Recently at Mantralis we have reviewed the roles and responsibilities of our team. We have undergone a restructuring to ensure that each team member is fully supported, whilst relieving the pressure on our CEO and other members of the senior leadership team.
The main update is that we now have a senior project manager managing each team of project managers. A senior project manager oversees their projects whilst simultaneously leading their team. They work alongside the project managers, giving support on the day-to-day running of projects, as well as designing and assisting in the personal development of each project manager. Our senior project managers are also involved in driving change in the development of the wider business.
Employee Progression
Company hierarchies can be a sensitive topic. However, structure within a company is crucial to be able to achieve a fair distribution of responsibilities and to ensure everyone is fully supported at work. It also gives employees a vision of how they can move up through a company.
Have you ever thought that you would be happier at work if you could take on more responsibility? Push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and progress.
The increased challenge of undergoing personal development and progression at work gives employees more job satisfaction. More confidence in their role at work, as well as often providing a financial benefit.
A great step forward as a project manager is to progress to be a senior project manager. But what is the difference between these two job roles?
Comparison of the Role of a Project Manager vs a Senior Project Manager
A summary of the role of a project manager at Mantralis:
Project managers are the glue that holds a project together. As highly skilled individuals, they see projects through their whole lifecycle. Overseeing day-to-day tasks, creating reports, and communicating between stakeholders, as well as preparing for and handling problems and issues. Project managers monitor quality, change, and risk and are the go-to contact for team managers completing individual work packages. They help to reduce the workload of the project board as they deal with change and issues within set tolerances.
A summary of the role of a senior project manager at Mantralis:
A senior project manager will often still have all the duties of a project manager but will also take the lead on wider company responsibilities. Such as people management and business development. This may mean that a senior project manager manages a smaller-scale project or oversees fewer projects to be able to take on this new level of responsibility.
Managing a team of project managers requires good interpersonal skills. As well as knowledge about development and training, HR topics, and all the projects that fall under the senior project manager’s remit. Progressing to being a senior project manager will require training to gain the skills and knowledge to manage others.
As a member of the senior leadership team, the senior project manager will have more of an input into the strategic and operational running of the company. This enables them to drive business development activities, network with clients, and lead team meetings and training.
Conclusion
So, there we have it. Transforming from a project manager to a senior role requires training, knowledge, and people management skills. It could also bring you more satisfaction at work and build your confidence in managing projects.
Perhaps you are a project manager who has perfected your skills, and you want a new challenge at work. Or perhaps you are the owner of a company that needs a restructure to get the most out of your team. Either way, we hope that knowing more about what is involved in being a senior project manager will help you progress!
Becca Cochrane