As with any other career, project managers with key skills specific to the role and with competencies in leadership and business acumen can easily find a good opportunity. And even though the weekend is knocking at our door, be sure to find out what are the top 5 skills that could make you the best project manager.

Organization
Project managers need organizational skills to keep their team and tasks on track. An organized person answers emails on time, meets deadlines, and has checklists for everything. They are proficient in goal-setting methodologies and are responsible for making sure project milestones are met within deadlines.

Delegation and task management
A project manager needs to know his employees and be able to rely on them. Many projects fail because they’ve been assigned to the wrong person or group, simply because many managers think teams should happily accept their assignments.

While this may work for them, it often fails. Employees are forced to do work they don’t want to do while feeling their talents are wasted. For this reason, look for or try to be a project manager who properly delegates aspects of the project according to personality or talent.

Communication
Project managers have many roles, one of which is that of the chief communicator. They communicate with every manager involved in the project, including every employee, those higher up in the company, and any person external to the organization (e.g., customer communication) who may partner with your company to deliver that project.

For this reason, project managers must be excellent communicators. This job is not for someone whose email inbox doesn’t get checked for days or someone who doesn’t like to talk.

Leadership
For where without leadership? Project managers must exhibit, among other things, strong leadership qualities.

Some employees are natural leaders. Others have the potential to lead after some mentoring. If you have the perfect, organized communicator on your team, but you doubt their leadership abilities, consider appointing them as a project manager with the knowledge that you will have to coach them through many stages.

Planning
Planning is also very much an aspect of project management, as other people rely on you to meet deadlines. This is especially true if your team has contracts in place for projects. A quality project manager will ensure that all clients deliver quality work on time.

The impact of proper planning goes beyond delegation and task management. Planning includes payment and invoicing planning, scheduling lead times, shift planning, etc.

Good project managers can juggle multiple calendars using tactics like color coding and labels to set priorities.

And  what exactly was considered a priority for many organizations has suddenly become a necessity. Perhaps it’s only logical that the number of jobs vacancy in the tech industry should increase. But what could be better than that?

These companies now have the time they need to stabilize, reflect and assess their needs for the future. The fact that digital skills are now a must-have for many employees. The innovations happening around the tech world mean that they will continue to be in demand by employers. Because the future belongs to technology. Do you agree?

But let’s cut to the chase. Today we’ve chosen to share with you what the most in-demand tech jobs will be in the coming year 2023, and not according to anyone but James Milligan himself, who is the global head of Hays Technology. The top 10 rankings in this article were originally published on the Hays blog.

So, get comfortable and read carefully. Maybe you’ll find your profession in the rankings too. If that happens, it’s never too late to change jobs (we’re joking of course). Well, enjoy the reading…

Top 10 most in-demand tech jobs in 2023 

10. Change Manager

With strong communication skills and experience in implementing change, these individuals will oversee the methodology of projects mostly related to digital transformation.

9. Scrum master

These are the scrum creation facilitators. A successful scrum master will be an expert in agile methodologies and an effective communicator.

8. DevOps engineer

Individuals in this position have broader responsibilities than many other technical jobs, working with developers and operations teams to build and deploy new releases.

7. Data Engineer

This role is all about building systems to collect data and provide analytics to the right people in the business.

6. Software Engineer

Software engineers design and build a range of systems and applications for organisations. If you want to become a software engineer, you need to make sure you have the right skills.

5. Java developer

Following on from the above, Java is one of the main programming languages used by software engineers. Those who are proficient in Java will have a number of opportunities in 2023, whether it is for startups or multinational companies.

4. Data analyst

Data analysts take the information provided by engineers to solve problems and help deliver insights. Those with experience and qualifications are popular among employers, but there are learning opportunities available as demand outweighs supply.

3. .NET developer

This role focuses on programming for Microsoft Windows. If you’re able to code for apps and other software with languages such as C# or VB.NET, then there are roles available.

2. Project manager

Project managers were number one on list last year and are still proving popular as organizations roll out their digital transformation. You’ll need to be a strong leader with good communication skills to excel in this role.

1. Business analyst

This is the most in-demand tech job on list this year. Companies need people to gather requirements and spot trends. Even if you don’t have formal qualifications, organizations are hiring candidates with experience in delivering this.

The first step is choosing the developers. Some job requirements include being able to test code, write automation scripts, provision infrastructure, use Scrum, Kanban or other Agile methods. Because this position is always changing it’s good to keep in mind that they would want to continue growing and develop their skills.

The next role is System administrator. He’s the person that not only checks if the software is running smoothly but also manages the cloud, helps with creating monitoring and analytics, integrated into code and helps resolve problems. People in this role also need space to grow by learning new skills, such as programming languages and deeper understanding of security.

Another essential role in a DevOps team is an Evangelist. This is a senior-level person that communicates with the team the business’s most important needs and makes sure everyone is involved in DevOps.

A team should always have a Project manager. This is the person that tracks the team’s progress, sets goals and timelines and makes sure everything is on time. Being able to solve problems, create schedules and meet the client’s needs is advisable for this role.

Testing your software is necessary, that’s why your team has to have a QA Engineer. In this role thinking out-of-the-box and having the ability to look at the bigger picture are important.

Having a Security engineer from the start can help you avoid many difficulties in the future. This role needs a person who can be strategic and collegial. It is crucial for them to provide the developers with tools to solve security problems by explaining the challenges and technologies.

The last role is User Experience (UX) professional. This person focuses on how the software looks from the client’s perspective and puts his needs into the development process.

These are the most important roles when starting out. As your software develops, your team will grow as well so it’s good to consider other positions such as software architects, system engineers and an infrastructure engineer. Another great option is reskilling and in this case communication and collaboration is important. The DevOps institute offers training on topics such as site reliability engineering and how to create CI/CD pipelines.

