Project Manager Job Description Template (2026)

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# Project Manager — Job Description

## Role summary
A Project Manager owns scope, schedule, and budget across cross-functional initiatives: running sprint cadence in Jira, Linear, or ClickUp; maintaining a live RAID log (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies); running stakeholder status comms; tracking critical-path dependencies; facilitating retros and post-mortems; and translating between engineering, design, and business so that commitments are realistic, deadlines are hit, and leadership stops getting blindsided by slippage — Agile by default, Waterfall where the contract or regulator demands it.

## Responsibilities
- Scope projects into epics, stories, and tasks with explicit acceptance criteria before any work starts — no "we'll figure it out in sprint."
- Build realistic timelines based on team velocity and capacity, not executive wishful thinking. Push back with data when scope and schedule don't reconcile.
- Run sprint planning, daily standups, backlog grooming, and retrospectives on a fixed cadence (weekly or bi-weekly).
- Maintain a RAID log — risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies — updated weekly with owners, mitigation plans, and trigger dates.
- Track critical-path dependencies across teams; escalate blockers within 24 hours with named owner and escalation path.
- Send weekly written status reports to a defined stakeholder list: progress, blockers, risks (RAG status), decisions needed, next-week priorities.
- Facilitate cross-functional coordination — engineering ↔ design ↔ product ↔ go-to-market — translating vocabulary and surfacing misalignment before it causes rework.
- Run pre-mortems before high-stakes launches and post-mortems after incidents, with action items tied to owners and due dates (not buried in a Notion doc).
- Own change control: when new scope is requested mid-sprint, size the impact, present the tradeoff, and route the decision to the priority owner rather than silently absorbing.
- Keep the single source of truth clean in Jira, Linear, ClickUp, or Asana — not 4 parallel tracking tools that drift.
- Maintain project documentation in Notion or Confluence: decision log, architecture rationale, scope agreements, onboarding for new team members.
- Run portfolio-level reporting for leadership showing RAG status across all active projects with trend arrows.

## Must-have skills
- 4+ years managing software, product, or operational projects with cross-functional teams (engineering, design, ops).
- Working fluency in Agile/Scrum AND Kanban — knows which to use when and why, not just dogmatic about one.
- Hands-on administration (not just usage) of at least one of: Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Asana — has configured workflows, automation rules, and reports.
- Ability to build a project plan with realistic estimates based on team capacity and historical velocity, not gut feel.
- Stakeholder communication discipline: writes clear weekly status that execs actually read, distinguishes risk from issue, escalates early.
- RAID log discipline: can explain the difference between a risk, an assumption, an issue, and a dependency without fumbling.
- Written English strong enough to run executive-level status reporting and decision documents.
- Confidence pushing back on unrealistic deadlines with data rather than just absorbing pressure and crunching the team.

## Nice-to-have skills
- PMP, CSM (Certified Scrum Master), PSM, or PMI-ACP certification.
- Technical background or comfort — can read basic architecture diagrams and follow an engineering discussion without getting lost.
- Experience with regulated industries (healthcare, fintech) where Waterfall/SDLC documentation is non-negotiable.
- Familiarity with earned-value management (EVM) and classical PM metrics (CPI, SPI) for budget-heavy projects.
- Experience running roadmaps at the product-level, not just project-level.
- Change-management frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter) for projects with significant organizational impact.

## Tools and technology
- Jira
- Linear
- ClickUp
- Asana
- Notion / Confluence
- Slack
- Loom
- Miro / FigJam
- Google Workspace
- Monday.com

## Reporting structure
Reports to the Head of Engineering, VP of Product, VP of Operations, Director of PMO, or Founder depending on org size. Collaborates daily with engineering leads, design, product managers, and business stakeholders; serves as primary communication channel between the delivery team and leadership.

## Success metrics (KPIs)
- On-time delivery rate >85% for committed sprint work.
- Weekly status reports sent every Friday with no exceptions; stakeholder satisfaction measured quarterly.
- Zero surprise slippage — risks surfaced at least 1 sprint before they materialize as issues.
- RAID log current (updated within 7 days) at any spot-check.
- Post-mortem action items closure rate >80% within 30 days.
- Team retrospective completion rate 100% on a defined cadence (every sprint or every month).