Architects, chartered architectural technologists, planning officers, surveyors and construction professionals

How to become a construction project manager or related professional

Official title: Construction project managers and related professionals

Also called: Project manager, Contract manager, Projects manager, Contracts manager, Proposals manager, Commercial manager, Infrastructure manager, Building project manager, Building contracts manager, Electrical project manager, Electrical contracts manager, Construction project manager

Construction project managers and related professionals manage and oversee major construction and civil engineering projects and major building contracts for quality of work, safety, timeliness and completion within budget, forecast travel patterns and develop strategies for managing the impact of traffic-related demand.

Main tasks

Draws up budgets and timescales for new construction projects based on clients’ requirements
Briefs project team, contractors and suppliers
Assembles information for invoicing at the end of projects
Plans work schedules for construction projects based on prior discussion with architects, Chartered architectural technologists, surveyors etc.
Hires and may supervise site staff, establishes temporary site offices, takes delivery of materials
Regularly inspects and monitors progress and quality of work, ensures legal requirements are met
Identifies defects in work and proposes corrections
Records, monitors and reports progress

How to become one

Entrants normally possess a degree in a relevant subject or equivalent qualification and/or substantial work experience at an appropriate level. Further Continuing Professional Development is available in some areas.

Ways in

Apprenticeship (England): Transport planner (integrated degree) (level 6). England. Typically 60 months. Skills England standard ST0698.
Apprenticeship (England): Transport planning technician (level 3). England. Typically 30 months. Skills England standard ST0336.
University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 12 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

Median full-time pay: £47,665 a year The middle half earn £37,847 to £57,511.
About 107,400 people work in this job now, and about 120,500 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)

Questions people ask

How do I become a construction project manager or related professional?

How much does a construction project manager or related professional earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £47,665 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £37,847 to £57,511.

Is a construction project manager or related professional a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 107,400 to about 120,500 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a construction project manager or related professional?

Not always. 51% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Architecture & Built Environment degrees; Transport planner (integrated degree) (level 6).

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.