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Program Project Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Aquent

Program/ Project Manager

Chicago, IL · On-site

$45.27 - $54/hr

As a Program/Project Manager, you will be the backbone of dynamic initiatives, transforming intricate plans into tangible results and ensuring every stakeholder has a crystal-clear view of progress.

STV

Project/Program Manager - Aviation

Chicago, IL · On-site

$143K - $163K/yr

STV is seeking a Project/Program Manager to join our national aviation team to oversee and direct airport terminal improvements. We have projects nationwide at all major airports including the states ...

7 Kings Code LLC

Project Manager / Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL · On-site

$101K - $120K/yr

Chicago, IL Duration long-term Project Manager shall have the following qualifications and demonstrated experience: 1. Demonstrated experience in IT Infrastructure program / project management and ...

NextRow Digital

Technology Project Manager

Chicago, IL · On-site

EXPERIENCE • 3-6 years Technical Program or Senior-level Project Management. Candidate should have experience with both "large" projects (running for 6 months or longer, budget of $500k or more ...

Procom Services

212514 Project Manager

Saint Charles, IL

$96K - $114K/yr

Qualifications * 10+ years of experience in program/project management and in a corporate IT environment. * Experience with payroll, tax, accounting, and financial processes and technology.

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Program Project Manager information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$22

$55

$80

How much do program project manager jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for program project manager in Chicago, IL is $55.06, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $44.81 and $63.89 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a program project manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Program Project Manager, you need strong project management expertise, organizational skills, and a relevant degree or certification such as PMP or PRINCE2. Familiarity with project management tools like Microsoft Project, Jira, or Asana, as well as budget tracking systems, is typically required. Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills help you coordinate teams, manage stakeholders, and navigate challenges. These abilities are essential for delivering projects on time, within scope, and aligned with organizational goals.

How does a program project manager balance stakeholder expectations across multiple projects?

Program Project Managers often manage several projects simultaneously, each with its own set of stakeholders and priorities. Balancing these expectations requires clear communication, regular status updates, and the ability to negotiate resource allocation to meet competing needs. They frequently facilitate meetings to align goals, address risks early, and ensure transparency among teams. Building strong relationships and setting realistic timelines are key strategies to successfully manage stakeholder expectations across the program.

What is the difference between Program Project Manager vs Project Coordinator?

AspectProgram Project ManagerProject Coordinator
CertificationsPMP, PgMP, or similarCAPM, PMP (optional)
Work EnvironmentOversees multiple projects and teams, strategic focusSupports project teams, handles administrative tasks
Employer UsageUsed in organizations managing multiple related projectsCommon in project teams for task coordination
Search IntentComparing roles for managerial and strategic responsibilitiesLooking for support or entry-level project roles

The Program Project Manager typically oversees multiple related projects, focusing on strategic alignment and program outcomes, often requiring certifications like PMP or PgMP. In contrast, a Project Coordinator provides administrative support within individual projects, assisting with scheduling, documentation, and communication. Understanding these differences helps clarify career paths and role expectations in project management.

What cities near Chicago, IL are hiring for Program Project Manager jobs? Cities near Chicago, IL with the most Program Project Manager job openings:
Program Project Manager jobs near you
Infographic showing various Program Project Manager job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,520 per year, or $55.1 per hour.

