The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Project Support Analyst / Administrator
1-3 yearsSkills to master
- Mastering meeting organisation, accurate minute-taking, basic RAID log updates, and becoming proficient with our core productivity suite (Excel, Confluence). It's about being reliably organised.
You're ready to move on when
- You're consistently delivering high-quality administrative support without constant supervision.
- You've started proactively identifying minor issues or suggesting small improvements to processes.
- You're comfortable communicating with a wide range of internal stakeholders, even senior ones.
- You're keen to take on more responsibility for managing project processes, not just supporting them.
- 2
Business Analyst (Junior)
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Understanding business processes, gathering basic requirements, and translating business needs into simple documentation. You'll need to beef up your organisational and communication skills for a coordination role.
You're ready to move on when
- You're good at understanding how things work and documenting them clearly.
- You've realised you enjoy the 'making things happen' aspect of projects as much as the 'figuring out what to build' part.
- You're looking for a role with more direct involvement in project delivery and less focus on deep technical analysis.
- 3
Office Manager / Senior Administrator
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Exceptional organisational skills, managing multiple priorities, coordinating across teams, and often managing small budgets. You'll need to learn project-specific methodologies and tools.
You're ready to move on when
- You're a natural organiser and problem-solver, used to keeping many plates spinning.
- You're looking for a role where your organisational skills are applied to specific, outcome-driven projects.
- You're eager to learn project management frameworks and apply them in a structured environment.