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Program Manager Salary in India in 2024 [For Freshers & Experienced]

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What Is Program?

Before we jump into program management, let’s understand what’s the Program?

A program is a collection of projects that are managed as a group to achieve efficiencies of scale. Just as project management involves the coordination of individual tasks, program management is the coordination of related projects that are grouped together.

Projects are bundled together into a program when the benefits of managing the collection outweigh the benefits of managing them as individual units.

What Is Program Management?

Program management is the process of managing several related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization’s performance

What Is A Program Manager?

In this role, Program Managers are tasked with overseeing individual projects while assessing the program’s strategy and how it will affect the business. It is a career that continues to be in-demand with businesses in every industry, as Program Managers design the blueprint for programs, implement the projects that make up the program and make sure all the various pieces are in place to make the program and the business a success.

Program Managers take the helm in designing, planning and overseeing the successful completion of a program and the various projects that define the program in their organization. They layout the program’s strategy, communicate its objectives and analyse how it will impact the company. Program Managers ensure long-term organizational objectives are met and that strategic benefits and business growth are achieved at the completion of a program.

 

Program Manager - Job Description

Responsibilities For Program Manager

  • Leading and managing large, complex enterprise-level projects
  • Define, shape and drive product and technology roadmap, create clarity to guide plans and drive success.
  • Meet business objectives by successfully designing, implementing and guiding programs to completion.
  • Overseeing project managers and their project teams.
  • Creating fast and effective solutions when issues arise.
  • Documenting all aspects of work and presenting progress to leadership and stakeholders.
    Proven ability to manage relationships at all org levels.

Qualifications For Program Manager

  • Certificate / Diploma in project/program management preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, business, or a related field
  • 5+ years of project/program management and relevant experience
  • A proven track record of successfully implementing software or web development projects using Agile methodologies
  • Solid understanding of and demonstrated experience in using appropriate tools such as Jira, Microsoft Project or equivalent
  • Excellent presentation, communication, and negotiation skills, across functions and organizational layers
  • Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on details while maintaining the “big picture” view
  • An aptitude for budgeting, scheduling, and assigning tasks
  • Decision-making and prioritization skills, conflict resolution, community building, and follow-through

Rising Career Opportunities In Program Management

Even before the pandemic, Need for Program Management was evolving at the speed of light. But now, every organization needs skilled Program Manager to ensure business objectives are met. In a world-widely getting disrupted by digital and data, organizations are increasingly finding the need to respond faster and be more agile in the way programs are being managed.

  • 20% expected growth in Global program management labor force through 2027 resulting in 8 million new program management jobs creation
  • 2 million new program management jobs by 2027 in India

Going by the reports, by 2027, India will be the second-largest producer of program management-oriented jobs in the world, second only to China. At a global level, 8 million new program management job openings are expected by 2027.

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Program Management Job Openings

First, let us look at the opportunities open to program managers in India. A simple LinkedIn search can land you on more than 6000 job opportunities for a Program Manager in India, and that too from reputed service and product-based organizations.

LinkedIn Program Manager job search results

On Naukri, there is more than 35000 program manager-related job openings from different firms in India. Out of these, almost 9662 are from Bangalore, followed by 6000 from Delhi and 4000 from Pune and Mumbai each. There are ample opportunities for people with the right skill sets and experience. So, there are opportunities galore for program managers, and the indispensable nature of their jobs ensures that program manager salary in India is quite elevated.

Naukri - Program manager job search result

Program Manager Salary In India

Let us look at the most important aspect – the Program Manager Salary in India. How much can you earn if you enter this field?

The Median Program Manager Salary In India

According to Glassdoor, the average program manager salary in India is around Rs 26,50,000. For comparison, the average salary for a project manager in India is only around Rs 15,00,000. So, being a program manager could you fetch almost two times more income than your project management counterparts!

Program Manager Career Path and Salary Trajectory

Let’s explore different experience and seniority levels and their salary trajectory

Role / Designation

Experience

Average Salary

L2 - Technical Program Manager 

1 - 10 years

18.5 Lakhs

L3 - Senior Program Manager

7 - 14 years

28 Lakhs

L4 - Principal Program Manager

15+ years

36 Lakhs

L5 - Head Program Manager

17+ years

41 Lakhs

L6 - Vice President of Program Management

20+ years

52 Lakhs

List Of Top And Popular Recruiters

Your salary will also depend on the company you are working in. Normally, tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Flipkart and Walmart pay more than average. But getting into these can be quite challenging as they generally have a rigorous recruitment process and tend to require higher aptitude and problem-solving skills than average.

List of top recruiters based on their pay:

Program Manager salary by company
Program Manager salary by company

Top Paying Locations In India For Program Manager

Also, the amount in your paycheck may also depend on your location. Location plays a vital role in determining project manager salary in India. The table below shows that most of the bigger cities in India offer a salary higher than the national average.

1. Greater Bengaluru Area

2. Pune/Pimpri-Chinchwad Area

3. Greater Hyderabad Area

4. Greater Chennai Area

5. Mumbai Metropolitan Region

6. Greater Delhi Area

Program Manager Salary In Other Countries

How do Indian salaries compare to the top countries in the world? Let’s find out

COUNTRY SALARY (USD)
AUSTRALIA $165000
SWITZERLAND $160,000
UNITED STATES $140,000
UNITED KINGDOM $125,000
GERMANY $120,000

Influencing Factors For Program Manager Salary

Here is a list of the factors that affect the Program Manager salary:

  • More experience: Managers having more experience earn a higher amount of salary as compared to freshers, managing their first projects.
  • Location: Location plays a vital role in the salary of a Project Manager. If a candidate gets a job in cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, etc, will be paid a higher salary when compared to other cities in India.
  • Sector and company: The Program Manager salary also depends upon the type of company the professionals choose to work in. The sector they opt for also impacts their salary on a high scale. The bigger the company, the greater the salary.
  • Skills: If they have sufficient skills, they can optimize their work efficiently. And greater the performance, more the benefits in terms of salary

Why Should You Become A Program Manager?

It is but natural to be attracted to the high salary that a project manager can earn. But, to succeed, you need to have a passion for driving a project from inception to closure. As is mentioned above, you can develop the skills but you should be clear on why you want to pursue the field.

Let us understand why you can pursue this field:

  • Program management is very rewarding and job satisfaction is high in comparison with other job profiles.
  • Program managers are high in demand and the demand is set to increase. It means a good project manager can pick and choose projects that suit them.
  • A variety of fields requires program managers, so you will have a chance to work in a field that is of interest to you. Some of the sectors that you can explore are Infrastructure, IT, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Telecom, Oil, and gas, etc.
  • The learning curve allows for constant professional growth. You will interact with different perspectives across cultures and sensibilities. It will also help with personal growth.
  • You build your risk assessment and management skills. These are the skills that are essential for leadership roles. Most CEOs are experienced and applauded program managers. To make your career to grow as a program manager and earn the highest possible program manager salary in India, you need to have update your required skills.

Conclusion

Program Management is an unyielding, established domain. From the facts given in this blog, it is clear that this field is not going to diminish in importance at any time soon. Rather, its demand in the industry is going to be at the peak. Every organization comes up with brilliant and unique ideas, every now and then. To handle these ideas and projects, these companies need some great minds. Transforming an idea into reality can be thrust into the hands of a Program Manager provided the professional is well-equipped with the specific skill set. 

We hope that the blog could clear your doubts about the salary, job opportunities, and related information you were seeking on Program Management. If you want to add more points or share feedback, you can tell us in the comment box down there.

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