Program Manager (Social Services)
Impact: Direct Community Impact
Manages and coordinates social service programs, overseeing staff, budgets, and program development to ensure effective delivery of services to communities in need.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- Primarily team-based with significant individual responsibilities.
- Client facing
- Always
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Low
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 45
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $75,000
- Entry-level
- $55,000
- Senior
- $100,000
- Growth by 2033
- 12%
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- Medium
- Typical student debt
- $30,000 - $60,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Program Management
- Budget Management
- Grant Writing
- Data Analysis
- Policy Implementation
Soft skills
- Communication
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Organizational
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5
- Years to senior
- 10
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Social Worker
- Case Manager
- Program Coordinator
- Program Manager
- Director of Programs
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 10%
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 4.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- Very High