How to hire an executive program manager

How to hire an executive program manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an executive program manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an executive program manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an executive program manager that fits the bill.

   This list presents executive program manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Executive Program Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Program Manager		$39-73
   Fitness Manager	A fitness manager specializes in helping clients to fulfill their goals in health and lifestyle. Typically working in gyms and health facilities, they oversee fitness classes and supervise personal trainers to ensure efficiency and client satisfaction... Show more	$14-31
   Program Supervisor	A program supervisor is a professional who coordinates and monitors the scheduling and technical performance of company programs. Program supervisors aid in negotiating contracts and are responsible for any contractual changes... Show more	$17-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Program Management
   • Project Management
   • Digital Transformation
   • Logistics
   • CRM
   • Cloud
   • Business Development
   • Event Planning
   • Service Delivery
   • EBC
   • R
   • Program Development
   • Strategic Direction
   • PMO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead enterprise architecture team and PMO for major international project.
   • Analyze and manage financial components and technical requirements for DoD programs.
   • Manage implementation of referrals, coordinate assignment of new physicians and create support network for transitioning patients during clinic closure.
   • Create and execute PMO to handle the incoming projects from U.S. Bank.
   • Assist sales teams and executives with logistics of executive account visit engagement.
   • Implement all necessary actions to ensure achievement of grant objectives by contract oversight and conflict resolution.

   More executive program manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, executive program managers' average salary in florida is 32% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level executive program managers earn 45% less than senior-level executive program managers.
   • Certifications. An executive program 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 executive program manager's salary.

   Average executive program manager salary

   $112,953yearly

   $54.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive program manager salary

   $83,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average executive program manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$131,220	$63
   2	District of Columbia	$130,798	$63
   3	Michigan	$129,613	$62
   4	Massachusetts	$124,525	$60
   5	Washington	$123,804	$60
   6	Virginia	$123,666	$59
   7	Texas	$118,937	$57
   8	North Carolina	$116,710	$56
   9	Colorado	$114,703	$55
   10	Wisconsin	$113,620	$55
   11	Illinois	$113,261	$54
   12	Arizona	$112,596	$54
   13	Connecticut	$112,088	$54
   14	Pennsylvania	$108,017	$52
   15	New York	$104,495	$50
   16	Indiana	$102,218	$49
   17	Maryland	$96,730	$47
   18	Georgia	$95,925	$46
   19	Florida	$89,364	$43

   Average executive program manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$131,771	$63.35	155
   2	IBM	$130,623	$62.80	129
   3	Amazon	$126,533	$60.83	623
   4	Turner & Townsend	$122,494	$58.89	18
   5	Procore Technologies	$120,529	$57.95	1
   6	CACI International	$119,116	$57.27	64
   7	Cisco	$118,616	$57.03	83
   8	Stanford University	$118,297	$56.87	14
   9	Microsoft	$118,211	$56.83	128
   10	General Electric	$114,635	$55.11	94
   11	Sabre	$112,670	$54.17	1
   12	Yaamava' Resort & Casino	$111,650	$53.68
   13	Ping Identity	$111,620	$53.66	5
   14	Saalex Solutions	$106,860	$51.38	8
   15	The Health Management Academy	$101,322	$48.71	3
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$99,294	$47.74	11
   17	Medical Billing	$98,241	$47.23
   18	Elevance Health	$91,269	$43.88
   19	Clarivate	$90,456	$43.49	1
   20	University of Pennsylvania	$58,864	$28.30	18

4. Writing an executive program manager job description

   A job description for an executive program 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 executive program manager job description:

   Executive program manager job description example

   • Bachelor’s degree required
   • 2+ years of working experience in healthcare

   Interpersonal Skills & Attributes:

   • Collaborative
   • Ability to get deep on content with strong knowledge or interest in the healthcare industry
   • Strong attention to detail with demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and juggle multiple priorities
   • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
   • Ability to influence others at senior levels
   • Team approach to working with others, ability to perform a variety of duties within any work day and organizational skills from planning to execution of tasks and projects
   • Process-oriented with the ability to drive a project to completion
   • Attention to detail
   • Ability to work independently and as a team member
   • Self-directed and resourceful
   • Excellent communication and client-facing skills
   • Excellent organizational skills

   Physical Demands:

   The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, and distance vision.

   Notice of Equal Opportunity Employment:

   The Academy is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, The Academy will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. The Academy’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of women, people of color, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right executive program manager 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 executive program managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive program managers 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your executive program manager job on Zippia to find and recruit executive program manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with executive program manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 executive program manager

   Once you've found the executive program 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 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 executive program manager 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.)

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