What Type of Project Would You Like to Manage Here?

To answer "What type of project would you like to manage here?", name a specific project type tied to a real initiative the company is running, prove your fit with one past project, then show flexibility toward the company's priorities. This question tests how deeply you researched the company, not how impressive your ambitions sound.

"What type of project would you like to manage here?" comes up often in second or third-round interviews for project management, product, operations, and senior individual contributor roles. A vague answer such as "I'm excited about any project that adds value" fails immediately. An over-ambitious answer that ignores the company's current strategy fails almost as badly.

Strong candidates do the research before the interview. They know which projects the company is running or planning, and they understand where the business is heading. They can explain which kind of project work aligns with their skills, track record, and ambitions. This question rewards structured thinking and a clear link between your professional story and the company's real priorities.

Why Recruiters Ask This Question

Recruiters ask "What type of project would you like to manage here?" to assess four things: strategic awareness, research depth, ambition calibration, and role-specific motivation.

Assessing strategic awareness: For project management and leadership roles, understanding where an organisation is going matters as much as technical project management skills. Recruiters want to see whether you can contextualise your aspirations within the company's actual strategic direction.

Testing preparation and research depth: A candidate who can reference a specific initiative, roadmap item, or strategic priority from their research shows a level of engagement that generic candidates cannot match. Hiring managers for project roles consistently rank strategic alignment among the most valued traits, just behind a proven delivery track record.

Evaluating ambition calibration: Are your project ambitions appropriately scaled to the role you are applying for? A junior PM who describes wanting to lead a company-wide digital transformation in their first year is either poorly calibrated or poorly prepared. A senior PM who describes only small, contained projects is underselling themselves.

Checking role-specific motivation: For project-heavy roles, the types of projects you find most engaging signal whether this particular role will sustain your engagement over time.

The Research Framework: How to Find Out What Projects Exist

To find out which projects a company is running, check five sources: the company website and blog, LinkedIn announcements, annual reports, your interviewer's LinkedIn profile, and a direct question to the recruiter. Epimoni calls this the Five-Source project scan.

Company website and blog: Many companies publish case studies, product roadmaps, or strategic initiative announcements on their blog or news pages. These are the most direct source of insight into what projects are running or planned.

LinkedIn and company announcements: Follow the company page for recent posts. Job postings in adjacent areas often signal new initiatives — if a company is suddenly hiring five data engineers, they are likely building new data infrastructure.

Annual reports and investor presentations: For public companies, these explicitly describe strategic priorities. For private companies, press coverage of funding rounds often describes how the capital will be deployed.

Your interviewer's LinkedIn profile: Understanding what your interviewer has been working on — what projects they have led or contributed to — can help you understand which types of work are prioritised in their team.

Ask a preparatory question: If you have a pre-interview call with a recruiter, it is entirely appropriate to ask: "Are there any specific projects or priorities you would like candidates to come prepared to discuss?" This signals preparation and sometimes generates directly useful information.

How to Structure Your Answer

A strong answer to "What type of project would you like to manage here?" has four components: a specific project type, a link to the company's context, your relevant track record, and a note of flexibility.

Component 1 — Name a specific project type aligned to the role: Be direct. Describe the type of project in terms of scope, phase, methodology, or domain — whatever makes it specific and credible.

Component 2 — Connect it to the company's actual context: Reference something specific you learned in your research. "I noticed from your Q3 announcements that you are planning a CRM migration" is far stronger than "I'd be interested in systems integration projects."

Component 3 — Explain how your track record applies: What have you done before that makes you well-suited to this type of project? One concrete STAR story from your past is worth more than any number of adjectives.

Component 4 — Express flexibility: Show that while you have preferences, you are focused on adding value to the company's priorities rather than pursuing a personal agenda.

Two Worked Examples for Real Roles

Example 1: Programme Manager at a Financial Services Firm in London

Helena is interviewing for a Programme Manager role at a mid-size insurance company undergoing a technology modernisation programme. Her background is in Agile transformation.

She answers: "Based on my research — including your recent press release about the regulatory compliance programme and your CFO's comments in the Insurance Times about the legacy system modernisation — the project I am most interested in contributing to is the core policy administration system migration. This is exactly the kind of multi-year, multi-stakeholder programme that I find most professionally engaging. I led a comparable transformation at a Lloyd's of London syndicate — £4.5 million programme, 18-month timeline, four cross-functional workstreams — and the most interesting challenge was not the technical delivery but the change management: helping underwriting teams adopt new workflows without disrupting active policy books. That change management dimension is where I believe I can add the most distinctive value here. I am also open to whatever the most urgent programme needs are — I want to be useful where the business needs it most, not where I simply prefer to work."

