How to hire a business unit manager

How to hire a business unit manager, step by step

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

What does a business unit manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the business unit manager you need to hire. Certain business unit 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 business unit 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of business unit managers.

   Type of Business Unit Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Unit Manager	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$38-88
   Manager Of Business Services	Business Service Managers are administrative professionals who oversee different service-related functions in the company. They manage the teams involved in serving various functions... Show more	$32-67
   Day Manager	A day manager oversees the daily operations of an organization, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently according to company standards and regulations. As a day manager, it is their duty to set priorities and goals, establish timelines and guidelines, manage budgets, delegate responsibilities among teams, and supervise staff performances, solving issues or concerns when any arise... Show more	$14-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Continuous Improvement
   • Customer Service
   • Product Line
   • Project Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Financial Performance
   • Human Resources
   • Direct Reports
   • On-Time Delivery
   • Sigma
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Business Development
   • Quality Standards
   • Product Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage capital investment of $250k refurbishment project in RBD department to begin the plant's first TPM program.
   • Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
   • Maintain establishment's monthly bills including payroll, utilities, advertisement, and vending.
   • Review as-is business processes and deploy new processes, roles & responsibilities and KPI's.
   • Calculate and paid all payroll taxes, sales taxes, and alcohol taxes for the business.
   • Develop and implement new business processes, tools, KPI's and scorecards to drive both improvement and adoption.

   More business unit manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, business unit managers' average salary in hawaii is 64% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level business unit managers earn 56% less than senior-level business unit managers.
   • Certifications. A business unit 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 unit manager's salary.

   Average business unit manager salary

   $122,782yearly

   $59.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business unit manager salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average business unit manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$156,442	$75
   2	Massachusetts	$146,382	$70
   3	Washington	$145,007	$70
   4	New York	$141,133	$68
   5	New Jersey	$136,002	$65
   6	California	$119,935	$58
   7	Pennsylvania	$119,321	$57
   8	Colorado	$118,355	$57
   9	Connecticut	$118,303	$57
   10	Texas	$115,256	$55
   11	Indiana	$114,038	$55
   12	Ohio	$112,099	$54
   13	North Carolina	$106,081	$51
   14	Michigan	$106,017	$51
   15	Florida	$104,160	$50
   16	Illinois	$97,273	$47
   17	Georgia	$97,122	$47
   18	Oregon	$96,096	$46
   19	Arizona	$92,086	$44
   20	Iowa	$89,247	$43

   Average business unit manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$160,253	$77.04	25
   2	TBWA Worldwide	$151,102	$72.65
   3	Goldman Sachs	$149,303	$71.78	1
   4	Navistar	$144,922	$69.67	1
   5	Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC	$142,701	$68.61
   6	Accenture	$142,208	$68.37	1,617
   7	NTN Bower Corporation	$140,837	$67.71
   8	Amgen	$139,840	$67.23	38
   9	Hitachi Vantara	$136,646	$65.70
   10	ON Semiconductor	$136,279	$65.52
   11	Weatherford International	$134,993	$64.90	1
   12	MUFG EMEA	$134,897	$64.85
   13	Hayward Pool Products	$133,182	$64.03	6
   14	BD	$132,709	$63.80	6
   15	International Trucks	$131,921	$63.42
   16	Gilbane Building Company	$130,592	$62.78	17
   17	Hubbell	$130,341	$62.66	11
   18	YKK AP America	$129,884	$62.44
   19	Ball	$129,096	$62.07	5
   20	Johnson & Johnson	$128,151	$61.61	127

4. Writing a business unit manager job description

   A business unit manager 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 unit manager job description:

   Business unit manager job description example

   We are a demonstrated disruptor within the cable and adapter markets, with a strong history in bringing technology to both the home and office environment.
   The Business Unit Manager is a leader responsible for facilitating the identification, development and lifecycle management of innovative, industry leading products. While managing large and/or strategic categories, you also play a key role in cross functional strategies to assist the whole team. The Business Unit Manager lives and breathes product categories and is a thought leader in those markets - with a deep understanding of technology trends as well as their customers, competitors, suppliers, substitutes and new entrants. You must act both strategically and tactically to achieve the goals set for those product lines.
   
   The role requires strong team collaboration skills as well as a strong self-starter, entrepreneurial work ethic. You will work closely with Product Development, Program Management, Purchasing, Product Marketing, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, and Tech Support Teams to ensure clear communication, as well as achieving category and company goals.
   
   Additionally, the Business Unit Manager may supervise and manage Product Development Managers and Assistant Product Managers. In those cases, you are responsible for the overall performance of the team as well as the development of the team members, in line with corporate values, strategy and vision.
   
   Essential Functions and Responsibilities include the following. Provide a holistic perspective on how to succeed as a business within their markets. Utilize technology and market trends to determine areas of opportunity to dominate within current product categories and launch new lines of products. Take ownership of product and category roadmaps to ensure our customers receive the experiences we would want if we were them. Detailed product portfolios by category are maintained and evangelized both internally and externally. Develop product offerings to support key sales channels, including geographies, retail, distribution, education, enterprise, as well as direct to our end users. Continually assess online and retail environments to ensure superior quality, compelling content and competitive merchandising/promotions in line with corporate values. Establish, and continually review and revise pricing as needed, with support from pricing team. Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to generate new and effective promotions. Provide unique selling points and other product collateral to support content creation and marketing. Prepare budgets and break-even analyses for new development projects. Understand finance, read P&Ls and be comfortable with numbers. Provide root cause analysis as well as action plan to fix issues and improve on strengths. Collaborate with Internal and Factory Design Teams to modify products and packaging as needed. Continually assess company website for accuracy and recommend improvements. Work with cross-functional teams to manage supplier relationships. Have working knowledge of supplier network to the level of specific capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Involvement in production ramp-up to mitigate quality and capacity issues.
   Supervisory Responsibilities
   This position may supervise one or multiple Product Development Managers, Product Managers or Assistant Product Managers.
   
   Interaction with Others
   The employee must be able to follow company policies; receive directions from others; work effectively with co-workers in a constructive and positive manner; listen to and objectively consider ideas and suggestions for improvement; keep others informed of work progress, deadlines, or other pertinent issues; address problems constructively to find acceptable solutions; keep commitments; and always respect the diversity of the company's workforce in actions, words and deeds.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS
   
   Education & Experience Minimum 5-10 years of experience in product development or Product Management in the consumer products industry. Working in e-tail and e-commerce a plus. Experience in product lines that include various data cables such as HDMI, Cat5, Cat8, KVM, Video, fiber optic, etc, and various adapters that would go along with these cables and more is required. Solid experience in relevant product development. Sourcing experience will be a plus. Strong relationships within industry and user communities a plus. Bachelor's degree required, preferably in business, marketing or engineering. MBA or equivalent relevant work experience a plus.
   Other Skills and Abilities Advance Proficiency in Microsoft Office products with a strong Excel background Strong communication skills in an open team environment. Ability to quickly make decisions to act as a disruptive force in the industry. Out of the box thinking Cultural understanding of communication with overseas factories, ability to adjust communication to deliver information effectively. Ability to travel to attend trade shows or visit customers. Ability to read, write and carry out simple correspondence and oral instructions Must be able to communicate with customers in a clear, easily understood manner in English. Ability to speak and write Mandarin a plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find business unit 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 unit managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level business unit 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 unit manager job on Zippia to find and recruit business unit manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit business unit 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 unit manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect business unit manager 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.

   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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