Joanna is an Executive Producer at Imperia Online JSC who entered the IT industry at the age of 21 as a Community Manager (game support and translation). She went through being a Теch Writer, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Product Owner, meanwhile having two kids, evolved into a Senior Producer, leading multiple teams, heading multiple products. Joanna thinks that аnything is possible if we are always there- not missing any chance, grabbing all work opportunities and proactively taking responsibilities bigger than our current role. She shared with us that the milestones in her career that she would define as achievements are, on one hand, the moments when her role scaled successfully and on the other, the big releases that bring to life the hard work of the team. Joanna tells us that the most rewarding side of her work is to see how their product is being used by the end-users on a daily basis. She told us that there has never been gender discrimination in any aspect at Imperia Online. However, there have been several difficulties that Joanna has encountered along her way that mostly originated from two factors:

1) the fact that she doesn’t have a technical background. Her product expertise and her leadership skills granted her the opportunity to compensate for this through hands-on experience heading cross-functional and development teams.

2) the fact that she decided to have kids, thus pushing those two roles independently.

In order to catch up with her male colleagues in the same role and be competitive with them, Joanna has to constantly compensate for the time physically dedicated to her family through intensive working hours and a lot of overtime. According to her, the game industry is male-dominated. Imperia Online is working in various ways to create a more gender-equal workplace. Women developers, QAs, Middle Managers, C-levels stand firmly equal to their colleagues at Imperia Online JSC in terms of influence, opportunities and remuneration. Joanna suggests that in her role the correlation between men and women is 65:35 and thinks that, without a shadow of a doubt, the problem of gender inequality is still relevant in Bulgaria and globally not only in the tech industry. Joanna shares with us that the producer role in most game companies is a triple role – PM + PO + TL. Her daily routine mostly includes meetings, discussions, analysis, brainstorming, syncs, planning, demos etc. with both teams and executive stakeholders. One of her biggest intellectual passions is the field of Cosmology and Astrophysics. A good deal of the books she has been reading in the past years is authored by physicists.

“The Game Industry is male-dominated and we are working in various ways to create a more gender-equal workplace.”

Favourite clothes?

Dresses at demos. Jeans at stand-ups. Sweatpants working from home. Smart shirts over sweatpants on Zoom calls.

High heels or flat shoes?

Heels at demos. Flats at daily stand-ups. Socks for when working from home.

Which typical female quality or household responsibility does not apply to you?

I am not a share-a-thing person. Not a TV person. Not an iron person.

What is THE thing that you must have in your bag when going out?

At least one device with an internet connection.

Favourite lipstick colour?

Nude.

Can you share something specific about you that we can’t find on LinkedIn?

One of my biggest intellectual passions is the field of Cosmology and Astrophysics. A good deal of the books I’ve been reading in the past years is authored by physicists. Now with the kids (at the age of 4 and 6, + my husband at 37 :D) my biggest challenge is to explain complex concepts with simple wording and help them develop scalable thinking, which would hopefully evolve into critical thinking someday.

“There has never been a gender discrimination in any aspect at Imperia – women developers, QAS, Middle Managers, C-levels stand firmly equal to their colleagues”

Have you encountered any challenges in your career in connection to being a woman?

I’m a lucky person – I started my career at Imperia Online JSC at the age of 21 as a Community Manager (game support and translation). There has never been gender discrimination in any aspect at Imperia Online JSC – women developers, QAs, Middle Managers, C-levels stand firmly equal to their colleagues. The difficulties I’ve encountered along my way have mostly originated from two factors. On one hand, the fact that I don’t have a technical background. Fortunately, my product expertise and my leadership skills granted me the opportunity to compensate for this through hands-on experience heading cross-functional and development teams. On the other hand, the fact that I decided to have kids means that I have to push those two roles independently. In order to catch up with my male colleagues in the same position and be competitive with them, I have to constantly compensate for the time physically dedicated to my kids (maternity, sick leaves etc.) through intensive working hours and a lot of overtime.

Read More Inspiring Stories for Women in Tech in WRTech here.

Do you know how many women work in your position?

Honestly, not have a clue. I would suggest men: women – 65:35.

Do you think that the problem of gender inequality is still relevant in Bulgaria and globally?

Taking in mind all industries, not only ours, yes, it is, without a shadow of a doubt.

Which policies does your company encourage regarding gender diversity?

The game industry is male-dominated and we are working in various ways to create a more gender-equal workplace. Women developers, QAs, Middle Managers, C-levels stand firmly equal to their colleagues at Imperia Online JSC in terms of influence, opportunities and remuneration.

Do your male colleagues treat you differently?

No.

Do you think that a woman’s vision and charm affect their professional success? (example: does it make communication easier?)

No. Real professional success does not correlate to looks. If it appears to do so, then it is neither real nor professional.

How do you combine personal and professional life? Do you have any rules that you follow?

I’m a producer and a mother. I don’t have a choice but to push both roles simultaneously 24/7. I take care of the juniors in my teams as if they were my own kids. I look after my two little kids as if they were my top priority double project with heavy releases and constant hotfixes.

“Real Professional success does not correlate to looks. If it appears to do so, then is neither real, nor professional”

Which sources do you follow and can you recommend some of them to our audience? (example: podcasts, pages, influencers, vloggers, etc.)

Tech Insider, Business Insider, HiComm. The giant tech YouTubers MKBHD, Unbox Therapy, Everything Apple Pro. Science channels on Youtube – Vsauce, Kurtzgesagt. Kaldata, Science and Critical Thinking on Facebook.

If You Want to Read More Inspiring Stories for Success and Professional Growth Join the DevStyleR #Tech Influencers Community and Get Access to our Special Editions here.