| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Information Technology |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Head of Delivery |
| Direct reports | IT Project Manager, Technical Lead, Test Manager |
| Experience | 12 to 16 years in IT, with 4 or more years managing projects or accounts of 30 or more people |
Delivery Manager job description template
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Job title: Delivery Manager
Department: Information Technology
Reports to: Head of Delivery
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Delivery Manager owns the delivery of one client account or a group of related projects in an IT services or product company. They manage project managers and technical leads, keep scope, schedule, cost and quality on track, handle staffing and billing, and act as the main delivery contact for the client's managers. The role reports to the head of delivery. A good Delivery Manager meets commitments without last-minute heroics, tells the client about problems before they grow and protects the account's margin.
Key responsibilities
- Agree scope, milestones, acceptance criteria and governance with the client at the start of each engagement or statement of work.
- Plan staffing for the account, approve resource requests and release people to the bench when work ends.
- Review project plans, status reports and risk registers from project managers every week and act on red items.
- Track effort, billing and margin for the account, and make sure timesheets are complete and invoices raised on time.
- Assess every client change request for cost and timeline impact, and get it approved before work starts.
- Run monthly steering meetings with client stakeholders on status, risks and the decisions needed from them.
- Handle client escalations in person and agree corrective actions with owners and dates.
- Protect delivery quality through code reviews, test coverage, internal audits and lessons learned at each release.
- Spot new work within the account, such as support contracts or new modules, and help sales prepare proposals.
- Manage appraisals, retention and growth for the project managers and leads on the account.
Requirements
- B.E., B.Tech or MCA
- PMP, PRINCE2 or SAFe certification is an advantage
- An MBA is an advantage
- 12 to 16 years in IT, with 4 or more years managing projects or accounts of 30 or more people
KRAs and KPIs for a Delivery Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Milestone delivery | At least 90 percent of client milestones met on the committed date each quarter |
| Account margin | Account gross margin at or above the planned margin every month |
| Billing | Invoices raised by the 5th working day of each month, with no billing disputes |
| Client satisfaction | Client satisfaction score of 4 or more out of 5 in each survey |
| Account growth | Account revenue in line with the annual account plan |
| Team stability | Attrition on the account below the company target, with a backup named for every key role |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Jira or Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project or Smartsheet, Timesheet and billing system, Excel margin trackers, PowerPoint steering decks, Microsoft Teams.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Delivery, IT Program Manager, Director of Engineering
Interview questions for a Delivery Manager
- A client asks for five extra features without extra budget. How do you respond?
- Your account margin is falling even though the client is happy. What do you check?
- Walk me through your steering meeting deck. What goes on the first slide?
- Two of your project managers need the same senior developer next month. How do you decide?
- Tell me about a client escalation you handled and what changed afterwards.
- How do you know a project will slip before its project manager tells you?
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What does a delivery manager do in IT?
A delivery manager is responsible for delivering a client account or a group of projects. They manage project managers and leads, keep scope, schedule and cost on track, control staffing and billing, handle escalations and run steering meetings with the client. They answer for both client satisfaction and the account's margin.
What is the difference between a delivery manager and a project manager?
A project manager runs one project day to day: plan, tasks, risks and team. A delivery manager oversees several projects or a whole account, manages the project managers, owns the financials and handles the client relationship at a senior level. Project managers usually report to the delivery manager.
Who does a delivery manager report to?
In Indian IT services companies a delivery manager usually reports to the head of delivery or an account head. In product companies that run delivery teams for enterprise clients, the role may report to a director of engineering or the head of customer success.