Project manager CV example
A project manager CV should show, for each project, what was delivered, how big it was and how it ended: scope, budget, team size, timescale and outcome. Put your certifications such as PRINCE2 or the APM PMQ near the top, then let the projects prove you can run the work, not just name the method.
By Adam Smith, EditorPublished Updated
Example CV
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Hiring managers for project roles read CVs looking for one thing above all: a project that looks like theirs. A building society replacing its mortgage platform wants someone who has moved a regulated system without losing data. A logistics firm rolling out handheld scanners to depots wants someone who has managed change across sites and shift patterns. If your CV says "delivered projects on time and on budget" and nothing else, you have given them nothing to match.
Build each role around its projects
Under each job, give one line on the organisation and your remit (for example, "IT change portfolio for a regional building society, reporting to the head of change"). Then describe your two to four biggest projects as short blocks. Each block answers the same questions in the same order, so the reader can compare them at a glance:
- What the project was and why the business wanted it.
- Size: budget, team, suppliers, number of sites or users.
- Your role: sole PM, workstream lead, or PM reporting to a programme manager.
- The method and governance, in a few words.
- How it ended: live date against plan, cost against budget, and what changed for the business afterwards.
Be exact about your role. A panel will find out at interview if you ran a workstream rather than the whole project, and it reflects well on you to say so first. If a project was paused, cancelled or went over, you can still include it. Say what you learned or what you salvaged, and move on.
Certifications UK employers ask for
Put certifications in their own short section on the first page, with the level and the year. The ones that come up most in UK adverts are these.
PRINCE2
PRINCE2 has Foundation and Practitioner levels. Write the level, because an advert asking for Practitioner is screening out Foundation. If you use PRINCE2 at work, say how: stage gates, exception reports, a project board. That tells the reader you have applied it, not only passed the exam.
APM qualifications
The Association for Project Management offers qualifications including the Project Management Qualification (PMQ). APM membership grades are also worth listing if you hold one.
Agile certificates
Scrum and agile certificates help when the advert is for a delivery manager or an agile project manager. On their own they say little about delivery, so pair them with a project where you actually ran sprints, a backlog or a release plan.
Agile or waterfall: use the words the team uses
Many IT project managers work in a hybrid way: a staged plan and business case for the board, with agile delivery inside it. Describe that honestly. If the advert talks about sprints, backlogs and product owners, show where you worked with those. If it talks about stage gates, RAID logs and change control, bring those forward. Do not claim to be expert in both and prove neither. Match the vocabulary to the job, then back it with one real example.
Proving stakeholder management
Nearly every project manager advert asks for "excellent stakeholder management", and nearly every CV repeats the phrase back. Evidence reads differently. Name who the stakeholders were and what you did with them: "Chaired the fortnightly project board with the COO and two heads of department", "Won agreement from depot managers at six sites to a phased rollout after the first pilot slipped", "Managed a supplier through a contract variation without extending the go-live date". Those lines show seniority, conflict and outcome without a single adjective.
The top of the page
Open with a three-line profile: how many years in project management, the sectors and the type of project, the largest budget or team you have led, and your certifications. Then your job history, newest first. A skills section can follow, but keep it to tools and methods (Jira, MS Project, Smartsheet, RAID logs, benefits tracking) rather than qualities. Two pages is the norm for an experienced project manager. Use a single-column layout, because many project roles come through agencies and online applicant tracking systems.
From coordinator to project manager, and beyond
Many project managers start as project coordinators or PMO analysts, keeping plans, logs and board papers for someone else. That is real experience. When you apply for your first PM role, pick the pieces you ran yourself: a small workstream, the user acceptance testing, a supplier you chased, a cutover weekend you organised. Describe them as projects, with scope and outcome, and state plainly that you did them as coordinator.
Going the other way, towards programme or senior project roles, the reader wants to see several projects at once, dependencies between them, benefits tracked after go-live, and people you led who were not your direct reports. Put a line on the size of the portfolio at the top of that role.
Habits that weaken a project manager CV
- Methodology words with no project behind them.
- Budgets and team sizes missing, so the reader cannot judge the scale.
- Outcomes written as activities ("responsible for delivery") instead of results ("went live in March, on budget").
- Company revenue or share price quoted as if you caused it.
- Every project listed, however small. Pick the ones that fit the advert.
For pay, the National Careers Service gives an average of £35,000 a year for a starter IT project manager and £60,000 for an experienced one. Programme and senior project roles pay more.
Skills to put on a project manager CV
Practical skills
- PRINCE2 stage planning and exception reporting
- Budget control and forecasting
- RAID logs and change control
- Supplier and contract management
- Agile delivery (sprints, backlog, release planning)
- Cutover and go-live planning
- Jira and MS Project
Personal qualities
- Chairing project boards
- Negotiating scope and priorities
- Delivering bad news early
- Bringing reluctant teams along with change
- Clear written reporting
Project Manager salary in the UK
£35,000 to £60,000a year
National Careers Service average for IT project managers, starter to experienced. Programme and senior project roles pay more.
Source: National Careers Service, IT project manager job profile, 28 September 2026.
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Questions people ask
- What should a project manager CV include?
- A short profile, your certifications, and your work history with each role built around two to four projects. For every project give the scope, budget, team size, your role and the outcome. Add a brief list of tools and methods, then education.
- Is PRINCE2 Foundation worth putting on a CV?
- Yes, but name the level. Foundation shows you know the method; Practitioner shows you can apply it, and many adverts ask for Practitioner. If you use PRINCE2 at work, add a line on how, such as stage gates or exception reporting, so the reader sees it in practice.
- How do I write a project manager CV with no project manager title?
- Look for projects you ran inside another job: a system rollout, an office move, a process change. Describe each with its scope, the people involved and the outcome. Add a PRINCE2 Foundation or APM qualification and apply for project coordinator or junior PM roles first.
- Should I include failed projects?
- You can, if it was a significant piece of work. Be honest about what happened and give the part you delivered or what you did when it went wrong, such as a controlled closure or a recovery plan. Panels often respect that more than a record that sounds too clean.
- How long should a project manager CV be?
- Two pages for an experienced project manager. Put the profile, certifications and your most recent projects on page one. Older roles can shrink to a line or two each. Programme managers with a long history sometimes need a little more, but only if every project earns its place.
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