Program/ Project Manager

Aquent

Chicago, IL • On-site

$45.27 - $54/hr

Temporary

Medical, Retirement

Re-posted 9 days ago

Job description

Placement Type:
Temporary
Salary:
$45.27-54 Hourly
Start Date:
Jul 20, 2026
Aquent is partnering with a leading organization at the forefront of innovation, dedicated to shaping the future of its industry. This company is known for its fast-paced environment and commitment to excellence, driving significant impact through strategic initiatives. Join a team where your contributions directly influence the success and efficiency of critical programs, ensuring seamless execution and clear communication across all levels.
Are you a master of organization, a wizard of workflow, and the ultimate orchestrator of complex initiatives? This is your chance to step into a pivotal role where you won't just manage tasks-you'll define the very rhythm of how impactful work gets done. As a Program/Project Manager, you will be the backbone of dynamic initiatives, transforming intricate plans into tangible results and ensuring every stakeholder has a crystal-clear view of progress. Your expertise will be the connective tissue that aligns cross-functional teams, drives accountability, and elevates the organization's ability to deliver on its strategic goals. If you thrive on bringing order to complexity and enabling high-performance execution, prepare to make an undeniable impact.
What You'll Do
  • Design, manage, and continuously improve the Agile operating model for the program, including sprint cadences, planning, and burndown tracking.
  • Define sprint outputs and expectations, holding workstream owners accountable to delivery commitments.
  • Build and maintain the program charter, roadmap, and sprint plans, adapting as priorities evolve.
  • Manage and expand the central workstream structure across all program pillars, ensuring coverage, clarity, and ownership.
  • Own and maintain the central work tracking system, including sprint boards, cross-workstream dashboards, and institution-level views.
  • Serve as the system administrator for all project tooling, ensuring boards are current, accurate, and useful.
  • Drive adoption of centralized execution systems across the team, migrating work away from ad hoc tracking.
  • Maintain status dashboards for both core team and executive audiences.
  • Schedule and facilitate the full operating rhythm: daily standups, weekly core working sessions, and biweekly executive meetings.
  • Create and distribute agendas, pre-reads, and rolling meeting notes for all recurring sessions.
  • Drive follow-up and accountability after every meeting, tracking open actions to closure.
  • Identify and escalate blockers, risks, and dependencies proactively.
  • Produce sprint reports including status summaries, burndown data, and workstream outputs.
  • Build and distribute executive updates and email communications on a biweekly cadence.
  • Maintain institution-level status trackers and consolidate completed, in-progress, and at-risk work into clear reporting.
  • Translate day-to-day execution activity into leadership-ready visibility, ensuring executives always have an accurate picture of program health.
  • Act as the connective tissue across all workstreams, aligning owners, tracking dependencies, and ensuring outputs are delivered on schedule.
  • Coordinate across various digital channels to keep work integrated and on track.
  • Facilitate alignment on shared priorities.
  • Manage agency and vendor coordination: scheduling kickoffs, aligning timelines and attendees, and tracking execution readiness.
  • Build and maintain centralized documentation repositories organized by workstream, ensuring materials are current, accessible, and version-controlled.
  • Own the program's central knowledge hub.
  • Enforce documentation standards across the team: upload compliance, naming conventions, and visibility across functions.
  • Consolidate incoming ideas, requests, and priorities from stakeholders into a structured backlog.
  • Translate intake into actionable tasks and sprint backlog items, ensuring nothing gets lost or deprioritized without visibility.
  • Partner with leadership to support prioritization decisions based on program goals and capacity.
  • Provide hands-on project management support for individual workstreams as needed.
  • Submit and track operational tickets and drive cross-functional resolution of blockers.

Qualifications
Must-Have Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field is preferred.
  • 3-5 years of experience in program or project management, preferably in a digital marketing, agency, or cross-functional enterprise environment.
  • Hands-on experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies, including sprint planning, backlog management, and burndown reporting.
  • Demonstrated experience with a leading project management platform (e.g., Asana, Jira, Azure DevOps, Workfront, or similar).
  • Experience managing executive-level reporting and preparing stakeholder communications or status updates.
  • Proficiency in modern collaboration and office productivity suites (e.g., Microsoft 365 tools including Teams, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
  • Ability to build and maintain project dashboards, trackers, and status reports.
  • Comfort with ticketing and operational systems.
  • Ability to quickly learn and become the administrator of new tools and platforms.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications
  • Familiarity with digital marketing concepts, such as search engine optimization or content operations, is a plus, but not required.

Soft Skills & Cultural Fit
  • Exceptionally organized with a strong bias toward systems, structure, and documentation-you create order in complex environments.
  • Strong project manager: you own timelines, track every open action, and close the loop without being asked.
  • Proactive communicator who keeps stakeholders informed, surfaces issues early, and drives accountability without being heavy-handed.
  • Highly collaborative with a team-first mindset-comfortable working across functions and seniority levels.
  • Strong sense of urgency and ownership; you treat the program's success as your own responsibility.
  • Detail-oriented and reliable-teams and leaders trust that what you produce is accurate and complete.
  • Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment where priorities shift and speed matters.
  • Willing to go above and beyond, and to roll up your sleeves for hands-on execution when the work calls for it.

What Success Looks Like
First 30-60 Days
You will take full ownership of the existing program infrastructure: sprint cadence, project management boards, meeting rhythm, and project status cadence. You will build trust with workstream owners and leadership by delivering accurate, on-time reporting and maintaining a clear, up-to-date picture of program health. You will also begin identifying gaps and proposing improvements to the operating model.
Ongoing Key Performance Indicators
  • Sprint delivery rate: percentage of committed sprint items completed on time.
  • Reporting timeliness: executive updates and sprint summaries delivered on schedule.
  • Backlog health: intake items triaged and on the board within agreed service level agreements.
  • Cross-workstream alignment: dependencies tracked and risks escalated before they impact delivery.
  • Dashboard accuracy: project management boards and status trackers reflect real-time program state.

About Skill:
Skill connects the best professional, IT, engineering, financial and administrative talent with the world's biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to benefits such as health benefit contributions, retirement plans with match and flexible spending accounts.
Skill is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

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