The Program Manager role today
This guide draws on 639 Program Manager postings from 395 companies, published from March to September 2026.
Hardly any Program Manager postings make building or applying AI the job itself.
AI Tools Literacy appears in 76% of Program Manager postings, and Prompt Engineering in 23%.
Automation exposure averages 44 out of 100 across these postings, which is moderate: parts of the routine work can be automated, which makes AI skills more valuable in the role.
Senior positions make up 47% of postings, entry-level 25%. The most common way of working is hybrid, in 40% of postings.
Common skill gaps
The AI skills our analysis of Program Manager job descriptions most often flags as a gap, with the share of postings where each one comes up.
- Prompt Engineering35%
- Generative AI Fundamentals27%
- AI Ethics Awareness22%
- AI Risk Awareness22%
- AI Project Management16%
- AI Ethics Fundamentals14%
Program Manager salary
Pay comes only from postings that quote it: 75 of the 639 Program Manager postings. Each country uses the pay period its employers quote most.
Netherlands
based on 54 postings quoting pay per month€6,800
median per month
The middle half of advertised salaries, with the line at the median.
Australia
based on 21 postings quoting pay per yearA$166,000
median per year
The middle half of advertised salaries, with the line at the median.
Essential Program Manager skills
The skills employers ask for in Program Manager job descriptions, from the most requested down.
Core skills
- Data Analysis
- AI Tools Literacy
Often requested
- Prompt Engineering
- Stakeholder Management
- AI Project Management
Also valued
- AI Risk Awareness
- Change Management
- AI Project Management Tools
- Stakeholder Communication
- AI Risk Management
AI skills to learn next
The AI skills employers most often want to add to this role, beyond the ones above.
- AI Governance Awareness
How the Program Manager role is evolving
The directions employers are taking this role as they adopt AI, with the skills and responsibilities each one adds.
Most common direction
Toward AI transformation
Typical focus
AI-enabled operations
Skills to add
- AI Governance
- AI Transformation Strategy
- AI Change Management
New responsibilities
- Lead the adoption of AI tools for program reporting and presentation creation across the PMO
- Lead the integration of AI tools into program management workflows to improve efficiency and decision-making
- Manage AI-related risks and ensure compliance with emerging AI regulations
- Assess and mitigate AI-related risks (e.g., data privacy, model bias) in program delivery
Other directions
Toward data & machine learning
Typical focus
AI data operations and Data & AI operations
Skills to add
- Machine Learning Basics
- Data Visualization
- Data Governance
- Predictive Analytics
- Predictive Modeling
New responsibilities
- Coordinate with AI researchers to align program deliverables with model training needs
- Coordinate with AI researchers to prioritize data collection and annotation efforts
- Develop and enforce data quality standards for AI training datasets
- Develop and maintain guidelines for AI-generated document quality and consistency
Toward AI governance
Typical focus
AI governance & assurance and AI governance & transformation
Skills to add
- AI Ethics
- AI Governance Frameworks
- AI Compliance
- AI Audit
- AI Regulatory Compliance
New responsibilities
- Ensure compliance with AI regulations and ethical standards
- Conduct AI risk assessments and audits
- Conduct AI risk assessments and ensure compliance with emerging AI regulations
- Advise leadership on AI-related risks and mitigation strategies
Toward AI product
Typical focus
AI product delivery, AI solutions and AI products
Skills to add
- AI Product Management
- AI Product Lifecycle
- AI Roadmapping
- AI Strategy
- AI Market Analysis
New responsibilities
- Collaborate with data science and engineering teams to define AI product requirements
- Ensure AI products meet ethical and regulatory standards
- Collaborate with data science teams to integrate AI models into products
- Coordinate cross-functional teams including data scientists and engineers
Program Manager FAQ
Will AI replace Program Manager jobs?
Automation exposure averages 44 out of 100 across these postings, which is moderate: parts of the routine work can be automated, which makes AI skills more valuable in the role. Employers are mostly reshaping the role toward AI transformation, adding skills such as AI Risk Management and AI Tools Literacy.
What skills do Program Manager roles require?
The skills employers ask for most are Data Analysis, AI Tools Literacy, Prompt Engineering, Stakeholder Management and AI Project Management.
Which AI skills should Program Manager candidates learn next?
AI Tools Literacy, Data Analysis and AI Project Management are the AI skills employers most often want to add. The most common skill gaps are Prompt Engineering and Generative AI Fundamentals.
How is the Program Manager role changing?
The most common direction is AI transformation. Other directions include data & machine learning, AI governance and AI product.
How much do Program Manager roles pay in Australia?
Advertised salaries typically range from A$150,000 to A$170,000 per year, with the median around A$166,000, based on 21 postings that quote pay per year.
How much do Program Manager roles pay in the Netherlands?
Advertised salaries typically range from €6,000 to €7,500 per month, with the median around €6,800, based on 54 postings that quote pay per month.
Find your next Program Manager role
Browse open AI roles, updated daily.
This guide is built from public job descriptions for Program Manager roles classified as Core AI or AI-enabled. Skills, automation exposure and career directions are extracted from each job description and compared across the market. Postings are deduplicated, so a job listed on several boards or by several agencies counts once. Salaries are advertised ranges from Australia and the Netherlands, taken only from the 75 postings that quote pay. How we collect and deduplicate postings.