How To Become A Project Director in Ireland

Project directors have a diverse range of responsibilities which can vary depending on the project they are working on, their team and the sector they work in. Project directors are needed across sectors, so whether you work in healthcare or business management, this career could be an option for you. Some of the key responsibilities of a Project Director include:

If you are interested in a directorial position, then you will need some advanced qualifications under your belt. Being a director comes with many benefits including exciting opportunities, job security and high salaries, but it also means taking on a lot of responsibility which requires advanced qualifications and experience.

The best way to build up your resume for a career as a project director is by studying Project Management courses. Project directors will need several years of experience in project management to demonstrate their skills in managing projects on a smaller scale, and therefore getting a project management qualification is key to becoming a project director.

There are a range of qualifications accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI) available at all levels from entry-level to advanced, and once you gain some qualifications you can begin applying for project management roles. Qualifications include those in key project management methodologies agile project management and prince2 as well as other, foundational level project management certifications.

Once you have completed one or more certified project management courses, and developed the key competencies, you will become a project management professional. You can then apply for project manager jobs and gain substantial experience before progressing to the project director level. You can also attend university, either in person or through an online bachelor’s degree, and study project management or business management to get into a project management career.

The position of a project director is a highly skilled one, although the specific skills will vary depending on the industry. Aside from specific sector-based skills needed, the general skillset of a successful project director includes:

Being a project director is, as previously mentioned, a very senior role and therefore requires many years of experience. This will be in project management, managing different new projects and managing project team members during your working career to demonstrate your ability to oversee projects. 

If you are currently lacking relevant experience for this role, then studying for a project management qualification is a great way to get your foot in the door. You can study flexibly and affordably online, add your certification to your resume and demonstrate to potential employers your dedication to this career path. 

Through Irish project management jobs, you can gain practical experience in key areas such as procurement, mentoring, project strategies and initiatives and the project lifecycle. By studying a PMP project management qualification too, you can learn the theoretical and practical knowledge needed.

There are also opportunities to work your way into project management positions through apprenticeships or on-the-job work training. You can research these opportunities online or reach out to specific employers. Through project management work experience, you can develop key project management skills needed for a successful, full-time career as a project director.

You will likely need at least 10 years of project management experience in Ireland in order to become a project director.

These two roles can appear similar at first, as they share many of the same skills and are both positions that involve overseeing projects within an organisation. However, there are key differences based mainly on the scope of their duties and the breadth of their responsibilities.

Project managers take on a less senior management position, which oversees the management of specific projects, including the day-to-day project plans and strategies. Project directors, on the other hand, are high-level senior managers who oversee complex projects and multiple projects across an entire organisation, seeing which strategies best apply for the success of every project.

If you feel as though a career as a project manager is more aligned with your career aspirations, then explore the career path of a project manager.

In project direction, there are many jobs across sectors in Ireland, so you have a broad range of career prospects. For example, you could explore a career in business, finance, architecture, construction, engineering or technology. There are also opportunities around the world from Dublin to Dubai, so you can enjoy the freedom of work opportunities worldwide.
You can also work your way up to other more senior levels such as VP of project management, chief operations officer or CEO.

Project directors take on a lot of responsibility and have to know how to manage many projects at once. However, if you have excellent organisational skills, enjoy managing large projects and want benefits such as great rates of pay and many job opportunities, this could be the ideal career for you. In this case, the first step is to get into project management through accredited project management qualifications. Then you can work your way up to this prestigious position of project director.