Delivery Manager: everything you need to know

By Giorgia Frezza

Published: 28 April 2025

No, a delivery manager is not yet another job invented by a mad scientist. It might sound exotic as a profession to your ears, but this job figure is at the heart of project management in the new organisation of companies.

In fact, you don't often hear about the role of Delivery Manager. In fact, it is not a figure that is part of the actual stable of Agile methodology, where the Scrum terminology is central instead.

However, the Government Digital Service (GDS) in the United Kingdom has formally recognised this role, as have an increasing number of companies in the United States.

Today, therefore, we are going to discover the role and missions entrusted to a delivery manager.

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Who is the delivery manager?

The delivery manager is directly responsible for the performance of the team.

To fulfil this role, the skills required are many, but we have summarised the 5 skills most in demand for this professional figure:

work on team cohesion and collaboration, aiming for harmonious and effective work of all team members
point out possible obstacles and provide the right support so that the team can overcome them without difficulty
focus the team's attention and efforts on the most important goals for the delivery of products and services
favour and support the continuous improvement methodology of the delivery team
be a coach and act as an advisor to both team members and the rest of the staff so that the good practices and techniques of the agile methodology are implemented with some rigour.

The delivery manager must be a versatile figure, as he or she must be able to adapt to teams and projects that vary in size and diversity according to the type of company. For this reason, a high degree of adaptability is required of the delivery manager.

What skills are required for this role?

Knowledge of Agile and Lean practices

identifying and correlating the best strategies to achieve product delivery
identify the problems that prevent the team from moving forward and be the advocate of an experimentation policy
behave appropriately according to the different teams and the specificities of each member, maintaining a critical spirit
show resilience that does not give in to difficulties and is able to think out of the box
take note of the team's progress with a lucid and rational gaze
be a mental coach for the team, constantly reminding them of the goals to be achieved

Managing business relations

act as a bridge between the team and the company's contractual suppliers
know the mechanisms governing the relations and tasks of a specific industrial, administrative or government department
be in constant contact with customers taking part in the project, sharing digital information on product development

Communicative skills

put the requests of technical and commercial stakeholders first and find a way of incorporating them into the current project
try to bargain with stakeholders so that their requests are in line with the project realisation team
be a careful communicator in order to understand the needs and requirements of each of the counterparts
act as a mediator to find an agreement between the team members and between the implementation team and the different needs of the stakeholders.

Financial management

manage expenditure wisely so that it does not exceed the value generated by the product
calculate the financial impact of changes that stakeholders require during the ongoing project
run monthly reports on financial performance
manage the budget allocated to the team to avoid additional expenses

Monitor all phases of the product life cycle

signal to the team the completion of one phase and launch the next one
monitor the efficiency of the team in relation to the criteria required for the ongoing phases
be in charge of the management of the finished product or service required, after careful analysis of all phases

pace the team

controlling the pace and speed of the team's work so that the product is delivered on schedule
know how to manage any problems that may arise as a result of misunderstandings between the team and the stakeholders or as a result of causes external to the team's intrinsic work

being the team's design reviewer

Encourage the team to accept complex projects. Try, at the same time, to simplify processes that have been designed with an unjustified and unnecessary degree of complexity
bring added value to the team through a better organisation of tasks within the team and a proper analysis of the work done
guide the team through the transition from one project to a new one

define a clear road map

analysing the working environment and task hierarchy in order to prioritise tasks that require priority urgency
study the mechanisms underlying the process in order to design an effective road map
distribute tasks among team members or external collaborators
send a clear message to the delivery theme
provide a plan B in case problems arise that prevent the project from moving forward
check that each team has organised itself adequately to meet the deadlines of the assigned road map

Be the coach of your team

be the glue to bind the different personalities in the team to create the right motivation
ensure that the working environment is suitable to enable the team to achieve the set goals within the set deadlines
identifying problems within the team in a timely manner and adjusting the team's assortment according to any changes during project implementation.

And the other skills?

Liaising with the customer

It is the responsibility of the delivery manager to meet with the customer on a monthly basis in order to make a detailed report of the development of the project, reassuring him of the quality of the final product.

The delivery manager must also be able to understand the customer's doubts and dissatisfactions, seeking to nurture an ongoing relationship of trust.

Sponsoring the feedback method

The delivery manager must be aware of the work situation of his team at all times. It is one of the most relevant and most required soft skills to be a good delivery manager. He/she must be able to be the mental coach of the team and the cheerleader at the same time. In fact, encouraging and supporting one's team is essential in the success of the job. Through a feedback system, he/she will be able to interpret an ever-changing communication network to understand the physical state and mood of the team.

Adapting to change

The delivery manager must be able to transmit his chameleon spirit to his entire team. In other words, he must be able to give advice on how to be adaptable to different situations so that his team is as agile and fluid as possible.

Through communication, he has to help his team adapt their working approach according to the changes required by the stakeholders or the client, while trying not to undermine the team spirit that has been created.

Flexibility

A delivery manager must be as flexible as a bamboo cane. Rigidity leads to friction and conflict in teams. . A high degree of mental flexibility must be demonstrated in order to be able to switch from one project to another and to change the cards quickly due to an unforeseen, uncalculated event.

Productivity and time management

The delivery manager is under constant pressure from stakeholders, the end customer, required monthly reports and deadline pressures. Knowing how to manage time intelligently is an essential skill if you want to keep to the set road map without overruns on time and budget.

Salary

Given that this role originated in the Silicon Valley environment and is more widespread in the United States, in order to estimate the average annual salary of a delivery manager, we have taken reference data from the US market where this professional figure can earn between $130,000 and $150,000.

In Italy, there is not enough data on a large scale to be able to make a reliable overall average.

It must therefore be pointed out that the salary may change according to region, city, size of company, years of career and the size of the project to be managed.

The training path to become a Delivery Manager?

Professional training

In one's CV, one must show that one has worked for many years in industry to be eligible for this prestigious role. Training or work experience in the service sector at a leading company is also valued with equal weight.

The delivery manager can be a transition for an individual working as a senior developer. Obviously, developers wishing to change and evolve to the role of delivery manager must be familiar with the Agile methodology used in IT teams.

The university path