6 free templates by level and type: manager, analyst, director, coordinator, single officer, and supportive vs controlling vs directive, with the FLSA classification and an office-versus-officer guide. Download as DOCX.
PMO is one of the more confusing titles to hire for, because the abbreviation means two things: a Project Management Office, the function that governs how projects run, and a Project Management Officer, the person who works in or runs it. On top of that, a PMO comes in three types and several levels, from a coordinator to a director, each with different pay and authority.
This page sorts it out: templates for every level, a guide to the three PMO types, and an honest note on when a company actually needs a PMO versus a project coordinator. The six templates below cover a PMO manager, analyst, director, coordinator, a single officer for a smaller organization, and a by-type decision template, each with the FLSA classification built in. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
PMO means either a Project Management Office (the function) or a Project Management Officer (the person). PMOs come in three types, supportive, controlling, and directive, and several levels from coordinator to director. Classification depends on level: a manager or director is exempt, a coordinator is typically non-exempt. A formal PMO is usually a mid-size or larger-company structure; smaller teams hire a project coordinator instead. Download six templates as DOCX, by level and type.
What PMO Means
A PMO, or Project Management Office, is the function that standardizes and oversees how projects are run across an organization: setting governance and methodology, maintaining templates, overseeing the portfolio, supporting project managers, and aligning projects with business priorities. The abbreviation can also refer to a Project Management Officer, the individual who staffs or leads that function.
There is no dedicated federal occupation for PMO roles. The closest proxies are project management specialists (SOC 13-1082) for coordinator and analyst levels and management occupations for managers and directors. PMOs are most common in mid-size and large organizations that run many projects at once.
Office vs Officer, and PMO Types
Two distinctions shape every PMO job description: whether you mean the office or an officer, and which of the three PMO types you are building.
PMO type
Control level
What the role does
Supportive
Low
Provides templates, best practices, and guidance
Controlling
Moderate
Requires and checks methodology compliance
Directive
High
Directly manages projects and assigns PMs
Officer (single role)
Varies
One person coordinates projects across teams
The practical takeaway: decide office versus officer first, then pick the type, then the level. A smaller organization usually wants a single officer or a coordinator with a supportive approach, not a full directive PMO with a director.
PMO Duties and Responsibilities
PMO duties cluster into four areas: governance and standards, portfolio and reporting, support and improvement, and alignment. The emphasis shifts by level and type, with coordinators weighted toward support and directors toward strategy.
Pick the template by level, and decide the office-versus-officer question and the PMO type first. The core structure is the same across all six, and every one includes the FLSA classification note that generic templates leave out.
PMO Manager
Leads the PMO
The core version: set project governance and standards, oversee the portfolio, and support project managers. Almost always exempt and salaried.
PMO Analyst
Data and reporting
For tracking and analysis: dashboards, status reports, and portfolio performance. Classification depends on the actual duties.
PMO Director
Enterprise strategy
For owning the PMO at the organizational level: strategy, team leadership, and enterprise governance. Exempt and senior.
PMO Coordinator
Entry-level support
Administrative and coordination support for the PMO. Typically non-exempt and hourly, and the most accessible level for a smaller team.
PMO Officer
Single role, small org
A single Project Management Officer running coordination across the organization, fitting a smaller setting or a lightweight PMO of one.
PMO by Type
Decision template
A decision template for the three PMO types, supportive, controlling, and directive, to combine with the matching level.
Match the Level and Type
Leading the office: PMO Manager. Enterprise strategy: PMO Director. Data and reporting: PMO Analyst. Entry-level support: PMO Coordinator. A single coordinator for a smaller org: PMO Officer. Unsure which structure: use the by-type template to choose supportive, controlling, or directive. Coordinator and officer levels fit a smaller team best; manager and director are mid-size and enterprise roles.
6 Free PMO Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a classification note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
PMO manager, analyst, director, coordinator, single officer, and by-type decision template. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: PMO Manager
The core version: set project governance and standards, oversee the portfolio, and support project managers. Almost always exempt and salaried.
