How to become a project support officer
Official title: Project support officers
Also called: Project analyst, Project officer, Project planner, Project assistant, Project associate, Project coordinator, Projects coordinator, Project administrator, Project support officer, Programme support officer, Project controls assistant, Research project assistant
Project support officers assist in the organisation, planning, monitoring and direction of a project and ensure it is adequately resourced and on schedule.
Main tasks
- Analyses project components, organises them into a logical sequence and establishes the minimum time required for the project
- Creates and maintains a project timetable, helps ensure the project proceeds on schedule and manages relevant administrative elements of the project
- Advises on project procedures and assists the project team in decision making
- Liaises with and ensures effective communication between the project team, other departments, the project manager, the client and/or senior management
- Monitors the progress of the project and provides updates to project team, clients and other stakeholders
How to become one
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades, A levels/H grades, a BTEC/SQA award or equivalent qualifications. On-the-job training is usually provided, and professional qualifications are available.
Ways in
- University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £35,751 a year The middle half earn £30,055 to £42,644.
- About 42,100 people work in this job now, and about 44,100 are projected by 2035. (+4.6%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a project support officer?
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades, A levels/H grades, a BTEC/SQA award or equivalent qualifications. On-the-job training is usually provided, and professional qualifications are available.
How much does a project support officer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £35,751 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £30,055 to £42,644.
Is a project support officer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5% by 2035, from about 42,100 to about 44,100 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a project support officer?
Usually. 60% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
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.