How to hire a business development manager

How to hire a business development manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business development manager hiring guide:

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

What does a business development manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your business development manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a business development manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A business development manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, business development managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of business development manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Business Development Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Development 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.	$32-72
   Director Of Sales & Business Development	A director of sales business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits... Show more	$18-84
   Business To Business Sales Manager	A business to business sales manager is responsible for monitoring the company's business transactions and ensuring that the team meets sales goals and targets. Business to business sales managers review business accounts and perform adjustments to sales plans as needed to adhere to clients' requests and customer demands... Show more	$20-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • CRM
   • Healthcare
   • Business Relationships
   • Customer Relationships
   • Project Management
   • BDM
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Salesforce
   • Account Management
   • Sales Process
   • Sales Cycle
   • Client Relationships
   • Lead Generation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Seo of websites and campaigns.
   • Manage the provisioning and implementation of the cloud solutions for different customers.
   • Lead worldwide development for high traffic facilities; markets include Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific.
   • Manage the global support team and are responsible for cost reduction for the UK ready meals facility.
   • Assist in leading a team of BDM's to achieve revenue, attrition, and value add service goals.
   • Leverage in-depth knowledge of complex manage security solutions as well as extensive technical knowledge of security hardware and software.

   More business development manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, business development managers' average salary in hawaii is 49% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level business development managers earn 56% less than senior-level business development managers.
   • Certifications. A business development 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 a business development manager's salary.

   Average business development manager salary

   $100,769yearly

   $48.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business development manager salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average business development manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,601	$59
   2	Washington	$111,646	$54
   3	New Jersey	$105,189	$51
   4	New York	$102,608	$49
   5	District of Columbia	$101,454	$49
   6	Nevada	$100,354	$48
   7	Massachusetts	$100,301	$48
   8	Maryland	$100,246	$48
   9	Ohio	$98,688	$47
   10	Virginia	$97,840	$47
   11	Michigan	$96,563	$46
   12	North Carolina	$95,429	$46
   13	Indiana	$93,422	$45
   14	Pennsylvania	$93,228	$45
   15	Illinois	$91,281	$44
   16	Texas	$89,531	$43
   17	Minnesota	$88,785	$43
   18	Colorado	$88,675	$43
   19	Missouri	$88,073	$42
   20	Arizona	$87,347	$42

   Average business development manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shearman & Sterling	$194,394	$93.46
   2	Mayo Clinic	$188,904	$90.82	10
   3	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett	$186,964	$89.89	2
   4	Baker McKenzie	$179,712	$86.40
   5	Clifford Chance	$178,490	$85.81	2
   6	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	$177,897	$85.53
   7	Latham & Watkins	$176,440	$84.83
   8	Ropes & Gray	$176,126	$84.68	19
   9	NVIDIA	$171,242	$82.33	36
   10	Fenwick & West	$169,198	$81.35	6
   11	Venable	$168,097	$80.82
   12	Pattern Energy Group	$165,151	$79.40	17
   13	Meta	$163,669	$78.69	651
   14	Lyft	$162,241	$78.00	13
   15	Apple	$161,388	$77.59	53
   16	Dolby Laboratories	$159,190	$76.53	5
   17	VMware	$158,530	$76.22
   18	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$157,596	$75.77	10
   19	Google	$157,164	$75.56	210
   20	Ricoh Innovations	$156,171	$75.08

4. Writing a business development manager job description

   A good business development manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a business development manager job description:

   Business development manager job description example

   • Bachelor's degree
   • 5+ years of experience in technical sales, marketing, general management, business development and/or planning required.
   • Experience with market research and competitors
   • General knowledge of financial reporting parameters and operational indicators

   PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

   • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Business
   • A Process Control industry experience
   • Previous work history with giving complex presentations
   • Experience developing and executing sales strategy, initiatives, and programs with disciplined follow up and accountability.
   • Working across a matrixed organization and managing by influence to gain support and alignment to complete strategic and/or tactical objectives that support parts growth in North America.
   • Complex problem-solving experience using information from multiple sources to determine root cause, creating solutions, and implementing to support the Parts Business in North America.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find business development 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 business development managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level business development 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 business development manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality business development manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting business development managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 business development manager

   Once you've found the business development manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a business development manager?