PMO Manager Job Description
PMO MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: [City, State]
Reports to: [Director of PMO / COO / Head of Operations]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative / executive)
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[One or two sentences about your company, the project portfolio, and the PMO this
manager will lead.]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a PMO Manager to lead our Project Management Office. You
will set project governance and standards, oversee the project portfolio, support
project managers, and ensure projects are delivered consistently, on time, and on
budget across the organization.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Establish and maintain project governance and standards
•Oversee the project portfolio and reporting
•Support and develop project managers
•Define methodologies, templates, and best practices
•Track project performance, risk, and resources
•Report portfolio status to leadership
•Drive process improvement across projects
•Align projects with organizational priorities
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Several years of project management and leadership experience
•Knowledge of PMO governance and project methodologies
•Strong organization, communication, and stakeholder skills
•Experience with project and portfolio tools
•Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•PMP, PgMP, or PMI-PBA certification
•Experience building or scaling a PMO
•Portfolio management experience
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
A PMO Manager who formulates and implements management policy and directs project
governance generally meets the FLSA administrative exemption, and one who
supervises staff may meet the executive exemption, so this role is typically exempt
and salaried. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: PMO Analyst
For tracking and analysis: dashboards, status reports, and portfolio performance. Classification depends on the actual duties.
PMO Analyst Job Description
PMO ANALYST JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: [City, State]
Reports to: [PMO Manager]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: [Exempt or non-exempt by duties; see note]
Compensation: $_____ per year
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a PMO Analyst to support our Project Management Office
with data, reporting, and analysis. You will track project performance, maintain
dashboards and reports, and help the PMO keep projects on plan.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Track and analyze project and portfolio performance
•Build and maintain dashboards and status reports
•Monitor schedules, budgets, risks, and resources
•Support governance and reporting processes
•Maintain project documentation and data quality
•Help project managers with planning and tracking
•Identify trends and flag issues for the PMO
•Support continuous improvement of PMO processes
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Project analysis, coordination, or PMO experience
•Strong data, reporting, and analytical skills
•Proficiency with project and reporting tools
•Attention to detail and organization
•Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•CAPM or PMP certification
•Experience with portfolio reporting tools
•Data visualization skills
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
Classification is fact-specific. A PMO Analyst exercising independent judgment on
significant matters may be exempt; one doing primarily routine reporting and data
work may be non-exempt and owed overtime. Classify by actual duties. This is
general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
Role: Directly manages projects and assigns project managers from the PMO. High
control; the PMO owns delivery.
Emphasis: direct project ownership, resource assignment, full portfolio control.
SHARED CORE RESPONSIBILITIES (ANY TYPE)
•Define and maintain project standards
•Track and report project and portfolio status
•Support project managers and teams
•Manage risks, resources, and governance to the chosen level
•Align projects with organizational priorities
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
Classification follows the level and duties, not the type. A manager or director
is typically exempt; a coordinator is typically non-exempt. Classify by actual
primary duties. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA Classification by Level
Classification depends on the level and the actual duties, not the title, and the answer differs sharply between a director and a coordinator.
A Salaried Coordinator Is Not Automatically Exempt
A PMO Manager or Director who formulates and implements policy and directs the function is typically exempt under the administrative and executive exemptions. But a PMO Coordinator doing routine, support-level work without independent judgment on significant matters is non-exempt and owed overtime, regardless of a salary setup. The common, costly mistake is treating a coordinator as exempt because they are salaried. Classify by the actual primary duties, pay overtime where the role is non-exempt, and confirm against current federal and state thresholds.
Pay rises sharply with level, so benchmark to the specific tier rather than a single number, and remember a non-exempt coordinator is owed overtime.
Project Management Specialist Median $100,750; Management $122,090 (BLS)
With no dedicated occupation for PMO roles, the closest federal proxies are project management specialists, with a median annual wage of $100,750 as of the May 2024 data (for coordinator and analyst levels, with the lowest 10 percent under $59,830), and management occupations broadly, with a median of $122,090 (for manager and director levels) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). National compensation surveys place PMO managers and directors well into six figures.
Coordinators sit at the lower end and are the most accessible for a smaller team; managers and directors run well into six figures, which is why those senior tiers are typical of larger organizations. For a posting, benchmark to the level and your region, set an hourly rate for a coordinator or a salary for a manager, and include a good-faith range where pay transparency is required.
