Program Manager Salary in India: Responsibilities and Factors

Program Managers lead teams and project managers to achieve organisational goals, overseeing operational progress and providing technical inputs. They are central to managing interconnected activities and resolving high scope issues. Naturally, they are highly demanded across industry sectors for their expertise. This blog will discuss the program manager salary in India and guide you on how to enter this work arena! 

Common Misconceptions about Program Management

Program management is often confused with product management and project management. While these job roles may look similar at the first glance, they are distinct in essence.

Product Management vs. Program Management

Product management is concerned with the strategic development, launch, and improvement of a company’s products. On the other hand, program management involves coordinating the interdependencies between different products and strategic initiatives. 

Program managers’ work profile goes beyond a single product and pervades organisation-wide tasks. They interact with multiple stakeholders and departments to ensure that everyone and everything is aligned with the shared company objectives.

Project Management vs. Program Management 

Similarly, project managers handle individual projects.  They plan, organise, and control time, budget and resources to meet the program guidelines. Here, the focus lies on the functional elements of the project. 

Program management is more strategic and tactical. Professionals in this job area supervise a set of projects and teams to deliver long-term business goals.  

Now that we have clarified the basics, let us understand the work profile of program managers in detail.

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Program Manager Responsibilities

Here are some standard areas where employers expect program managers to utilise their skills:

• Formulating, organising, and monitoring teams and projects.
• Designing and implementing suitable strategies to meet organisational objectives.
• Coordinating cross-project activities to deliver operational efficiency.
• Creating fast and effective solutions based on changing business requirements.
• Overseeing programs and guiding them to completion. 
• Evaluating performance and capabilities of team members.
• Undertaking timely reporting throughout the program lifecycle.
• Enabling clear and transparent communication throughout the organisation.
• Prioritising customer satisfaction and analysing risks. 
• Keeping abreast of industry trends to realise competitive advantage for the company. 

The above-mentioned work profile makes it evident that program management requires problem-solving, strategic innovation, and communication skills besides technical and domain knowledge. With the right qualifications and experience, you can earn premium salaries in IT, consulting, and other sectors. According to Payscale, the average program manager salary is currently estimated at Rs. 20,00,000 per year. 

The next section will familiarise you with the details of the compensation packages and what the employers look for in successful candidates.

Program Manager Salary in India

Program Manager roles boast of some of the highest salaries in the following sectors:

• Information Technology
• Software Development 
• Finance
• Marketing
• Healthcare
• Energy
• Engineering
• Construction
• Consulting

Prominent recruiters include Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Capgemini, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, Ola, Oyo, Publicis Sapient, Great Learning, Cisco, Tech Mahindra, Adobe, Oracle, Infosys, Accenture, Dell, Hewlett Packard, etc. Glassdoor reports that the pay grades for these companies range from Rs. 7,50,000 per annum to Rs. 25,00,000 per annum

However, the remuneration varies depending on the qualifications and experience level of the candidates. Program Manager salary for freshers currently stands at least Rs. 7,00,000 per year, which goes on increasing with relevant experience in the field

The highest salaries for senior program managers are around Rs 30,00,000 per annum. Payscale currently approximates the average pay at Rs. 29,71,619 per year while Glassdoor isn’t far off with an annual figure of Rs. 28,80,904. 

It is clear that a program management career comes with attractive rewards. But job aspirants often overlook the dynamics at play. While program managers are required in almost every workplace, how they get paid is based on several determinants. We have compiled them for you below.