Delivery Manager

Career Guide

A Delivery Manager ensures projects and products are delivered on time, within budget, and to the expected quality. They coordinate people, plans, and progress across teams, remove roadblocks, and keep stakeholders aligned on goals and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Plan and track delivery timelines and milestones
Coordinate work across teams and functions
Run delivery ceremonies such as standups and planning sessions
Manage delivery risks, issues, and dependencies
Maintain clear status reporting for stakeholders
Support the team by removing blockers
Manage scope changes and set delivery expectations
Ensure quality standards and release readiness
Improve delivery processes and team ways of working
Align delivery outcomes to business priorities and customer needs

Top Skills for Success

Communication

Stakeholder Management

Risk Management

Conflict Resolution

Prioritization

Facilitation

Agile Delivery

Project Planning

Dependency Management

Metrics Tracking

Resource Planning

Budget Management

Vendor Management

Software Development Lifecycle

Change Management

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Senior Delivery Manager

Delivery Lead

Program Manager

Portfolio Manager

Head of Delivery

Transition Opportunities

Product Manager

Scrum Master

Project Manager

Operations Manager

Customer Success Manager

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Delivery MetricsBudget ManagementExecutive CommunicationAgile CoachingRelease PlanningNegotiation

Development SuggestionsBuild a simple delivery dashboard, practice concise weekly stakeholder updates, and lead a cross team delivery initiative to strengthen planning, risk management, and coordination. Pair this with targeted training in agile delivery and budgeting.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 85,000 to 110,000

Mid LevelUSD 110,000 to 145,000

Senior LevelUSD 145,000 to 190,000

Growth Trend

Steady demand, driven by ongoing digital transformation, cloud migration, and the need for predictable delivery across distributed teams.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

AccentureDeloitteIBMInfosysTata Consultancy ServicesCognizantCapgeminiMicrosoftAmazonGoogle

Industry Sectors

TechnologyConsultingFinancial ServicesHealthcareRetail and EcommerceTelecommunicationsGovernmentManufacturing

Recommended Next Steps

Create a one page delivery plan template for scope, milestones, risks, and dependencies

Start tracking three delivery metrics and report them weekly

Volunteer to lead a complex cross team initiative to build coordination experience

Strengthen stakeholder updates using brief written summaries and clear action items

Earn an industry recognized certification such as Scrum or project management

Collect delivery case studies that show outcomes, timelines, and improvements