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How to Become a Project Manager in South Africa (2024 Guide)

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Skilled project managers are in demand in South Africa which is an advantage for job seekers to tap into an industry that offers competitive salary and career growth. There are a lot of thrilling career opportunities to become a project manager in South Africa in industries like construction, finance, IT, healthcare and marketing. The following guide will help you on steps you can take to become a project manager in South Africa including the key industries, ways to penetrate project management with or without a degree and the average salaries. 

What Does a Project Manager Do?

In South Africa, a project manager’s main responsibilities are developing detailed plans, outlining tasks, organizing and directing the completion of specified projects on time, on budget and within scope. A project manager is also responsible for team leadership across various departments and taking care of any challenges that may arise during the project.


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Project Manager Salary In South Africa

Project manager salaries slightly differ according to industries, industries like It and finance tend to pay higher than other industries. Another factor to earning higher than the average salary is having certifications like PMP or Prince 2. Experience level and the location in which you are hired can also impact your salary. Here is an average project manager salary in South Africa:

  • Entry-Level Project Manager: R360 000 per year
  • Mid-Level Project Manager (5-9 years): R 776 325 per year
  • Senior Project Manager (10+ years): R6 825 429 per year

Career Aspiration and Development for Project Managers in South Africa

  1. Get and Entry-Level Project Coordinator/Junior Project Manager: Consider stepping into roles like project coordinator, assistant project manager, junior project manager to learn the ropes on project management.
  2. Become a Project Manager: Step into your role by leading a team through a project by making sure that the project runs smoothly, on time and on budget.
  3. Progress to Senior Project Manager: Start executing projects in larger scope like high-budget projects and mentoring junior project managers.
  4. Project Management Office (PMO) Director/Head of Projects:oversee the strategy and success of a project management division within a business.
  5. Chief Operations Officer (COO): Implement new strategies across the business.

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Essential Project Management Courses in South Africa

Formal training and on the job experience will elevate you on becoming a successful project manager in South Africa. Review the following courses:

  1. Project Management Professional (PMP)PMI South Africa
    • Recommended for people who are new to project management
    • Teaches you the language, the processes and unearth the knowledge areas in project management
    • Internationally recognized 
    • Course fee: R12,000 – R20,000
    • Duration: Self-paced ( 35+ hours of study)
  2. PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments)Offered by various training providers
    • for project management professionals seeking to broaden their skill set and enhance their career prospects.
    • Internationally recognized course commonly used in government and large organizations
    • Course fee: R7,000 – R12,000
    • Duration: 5 days (online options available)
  3. Diploma in Project ManagementVarsity College, University of Cape Town (GetSmarter)
    • The diploma offers you the tools to develop a Project Management framework for a business, which outlines an appropriate implementation method, an adaptive plan, and risk-mitigation strategies.
    • Course fee: R15,000 – R30,000
    • Duration: 6 – 12 months
  4. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)PMI South Africa
    • This course is recommended for beginners giving them a great entry-level certification that covers fundamentals of project management basics.
    • Course fee: R6,000 – R8,000
    • Duration: Self-paced
  5. Agile and Scrum CertificationOffered by Agile Africa, University of Cape Town (GetSmarter)
    • Recommended for those looking to work in tech and software development industries under project management.
    • Course fee: R5,000 – R15,000
    • Course Duration: 2 – 5 days

Industries that are always in need for Project Managers in South Africa

The kind of certification you will need depends on the industry you are joining. The following industries are usually in frequent need to hire Project managers in South Africa:

  • Construction: Planning coordinating and managing all departments and phases of construction until completion.
  • Information Technology (IT): Helps organizations achieve their IT goals by planning and executing projects,  introduce new software solutions, scale IT processes, or switch cloud providers for an organization
  • Finance and Banking: specializes in risk management, budgeting, team building and system upgrades.
  • Healthcare: help in coordinating and managing healthcare projects related to facility upgrades, monitor operations, train team members, and patient management systems..
  • Marketing: Coordinate campaigns, assign tasks. Preparing budget and timelines, product launches, and creating project deliverables. 

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Can You Become a Project Manager Without a Degree?

Having a degree will open more doors for you in your career development,but some of the successful project managers became project managers without a degree so yes, it is possible. You can become a project manager from hands-on experience you acquired while being an assistant, studying online and gaining the proper certification or starting from being an intern and working your way to the top. 


Career Paths to Transition into Project Management

The are skills that can easily be transferred to project management, the following career roles can successfully transform to project management:

  1. Business Analyst: Business analysts possess the organizational and analytical skills that are needed in project management.
  2. Operations Manager: supervises and leads a team of employers, provides coaching and guiding which is also a crucial skill in project management.
  3. Marketing Coordinator: leads a team, manages campaigns, timelines and budget, the way project managers do.
  4. IT Support or Developer: If you are an IT Supporter, it’s easy to switch to IT project management especially with an Agile or Scrum certification.
  5. Engineer or Architect: The valuable expertise and experience from being an engineer or architect can move you to project management.

Tips to Starting Your Career in Project Management

  1. Gain Practical Experience: Start as small as entry level jobs which involves assisting project managers and learning the ropes from them. Hands-on experience through internships, project coordinator roles, or junior project manager positions can be valuable for your career journey.
  2. Build Strong Communication Skills: You need to learn how to communicate professionally as you will be leading teams and interacting with  stakeholders.
  3. Learn Project Management Tools: Proficiency in Microsoft Project, Trello, Asana and Jira will be an added advantage. 
  4. Network in Your Chosen Industry: Build connections in your industry and attend your local networking workshops to stay updated on what’s new in the industry.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking into becoming a project manager in South Africa, start by choosing the industry that best suits your skill set, gain certification under the institutions mentioned above and gain hands-on experience. You do not always need to have a degree to be a project manager, you can choose to study one of the project manager courses and penetrate the market through entry level jobs like internship or junior project manager then you work your way to the top. Project management is one of the lucrative jobs that pays well in South Africa and offers career growth.

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