How to hire a business partner

How to hire a business partner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business partner 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 partner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new business partner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a business partner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The business partner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 business partner 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of business partners.

   Type of Business Partner	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Partner	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.	$31-67
   Head Of Business Development	A head of business development is responsible for monitoring the company's overall business operations and client transactions. Heads of business development coordinate with clients for their requirements and specifications and develop the team to handle the project management operations... Show more	$45-91
   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:

   • Analytics
   • Project Management
   • Customer Service
   • Human Resources
   • Performance Management
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Healthcare
   • Shared Services
   • Business Objectives
   • Employee Engagement
   • Business Strategy
   • Strong Analytical
   • Business Development
   • Financial Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage publicity online, in medias such as Facebook and Instagram.
   • Negotiate and manage vendor relations using SLA's and metric management.
   • Lead the establishment of key ERP, database and java applications environments.
   • Implement and manage social media strategies and blog content as well as customer relationships on Salesforce.com.
   • Lead all operational, financial and customer relationship aspects of MMI's largest global OEM customer, IBM.
   • Plan, manage, supervise and lead the development, QA, UAT and deployment efforts towards on time delivery.

   More business partner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the business partner job description is a good way to get more applicants. A business partner salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a business partner in Mississippi may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level business partner. Additionally, a business partner with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average business partner salary

   $96,324yearly

   $46.31 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business partner salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average business partner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$130,111	$63
   2	Washington	$126,117	$61
   3	New York	$118,527	$57
   4	New Jersey	$117,721	$57
   5	District of Columbia	$112,327	$54
   6	Oregon	$109,013	$52
   7	Pennsylvania	$108,013	$52
   8	Massachusetts	$102,487	$49
   9	New Hampshire	$101,503	$49
   10	Rhode Island	$98,799	$48
   11	Michigan	$97,172	$47
   12	Connecticut	$96,829	$47
   13	Illinois	$96,094	$46
   14	Maryland	$95,730	$46
   15	Delaware	$95,108	$46
   16	Maine	$92,783	$45
   17	Ohio	$92,290	$44
   18	Virginia	$92,019	$44
   19	Texas	$91,739	$44
   20	North Carolina	$90,181	$43

   Average business partner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ZS	$152,389	$73.26	7
   2	Meta	$147,739	$71.03	147
   3	NVIDIA	$147,204	$70.77	23
   4	Cambridge Associates	$146,738	$70.55	4
   5	Google	$141,140	$67.86	71
   6	VMware	$140,185	$67.40
   7	Apple	$139,289	$66.97	41
   8	Citi	$136,182	$65.47	13
   9	Credit Suisse	$136,153	$65.46
   10	SAP	$135,960	$65.37	70
   11	GoPro	$133,425	$64.15
   12	Varian Medical Systems	$132,994	$63.94
   13	Schrödinger Inc	$132,713	$63.80
   14	Genentech	$132,508	$63.71	15
   15	Asana	$132,435	$63.67	5
   16	Institute of Nuclear Power Operations	$132,423	$63.66
   17	Cloudflare	$132,125	$63.52	7
   18	PayPal	$132,104	$63.51	47
   19	Nomura Securities	$131,763	$63.35	13
   20	AstraZeneca	$131,583	$63.26	16

4. Writing a business partner job description

   A business partner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a business partner job description:

   Business partner job description example

   The Operational Integrity Business Partner will be responsible for Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) activities in one or more business locations, assessing and managing hazards and risk, reducing loss, applying the global HSE Management System, and meeting or exceeding relevant federal and local regulation. They understand the relationship between safety, quality, and productivity and their combined influence on the profitability of the organization. Additionally, they monitor the HSE-related performance of locations they support and work collaboratively with the OI/HSE Manager and site management and staff to proactively influence desirable results while minimizing the impact of unplanned events.
   Responsible for dissemination and implementation of global SGS HSE Standards, Policies, and strategy
   
   Leads development and implementation of programs to meet these standards, policies, and strategies as required
   
   Ensures maintenance of continuous “audit ready” state of compliance with SGS and governmental HSE Standards
   
   Conducts HSE inspections to assess the status of HSE programs, generates reports, communicates findings and strategies needed for compliance with the supported Line of Business
   
   Ensures training needs for all positions within the location are identified and met, as they relate to compliance with internal expectations and with federal regulations. Works with the relevant management to deliver this training internally or through external sources
   
   Assists the Industrial Hygiene Manager with the implementation of Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Exposure Assessment and Monitoring Plans by coordinating and, when needed, participating in IH hazard identification and assessment activities
   
   Leads an effective implementation and utilization of risk identification, evaluation, and management processes
   
   Participates in the incident investigation of all HSE-related incidents and “near misses” at supported locations, utilizing formal tools to identify the root cause and develop appropriate corrective and preventive actions
   
   Collaborates with the SGS Occupational Medical Director and Business Management Team to ensure effective injury case management process is fully implemented, well understood, and functioning as desired
   
   Serves as the Business HSE/OI technical expert, providing technical expertise/coaching as needed in all areas and initiatives of the function including capital project review and risks management associated with non-capital modifications
   
   Effectively supports geographically dispersed locations via in-person, remote, or electronic means
   
   Performs other duties as assigned
   
   Compensation - $85,000-$125,000/year

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right business partner for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with business partners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit business partners who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find business partner candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit business partners, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 partner

   Once you've decided on a perfect business partner candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new business partner. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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