformation, ERP rollouts) — drive with executive partners.
  8. Industry / community PM presence — represent through PMI chapter, conferences, or publication.
  9. Vendor and consulting-partner strategy at program level — own commercials.
  10. Practice culture and PM standards — shape through rituals, templates, and example.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingWritingJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem SolvingActive Learning
Knowledge domains
English LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceMathematicsAdministration and ManagementComputers and ElectronicsLaw and GovernmentAdministrativeEconomics and Accounting
Abilities
Oral ExpressionOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionInductive Reasoning
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityIntegrityCautiousnessAchievement OrientationPerseverance
Technology
Word processing softwareDocument management softwareDesktop publishing softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHuman resources softwareData base user interface and query softwarePresentation softwareOperating system softwareCloud-based data access and sharing softwareEnterprise application integration software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
  2. Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, spons
  3. Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
  4. Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients.
CIP education codes
11.100552.010152.020152.021152.021652.2002

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.