How to Write the Perfect Project Management Job Description

There's too much on your plate, so you're looking for a project manager. But every time you sit down to write the job posting, you're worried it's not compelling enough to stand out. Sound familiar?

We’ve got you covered. This article will give you examples from real project manager job descriptions and show you exactly how to adopt their winning strategies, so your job posting attracts the best project managers.

What's missing from your project management job description?

We'll show you how to successfully add these elements to your posting.

1. A distinctive voice — the cheapest way to get noticed
2. Clarity on required skills (so you attract the right candidates)
3. A killer sales pitch, to seal the deal

Plus, we've included example duties and responsibilities in our project manager job description samples.

Cultivate a distinctive voice

Want to know one of the best strategies for sticking in your candidates’ brains, even after they’ve looked at dozens of job postings? Use language that stands out.

State what makes you different

Beauty brand Sephora starts their project management job listing with a clear statement of purpose and identity.

The takeaway is that Sephora will set its employees up for success — not just in this role, but in future roles in the beauty industry. That’s a compelling opener. For your job posting, determine what’s special about the job and lead with that. Some ideas:

• Long-term career benefits - “Are you ready to build your network? This role puts you into contact with high-powered industry leaders.”
• Day-to-day perks - “Each of our new project managers is paired with a mentor to build their team leadership and executive communication skills.”

Hit the right balance of casual vs. formal

Here are a few strategies to nail your brand voice in the job posting:

If your brand voice is casual

• Focus on the future by explaining what your company hopes to accomplish within the industry. Be sure to explain where the project manager role fits into that story.

• Use applicant-focused language. This creates the sense that you're speaking directly to them. For example:

  • Instead of “This role reports to”, try “Meet your new team”
  • Instead of “General duties”, try “What you can expect from the workday”
  • Instead of “Company values”, try “You’ll be a great fit if you also value…”

If your brand voice is formal

• If you're in a more traditional industry or sector, you might need to use a formal voice. For example, “Our company is looking for an experienced Project Manager to oversee all company projects” is more appropriate than asking for a project management rockstar, go-getter, or guru.
• Formal doesn't have to mean boring. Highlight past accomplishments and notable awards.

Whether your brand is casual or formal

• Remove as much company or industry jargon as you can. It doesn't attract experienced candidates — it just makes your posting harder to read.
• Use vibrant, emotive language. If you’ve seen the same phrase in your competitors’ job descriptions, find a more interesting way to say it.

Sephora strikes the right balance here between fun and professional. To keep it accessible, they use short sentences and upbeat vocabulary (“fast”, “furious”, “real”).

Be transparent about required skills

You know what you're looking for, right? Be upfront about it. These ideas can help you translate expectations into a clear and specific list of requirements:

• Talk to a few people who will work closely with the PM role to find out what skills they think the ideal applicant would have. This will give you a good starting point when listing qualifications, particularly when it comes to soft skills. It's common for project management job listings to center technical skills and forget to mention people skills — which are arguably more important when you job is to persuade, inspire, and hold people accountable!
• List mandatory qualifications early in the job description, and clearly state which qualifications are preferred vs. mandatory. This is important for PM roles, since they often attract candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. You don't want to lose the perfect applicant due to miscommunication.
• Communicate the professional development/training opportunities that exist in the role. Many companies wait until after they make the hire to share this information, but why not lead with it? For example, “You'll get access to free training from LinkedInLearning to work on your career development goals."

Project manager job description samples

Need some writing inspiration? Borrow these descriptions of project manager duties and responsibilities from top companies:

• Develop and lead projects: Develop and lead projects by establishing goals, milestones, and partnering with team members and leaders across the organization on strategies for executing, measuring progress, and sharing results. (Facebook)
• Ensure asset quality and delivery: Collect, quality control, and input specifications from the team(s) you work with. Communicate review schedules, method of delivery, and ensure scope of assets requested are complete and accurate. (Ubisoft)
• Build company-wide relationships: Build strong cross-functional partnerships at all levels with Operations, Marketing, Design, and Human Resources, among others. Act as an advocate for your team and represent your team's interests with other business partners. (Athleta)
• Manage and limit project risk: Proactively identify, manage and mitigate project risks and find ways to accomplish project goals in the context of dynamic business & technical environments. (Visa)
• Lead and communicate with team: Motivate and manage team members to set and meet deadline obligations. Facilitate clear communications and open, on-task collaboration with team members & other stakeholders. (Autodesk)

Sell yourself to the applicant

While you should focus on the applicant's need and wants, you've also got to talk about your company. It's the only way to sell your future project manager on working for you specifically. Let’s look at how Fitbit handles it.

How to borrow Fitbit’s strategies to effectively sell your company

• Illustrate what’s special about you. Maybe you haven't sold over 90 million devices, but we bet you have impressive numbers tucked away somewhere. So go on — brag about your success, your vision, or the way you give back to the community.
• Go into specifics about culture. What defines your culture best? Is it oriented around process, people, or results? Is it a casual, startup-like culture, or does it have the reassuring feel of an established company? Fitbit’s job posting demonstrates that their culture is collaborative, focused on customers, and competitive.
• Get the applicant excited. Use emotive, action-oriented words and phrases like Fitbit did (“reenergize”, “transform”).

The takeaway: Stand out

Standing out is essential if you want to catch the eye of great project managers (or any top candidate, for that matter). So project your unique voice, be transparent, and sell the benefits of working for your company. You'll find the right candidate before you know it.