When You Actually Need a PMO
This is the honest part that generic templates skip, and it determines whether a PMO posting is the right move at all.
PMO means two things: the office and the officer
The abbreviation PMO can mean either the Project Management Office, which is the department or function, or a Project Management Officer, which is an individual role. Most job-description templates online are titled PMO Manager and describe a person leading the office. A few, notably the single-role framing, describe one Project Management Officer who runs coordination alone. The distinction matters when you write the posting: decide whether you are hiring someone to lead a PMO team or a single person to coordinate projects, because they are different roles with different scope. Naming it clearly helps you attract the right candidates.
A formal PMO is usually a mid-size or large-company structure
A Project Management Office as a formal function typically appears once an organization runs a portfolio of multiple simultaneous projects and already employs several project managers. The common guidance is that a PMO starts to make sense when you have a few project managers handling at least two simultaneous projects of moderate complexity. That profile is uncommon for a business of 5 to 50 total employees. A smaller company that needs project coordination is usually better served by hiring a project coordinator or a single Project Management Officer, or by having an existing senior project manager run a lightweight PMO of one, rather than building a full PMO team.
Classification depends on the level, and onboarding is where the HR work is
Across the PMO levels, classification follows the duties: a PMO manager or director who formulates and implements policy is typically exempt and salaried, while a PMO coordinator doing routine support work is typically non-exempt and owed overtime. Whatever the level, the people-operations work is the rest of onboarding: a signed offer, the new hire paperwork, confidentiality where relevant, and recording the correct classification. FirstHR fits this side for a smaller organization: e-signature for the offer, onboarding workflows, document management for records, and a place to record exempt or non-exempt status. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a project or portfolio management tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
If you are a smaller company weighing this, the practical priorities are deciding office versus officer, scaling the structure to your actual number of projects, and classifying correctly by level. The small-business hiring guide covers the broader process for hiring without a large HR function.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same role becomes the basis for the offer, the correct classification, and a structured onboarding. A repeatable process matters whatever the PMO level you hire.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, level, classification, and start date in writing, with the offer letter signed by e-signature before day one.
Classify by level
A manager or director is typically exempt; a coordinator is non-exempt with overtime tracking. Record the classification correctly.
Onboard for the portfolio
Give the new PMO hire access to the standards, tools, and project context they need to run governance from day one.
Store the records
Keep the signed job description, classification decision, and any certifications organized in one place.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the terms, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, e-signatures, onboarding workflows, an HRIS, and document management in one place, with a way to record the exempt or non-exempt classification in the employee profile, so a smaller organization can run the hire without a dedicated HR department. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a project or portfolio management tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
PMO means either a Project Management Office (the function) or a Project Management Officer (the person); resolve which you mean first.
PMOs come in three types: supportive (guidance), controlling (compliance), and directive (direct project ownership).
FLSA classification depends on level: a manager or director is typically exempt, a coordinator is typically non-exempt and hourly.
A salaried coordinator is not automatically exempt; classify by actual primary duties, not the title.
Pay rises sharply with level, from the project-management-specialist range (median $100,750) up to six figures for managers and directors.
A formal PMO is usually a mid-size or larger-company structure; smaller teams hire a project coordinator or single officer instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PMO stand for?
PMO stands for Project Management Office, the department or function that sets standards and governance for how projects are run across an organization. The same abbreviation can also refer to a Project Management Officer, the individual professional who works within or runs that function. This dual meaning is the first thing to clarify when you write a job description: are you hiring someone to lead the office (a PMO Manager or Director), an individual to coordinate projects alone (a Project Management Officer), or a supporting role within an existing office (a PMO Analyst or Coordinator). The office sets and enforces project standards, oversees the portfolio, supports project managers, and aligns projects with business priorities. Most job-description templates online describe the PMO Manager role within the office.
What does a PMO do?
A PMO, or Project Management Office, standardizes and oversees how projects are run across an organization. Its core work includes establishing project governance and methodologies, maintaining templates and best practices, overseeing the project portfolio, tracking project performance and risk, supporting and developing project managers, reporting portfolio status to leadership, and aligning projects with organizational priorities. The exact scope depends on the PMO type: a supportive PMO mainly provides guidance and templates, a controlling PMO enforces methodologies and compliance, and a directive PMO directly manages projects and assigns project managers. The individual roles within a PMO range from a coordinator handling administrative support, to an analyst handling data and reporting, to a manager or director leading the function. The goal throughout is consistent, predictable project delivery.
