The higher the number of projects at a company is, the greater is the need for a unit in charge of central project coordination, i.e. a project management office (PMO). The work in a PMO is very demanding since it comprises a wide variety of tasks related to controlling, strategic planning, project management, quality assurance and coaching.
The idea of establishing a project coordination unit within companies has its main roots in the IT industry. As the number of projects increases, it gets more and more important for companies across all industries to have an in-house team able to coordinate and monitor all projects, to derive standards based on experience and to make use of this experience for the benefit of future projects. There is no specific training for PMO managers. Ideally, candidates should be certified (technical) project managers having completed a technical training. However, newcomers with a background in controlling or quality assurance or with a relevant technical qualification have good prospects on the labour market as well. Learn more about how Hays can support you in finding a job matching your qualifications and experience!
The key tasks of PMO managers are to manage and coordinate all corporate projects and to ensure the management board receives relevant feedback supporting them in making decisions. This requires the ability to deal with challenges from the fields of (technical) project management, controlling, strategic planning and quality assurance. Sharing experience gathered from previous projects with other employees via training sessions also belongs to the tasks of PMO managers. Besides, they are responsible for elaborating standards and routines for future projects and act as interfaces between company management, departments and project managers.
To be able to coordinate a growing number of projects, PMO managers must have technical expertise and the ability to ensure implementations according to plan. Besides, they need to have the necessary controlling skills and must be able to monitor both staff-related and financial interdependencies between the projects.
The average annual salary of PMO managers amounts to between EUR 55,000 and EUR 77,000, depending on industry, company size, number of projects managed and region: PMO managers in the metropolitan areas in Western Germany usually earn about EUR 20,000 more than their counterparts in Eastern Germany.
With Hays, you will find a position in a PMO that meets your qualifications. Contact us and learn more about the benefits of finding a job with Hays
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