PMO job profile /
Project Management Office (M/F/D)

Project Management Office: What is it? And what does PMO stand for?

The abbreviation PMO stands for Project Management Office, and is an in-house department which helps to define and maintain company-specific project standards. In other words: The PMO helps to ensure that projects are organized and run smoothly. Whereas a small business might be able to do without a PMO, a project management office is essential for companies that carry out multiple projects simultaneously.

Because as the number of projects increases, so does the need for a control centre where all of the coordination threads come together. This is where the PMO comes in. In the PMO, tasks from controlling and strategic planning converge with project management, quality assurance and coaching. By combining all of these elements under one roof, the PMO ensures that projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

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For companies
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Are you looking for a job in the PMO (m/f/d)?

Are you passionate about the subject of PMO and project management, and do you enjoy controlling and establishing project standards? Have you already successfully implemented the strategic planning of company targets and the associated resource planning as a project manager? If you are looking for a new professional challenge with your PMO know-how, then let's talk about it.

Find current vacancies in the PMO

Are you looking for experienced employees in the PMO (m/f/d)?

Does your company need more structure and standardized processes in project management?
If you need active support in standardizing project-related management and supervisory processes and are endeavouring to share resources, tools and methods within your company, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Find qualified experts in the PMO

Are you a PMO expert looking for projects (m/f/d)?

As an organizational talent, have you already operationally supported specialists and managers in project management? As a freelancer, have you been able to take on cross-project management and allocation of resources in a number of projects? Contribute your knowledge and experience to new projects within a PMO, and support well-known companies in various project management tasks.

Current projects for experts in the PMO

The tasks in the PMO

As a rule, the tasks of the Project Management Office mainly include:

supporting stakeholders in the planning and tracking of projects,
developing and implementing project controlling and
maintaining an overall view of all projects.

The PMO also often develops and maintains a standardized reporting system with your project managers in order to track project management progress and communicate the results to all project participants in a nutshell. By supporting efficient project management and providing regular reports on project progress, the PMO is instrumental in ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget.

PMO salary: You can expect the following:

At junior level, employees in the PMO can earn up to EUR 43,000 gross per annum. As a manager in the Project Management Office, you will earn between EUR 55,000 and EUR 77,000 gross per annum. However, the salary can vary considerably in Germany. In the German metropolitan areas, the salaries are EUR 20,000 higher than those in rural regions. The industry, the size of the company and the number of managed projects also play a decisive part.

Vacancies in the PMO

Training as an employee in the Project Management Office

Due to the increasing need for quality and sustainability in project management, there has been a considerable increase in the number of training opportunities in recent years. Many educational institutions and media houses offer basic courses for the PMO, training to become a PMO master and master class workshops.

There isn't a classic training course for becoming a specialist in the Project Management Office, but the majority of companies and organizations want technical training with qualification as a technical project manager for this important position. If you have succeeded in starting a career in controlling, technical training and quality assurance, you also have the best prerequisites for getting a job in a PMO.

Which hard skills and soft skills are required for working in the PMO?

When an increasing number of projects are being coordinated within a project portfolio, the Project Management Office is not just about sheer technical competence and the planned and efficient implementation of projects. The tasks in the PMO are also aimed at appropriate controlling and the monitoring of personal and financial interactions between the projects. The PMO employees should pass on their own experience and, thanks to their contagious motivation and communication skills, they should train colleagues in internal training courses and develop standards and routines for future projects.

It is particularly important for PMO experts to have the following skills:

Analytical and strategic skills, and problem-solving ability
Knowledge of project management and accomplished use of project management tools
Experience in controlling, and prior knowledge of project management standards and the quality assurance thereof
Decision-making capability, assertiveness and entrepreneurial thinking
The ability to summarise results and present them to stakeholders
Strong leadership qualities
Good written and verbal communication skills
Attention to detail
Initiative and willingness to perform

PMO jobs: These are your career prospects in the Project Management Office

With the increasing number of projects in companies and organizations, the need for a PMO is also on the increase – and with it the need for well-trained specialists and managers in the project management area.

The exact job title varies in German companies and organizations. However, there is no doubt about the career prospects. Because they are very good for a PMO manager, consultant or director. However, the need for specialists in the PMO is greater in large companies and corporations than it is in small organizations. Whether such a control centre is set up there permanently in project management and the form that it takes depends on the project portfolio as a whole, as well as the specific size and complexity of the project.

Is there such as thing as the perfect PMO team?

Not only do we believe so, but we are convinced that a suitable match exists for every vacancy and every company.

In order to meet the demands and needs of both specialists and executives in the PMO as well as companies and organizations, we use our innovative "Find & Engage" concept: To do this, we store extensive profiles for our customers and our applicants, and add all of the information about profile requirements, hard skills and soft skills, but also very individual requirements. In the search for the perfect person, we compare the company profiles with those of our candidates very carefully and contact both parties if the respective criteria are met.

We then find out together whether cooperation is feasible during an interview. If a considerable amount of interest is shown, we at Hays will design the contractual framework for a collaborative partnership. PMO employees can sign a contract directly with the company or as part of temporary employment at Hays.

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