Leadership role
Program Manager
Plans, coordinates and manages the delivery of one or more of an organization's programs or services.
Reporting and scope
Reports to a Director of Programs or Chief Program Officer. Authority covers one or more programs, including their teams and budgets.
Core responsibilities
- Plans program activities and sets targets
- Supervises program employees and volunteers
- Manages program budgets and grant deliverables
- Collects outcome data and prepares funder reports
- Builds partnerships with community groups and agencies
- Keeps services in line with contract and licensing rules
How it differs
The Director of Programs oversees the full program portfolio, while the Program Manager runs specific programs. A Project Director leads time-limited projects. The Operations Manager focuses on logistics rather than program design.
By organization size
In small organizations the Program Manager may be the senior program employee. In large agencies there are many program managers under program directors.
Filings from the last five years mapped to this role commonly report titles such as: Program Manager; Senior Program Manager; Sr Program Manager; Sr. Program Manager; Clinical Program Manager; Assistant Program Manager
See what this role pays
Median reported total compensation, nationally: $126,000. Based on 1,844 IRS Form 990 filings, fiscal years 2021–2025.
This median spans organizations of every budget size and sector, so it will not match a benchmark for one organization.
State pay pages for this role: California, Oregon, Texas.
Benchmark pay for this role