Example 2: Product Manager at a Healthcare Tech Startup in Sydney

Kai is interviewing for a Product Manager role at a Sydney-based telehealth startup. He has a background in mobile app product management.

He answers: "The project I am most excited about is the patient-facing mobile app redesign I saw mentioned in your CTO's engineering blog post from last month. In particular, the challenge of improving the booking-to-consultation flow for patients with limited digital literacy — which your blog post described as a key retention and satisfaction problem — is exactly the kind of user-centred product challenge I find most engaging. I spent two years at a consumer health app working on accessibility and onboarding for older demographics. We improved CSAT from 3.2 to 4.1 over 12 months by running 60 usability tests with users over 65 and rebuilding the appointment scheduling flow from scratch. I'd be keen to apply that methodology to the problem you're describing. I'm also flexible about scope — if there are other urgent product priorities, I want to understand the full roadmap before deciding where I can make the biggest contribution."

Different Types of Projects to Reference by Role

The project types you reference should match your function and seniority. Use the table and lists below to pick credible examples for project management, product, marketing, and consulting roles.

Project Management and PMO roles: Systems implementations, process transformation, regulatory compliance programmes, mergers and integrations, infrastructure migrations. Reference your preferred methodology — PRINCE2 (common in the UK public sector), Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid.

Product Management roles: New feature development, platform redesigns, market expansion launches, data-driven experience optimisation. Reference the product discovery and delivery frameworks you use (Shape Up, Dual Track Agile, OKRs).

Marketing and Growth roles: Campaign strategy, go-to-market launches, brand repositioning, performance marketing restructures. Reference the measurement frameworks you use.

Consulting and advisory roles: Operational improvement, strategic planning, organisational design, market entry. Reference the industries where you have the deepest sector knowledge.

Cultural Context Across English-Speaking Markets

Project methodology language varies by market: PRINCE2 and MSP dominate the UK, PMP and Agile dominate the US, and Canada and Australia blend both. Match your vocabulary to the company's culture.

UK: UK project management culture, particularly in financial services and the public sector, heavily uses PRINCE2 and MSP (Managing Successful Programmes) frameworks. Referencing these demonstrates cultural awareness. PRINCE2-certified project managers also tend to command higher salaries than non-certified peers, so the certification carries real signalling value.

US: The US market is more Agile-oriented, particularly in technology and healthcare. The PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from PMI is widely valued and recognised. Referencing Agile, Scrum, SAFe, or OKRs in your answer demonstrates familiarity with the dominant US methodology culture.

Australia: Australian project management culture sits between the US and UK — PRINCE2 is known, but Agile frameworks dominate technology sectors and large organisations often use hybrid approaches. Referencing the AIPM (Australian Institute of Project Management) or RMIT's project management standards can add credibility for senior roles.

Canada: Canadian project management practice largely follows US norms, with PMP widely recognised. In government and public sector contexts, MSP and PRINCE2 are also present.

Related Articles for Your Interview Preparation

• What are your short and long-term goals?
• What would you do if you lacked resources to complete a project?
• How do you handle pressure or tight deadlines?

FAQ

How do I answer "What type of project would you like to manage here?"

Name a specific project type that matches a real initiative you found in your research, such as a CRM migration or a mobile app redesign. Back it with one past project that proves your fit. End by showing flexibility toward whatever the company needs most.

What if I do not know what projects the company is running?

Use the Five-Source project scan: the company website and blog, LinkedIn announcements, annual reports or funding coverage, your interviewer's LinkedIn profile, and a direct question to the recruiter. Two or three live or planned projects give you enough specific content to answer credibly.

Should I name a methodology like Agile or PRINCE2?

Yes, but match it to the company. Use Agile, Scrum, or SAFe language for technology and US firms, and PRINCE2 or MSP language for UK financial services and public sector roles. Tools mentioned in the job description, such as Jira or governance boards, signal which vocabulary will resonate.

How ambitious should my project choice be?

Calibrate it to the role. A junior project manager who wants to lead a company-wide transformation in year one looks poorly prepared. Choose a project whose scope and authority match the level you are applying for, then show you can deliver it.

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