How to hire a data management specialist

How to hire a data management specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step data management specialist hiring guide:

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

What does a data management specialist do?

Post a data management specialist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your data management specialist 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 data management specialist 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 data management specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, data management specialists 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of data management specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Data Management Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Data Management Specialist	Statisticians use statistical methods to collect and analyze data and to help solve real-world problems in business, engineering, healthcare, or other fields.	$23-59
   Clinical Data Coordinator	A clinical data coordinator is primarily in charge of managing and organizing data gathered from various clinical research programs. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments, updating databases with accurate information, identifying errors and inconsistencies, performing corrective measures, and maintaining records of all transactions... Show more	$21-48
   Clinical Data Analyst	A clinical data analyst is a healthcare professional trained in checking the validity of scientific experiments and gathered data. Clinical data analysts have a wide variety of responsibilities to fulfill... Show more	$25-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Data Quality
   • Data Collection
   • Data Analysis
   • Database Systems
   • Data Management
   • Data Integrity
   • Visualization
   • SQL Server
   • Management System
   • Data Validation
   • PowerPoint
   • Strong Analytical
   • Product Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead key marketing partner events from PMI and MPA.
   • Ensure that the CRF's are transmit to data entry staff and manage timely data entry.
   • Manage and communicate proper usage of data to a wide variety of QA testers which result in improve data request submissions.
   • Manage the collection, double entry, comparison edit, and locking of clinical trial database in accordance with FDA guidelines.
   • Identify and recommend ERP system base solutions to automate current processes to improve efficiency, accuracy and standardization.
   • Manage clinical trials by gathering data, monitoring adverse events, screening patients for eligibility and scheduling patients per protocol.

   More data management specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the data management specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A data management specialist 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 data management specialist in Hawaii may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level data management specialist. Additionally, a data management specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average data management specialist salary

   $78,699yearly

   $37.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level data management specialist salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average data management specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$105,683	$51
   2	California	$95,368	$46
   3	New Jersey	$93,191	$45
   4	New York	$92,445	$44
   5	District of Columbia	$90,394	$43
   6	North Carolina	$82,616	$40
   7	Washington	$80,726	$39
   8	Texas	$80,129	$39
   9	Virginia	$77,314	$37
   10	Georgia	$75,589	$36
   11	Pennsylvania	$74,366	$36
   12	Connecticut	$74,324	$36
   13	Arizona	$73,361	$35
   14	Indiana	$72,647	$35
   15	Ohio	$72,229	$35
   16	Wisconsin	$70,313	$34
   17	Michigan	$65,786	$32
   18	Illinois	$64,478	$31
   19	Kansas	$64,218	$31
   20	Minnesota	$61,092	$29

   Average data management specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$147,541	$70.93	70
   2	Google	$124,512	$59.86	305
   3	Genentech	$124,364	$59.79	27
   4	Point B	$120,308	$57.84
   5	MUFG EMEA	$118,572	$57.01
   6	AbbVie	$117,441	$56.46	64
   7	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$117,081	$56.29	22
   8	Citi	$115,901	$55.72	32
   9	Parsons	$115,499	$55.53	35
   10	Simon Property Group	$113,706	$54.67	6
   11	BMO Capital Markets	$112,148	$53.92	18
   12	HSBC Bank	$111,573	$53.64	3
   13	Devon Energy	$109,553	$52.67	6
   14	BNY Mellon	$107,167	$51.52	49
   15	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$106,184	$51.05	1,209
   16	Guy Carpenter	$105,160	$50.56
   17	Equifax	$105,045	$50.50	20
   18	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$105,019	$50.49	7
   19	Halliburton	$102,809	$49.43	1
   20	Abt Associates	$102,647	$49.35

4. Writing a data management specialist job description

   A job description for a data management specialist 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 a data management specialist job description:

   Data management specialist job description example

   Responsible for maintaining and updating repositories of documentation generated by multiple participants in complex, multi-project acquisition programs. Design, maintain, and enhance the taxonomy by which this material is organized. Ensure that this material is readily accessible to PMO members, responding quickly and effectively to requests for information, and making data accessible to programmers and end users.
   Required Education, Experience, & Skills
   Bachelor's Degree in information systems with a concentration in database administration or other business acquisition, contract management, or program management related field is required.
   
   Five (5) years experience in Data Management tracking and managing deliverable documents and data for systems being deployed to multiple sites. Demonstrated knowledge of document management processes and software. Experience with the application of automated data management tools in a classified program performance environment. Familiarity with the DoD 5000 acquisition process, C4ISR/DoDAF documentation requirements, NSA record keeping and archiving processes, and system engineering is highly desirable.
   
   In lieu of the Bachelor's degree, three (3) additional years of related experience can be substituted, for a total of eight (8) years.
   Implement and supervise data management procedures for both classified and unclassified program and project information as defined by the Program Data Manager; Utilize available automated data management tools to support data management activities.
   Establishes and maintains the DM Plan and DM structure for the program; Coordinates deliverable and non-deliverable documentation schedules with the PM; Reviews DM schedules and budgets with the PM; Reports DM status, results, and metrics.
   
   About BAE Systems Intelligence & Security
   BAE Systems Intelligence & Security, based in McLean, Virginia, designs and delivers advanced defense, intelligence, and security solutions that support the important missions of our customers. Our pride and dedication shows in everything we do-from intelligence analysis, cyber operations and IT expertise to systems development, systems integration, and operations and maintenance services. Knowing that our work enables the U.S. military and government to recognize, manage and defeat threats inspires us to push ourselves and our technologies to new levels. That's BAE Systems. That's Inspired Work. Equal Opportunity Employer/Females/Minorities/Veterans/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Gender Expression. To see Inspired Work in action, visit www.baesystems.com and follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/baesystemsintel.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find data management specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your data management specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit data management specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit data management specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a data management specialist applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 data management specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect data management specialist 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 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 data management specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a data management specialist?