How to hire an associate product manager

How to hire an associate product manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate product manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an associate product manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate product manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an associate product manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the associate product manager you need to hire. Certain associate product manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect associate product manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of associate product manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Associate Product Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Product Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$31-58
   Product Lead	A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands... Show more	$41-78
   Product Director	The duties of a product director depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the product development operations to ensure smooth flow and efficiency, devise strategies to improve processes, gather relevant data such as sales and customer feedback, and coordinate with different departments in developing new products and services... Show more	$50-101

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Management
   • Project Management
   • User Stories
   • Market Research
   • PowerPoint
   • Customer Service
   • Product Development
   • User Experience
   • Development Process
   • Strong Analytical
   • Jira
   • Market Trends
   • Data Analysis
   • Product Roadmap

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage e-commerce packaging program, displays and packaging.
   • Lead a cross-functional team to launch the diabetes monitoring product.
   • Manage seven brand categories in the livestock feed and pet feed industries
   • Manage POS analysis to build sales tools, identify trends, and report performance.
   • Manage cross-functional teams to develop and produce new product for Chinese, UK and European markets.
   • Manage the department of a medical diabetes blood glucose manufacturing leader of visual blood glucose test strips.

   More associate product manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate product manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An associate product manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, associate product managers' average salary in hawaii is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate product managers earn 47% less than senior-level associate product managers.
   • Certifications. An associate product manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an associate product manager's salary.

   Average associate product manager salary

   $89,963yearly

   $43.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate product manager salary

   $65,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average associate product manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$115,798	$56
   2	Washington	$100,440	$48
   3	New Jersey	$93,875	$45
   4	Virginia	$90,943	$44
   5	New York	$89,761	$43
   6	District of Columbia	$88,466	$43
   7	Georgia	$88,088	$42
   8	Massachusetts	$87,623	$42
   9	Pennsylvania	$87,399	$42
   10	Maryland	$86,981	$42
   11	Utah	$85,710	$41
   12	North Carolina	$82,281	$40
   13	Arizona	$81,683	$39
   14	Texas	$81,185	$39
   15	Missouri	$80,794	$39
   16	Minnesota	$80,418	$39
   17	Ohio	$79,040	$38
   18	Illinois	$78,262	$38
   19	Indiana	$77,292	$37
   20	Nebraska	$74,671	$36

   Average associate product manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$146,081	$70.23	575
   2	Google	$133,687	$64.27	267
   3	Yelp	$131,139	$63.05
   4	Roofstock	$130,326	$62.66	3
   5	Penske Media	$127,504	$61.30
   6	Bed Bath & Beyond	$127,011	$61.06
   7	Walmart	$125,955	$60.56	132
   8	StubHub	$125,582	$60.38	10
   9	Santander Private Banking International	$123,069	$59.17	2
   10	Chewy	$122,544	$58.92	4
   11	Toast	$122,532	$58.91	9
   12	Shopkick	$122,496	$58.89
   13	J.P. Morgan	$120,384	$57.88
   14	iCapital Network	$120,345	$57.86	1
   15	Microsoft	$119,961	$57.67	191
   16	Duolingo	$118,686	$57.06	21
   17	Vista Equity Partners	$117,995	$56.73	2
   18	Instacart	$117,558	$56.52	8
   19	Blue Apron	$116,826	$56.17
   20	Invesco	$115,993	$55.77	3

4. Writing an associate product manager job description

   A job description for an associate product manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an associate product manager job description:

   Associate product manager job description example

   We have many opportunities available on our other career site pages. Click here to link to our careers page!
   
   Signet Jewelers is the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, operating more than 2,800 stores worldwide under the iconic brands: Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples, Piercing Pagoda, Rocksbox and JamesAllen.com. We are a people-first company and this core value is at the heart of everything we do, from empowering our valued team members, to collaborating with our customers, to fostering the communities in which we live and serve. People - and the love their actions inspire - are what drive us. We're not only proud of the love we inspire outside our walls, we're especially proud of the diversity, inclusion and equity we're inspiring inside. There are dynamic career paths awaiting you - rewarding opportunities to impact the lives of others and inspire love. Join us!
   ***REMOTE OPPORTUNITY***
   
   The Role
   
   The Associate Product Manager will play a critical role in driving successful execution of multiple product roadmaps within the Digital Rewards & Loyalty space. This role will be responsible for agile product delivery, serving as the everyday point of contact for the cross-functional product team, including business, technical & design. This is a great opportunity to begin and grow a career in digital product management!
   
   Responsibilities
   Collaborate with senior-level product managers on prioritizing user stories, balancing new features from the product roadmap, operational issues and technical debt Research user stories to clearly understand the intent and associated benefits Define product requirements, write user stories and acceptance criteria, and accept/reject stories upon their completion in each sprint Manage sprint backlog and groom/refine user stories Define sprint goals at the beginning of each sprint Partner with design to conduct design reviews and with technology to conduct sprint demos Setup and manage standardized product reports, working closely with analytics team
   
   Requirements
   1+ years digital product management experience preferred Customer focused and data driven Strong communication skills Strong team player and individual contributor Bachelor's degree
   
   Benefits & Perks
   Competitive healthcare, dental & vision insurance 401(k) matching after one year of employment Generous PTO + company holidays Diversity programs Paid subscription to PlateJoy Much more!
   
   The salary range for this opportunity is $55,000 - $77,000. Base pay offered may vary depending on geographic region, internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience, among other factors.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find associate product managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any associate product managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level associate product managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate product manager job on Zippia to find and recruit associate product manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit associate product managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new associate product manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the associate product manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new associate product manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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