What is the difference between a PMO and a project manager?
A project manager runs individual projects, owning the scope, schedule, budget, and delivery of a specific project. A PMO, or Project Management Office, operates one level up: it sets the standards, governance, and methodologies that project managers follow, oversees the portfolio of all projects, and supports the project managers themselves. In short, a project manager delivers a project, while the PMO makes sure all projects are run consistently and well. At a smaller company, these can blur, and a single person may both run projects and provide light governance, which is closer to a project coordinator or a single Project Management Officer than a full PMO. If your need is delivering specific projects, hire a project manager or coordinator; if it is governing many projects across teams, that is PMO work. This is general information, not legal advice.
What are the three types of PMO?
PMOs are commonly grouped into three types by how much control they exert. A supportive PMO acts as a consultative resource, providing templates, best practices, training, and a knowledge base, with low control over how teams run projects. A controlling PMO requires project teams to follow defined methodologies and governance and checks compliance, exerting moderate control. A directive PMO takes the most control, directly managing projects and assigning project managers from within the PMO itself. The right type depends on your organization's size, maturity, and need for consistency. Many organizations start supportive and move toward controlling or directive as they grow. When writing a PMO job description, decide which type you are building first, because it shapes the authority and responsibilities of the role, then match it to the appropriate level.
Is a PMO role exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
It depends on the level and the actual duties. A PMO Manager or PMO Director who formulates and implements management policy, directs project governance, and may supervise staff generally meets the FLSA administrative and executive exemptions, so those roles are exempt and salaried. A PMO Coordinator doing routine, support-level work, such as maintaining documentation and updating trackers, without independent judgment on significant matters, is typically non-exempt and owed overtime, even if set up as salaried. A PMO Analyst falls in between and depends on whether the role exercises genuine discretion. The common mistake is assuming a salaried setup makes a coordinator exempt; it does not. Classify by the actual primary duties and confirm against current federal and state thresholds. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a PMO role pay?
Pay rises sharply with level. There is no dedicated federal occupation code for PMO roles, so the closest proxies are project management specialists, with a median annual wage of $100,750 as of the May 2024 data, for analyst and coordinator levels, and management occupations broadly, with a median of $122,090, for manager and director levels. In practice, PMO coordinators sit at the lower end, often well below the project-management-specialist median, while PMO managers and directors command six figures, with directors the highest. National compensation surveys place PMO managers and directors well into six figures, which is why those senior roles are typical of larger organizations. For a posting, benchmark to the specific level and your region, set an hourly rate for a coordinator or a salary for a manager, and include a good-faith range where required. This is general information, not legal advice.
When does a company need a PMO?
A formal PMO usually makes sense once an organization runs a portfolio of multiple simultaneous projects and already employs several project managers. A common guideline is that a PMO starts to pay off when you have a few project managers handling at least two simultaneous projects of moderate complexity. That profile is uncommon for a business of 5 to 50 total employees, which is why a formal PMO is generally a mid-size or large-company structure. A smaller company that needs better project coordination is usually better served by hiring a project coordinator or a single Project Management Officer, or by having a senior project manager run a lightweight PMO of one, rather than building a full PMO team. Scale the structure to the actual number of projects and project managers you have. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a PMO job description include?
A strong PMO job description first resolves the office-versus-officer ambiguity and names the level, whether manager, director, analyst, coordinator, or a single officer, so candidates self-select correctly. It states the PMO type you are building, supportive, controlling, or directive, since that shapes the role's authority. It then lists duties grouped into governance and standards, portfolio and reporting, support and improvement, and alignment, scaled to the level. It sets the FLSA classification appropriately, exempt for a manager or director, typically non-exempt for a coordinator, and flags that classification follows duties rather than the title. It lists required experience and any preferred certification such as PMP or CAPM. Close with pay, a good-faith range where required, an equal opportunity statement, and clear application instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
