How to hire a health services manager

How to hire a health services manager, step by step

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

What does a health services manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your health services 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 health services 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a health services 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 a health services manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of health services managers.

   Type of Health Services Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Health Services Manager	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$26-61
   Nursing Director	A nursing director's role is to oversee and evaluate all nurse staff in a hospital or organization, ensuring their efficiency at providing care towards patients. A nursing director's responsibilities mainly revolve around administrative tasks such as coordinating with physicians and other consultants, producing reports, conducting assessments, managing the budget and expenditures, and resolving issues... Show more	$30-56
   Clinical Director	A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports... Show more	$30-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Behavioral Health
   • Mental Health
   • Health Services
   • Customer Service
   • Social Work
   • Patient Care
   • Public Health
   • Oversight
   • Utilization Management
   • Quality Improvement
   • Performance Evaluations
   • HIPAA
   • Community Resources

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Initiate sentinel system allowing company to proactively manage reimbursement reductions impose by state Medicaid programs.
   • Possess the ability to work in a fast-pace environment with compassion and respect for all patients and family members.
   • Assist in the design and reconstruction of the culinary department.
   • File member's medical data in proper medical jacket, per HIPAA regulations.
   • Audit adjudication process so that compliance are met within ERISA and HIPAA guidelines.
   • Assist other facilities in preparation for ACA accreditation and develop departmental audit tools to ensure compliance in all areas.

   More health services manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your health services manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A health services manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a health services manager in Missouri may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level health services manager usually earns less than a senior-level health services manager. Additionally, a health services manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average health services manager salary

   $84,568yearly

   $40.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health services manager salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average health services manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$100,298	$48
   2	District of Columbia	$96,984	$47
   3	California	$96,491	$46
   4	Massachusetts	$95,291	$46
   5	Maryland	$94,871	$46
   6	New Jersey	$94,248	$45
   7	Washington	$90,413	$43
   8	Virginia	$89,047	$43
   9	Nevada	$85,558	$41
   10	Illinois	$80,420	$39
   11	Pennsylvania	$80,054	$38
   12	Michigan	$78,883	$38
   13	Colorado	$73,280	$35
   14	Indiana	$72,879	$35
   15	Texas	$71,551	$34
   16	Louisiana	$70,217	$34
   17	Missouri	$69,523	$33
   18	Florida	$67,685	$33
   19	Arkansas	$64,891	$31
   20	Mississippi	$64,365	$31

   Average health services manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Genentech	$160,965	$77.39	19
   2	Amgen	$155,315	$74.67	23
   3	The Rockefeller Foundation	$150,170	$72.20	1
   4	Baystate Health	$145,702	$70.05	16
   5	Boehringer Ingelheim	$133,333	$64.10	4
   6	Fanatics	$126,843	$60.98	1
   7	Stryker	$126,421	$60.78	7
   8	Lumeris	$125,000	$60.10	1
   9	Pwc	$122,958	$59.11	785
   10	UCSF Health	$116,521	$56.02
   11	FHI 360	$115,725	$55.64	2
   12	Boston Partners In Education	$115,575	$55.56
   13	CVS Health	$114,864	$55.22	951
   14	Medstar Health	$112,373	$54.03	6
   15	Cargill	$109,751	$52.76	1
   16	Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital Network	$109,160	$52.48	1
   17	University of Maryland Medical System	$108,898	$52.35	29
   18	Aetna	$103,259	$49.64
   19	Parexel International	$103,076	$49.56	108
   20	Highmark	$101,433	$48.77	273

4. Writing a health services manager job description

   A good health services 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 health services manager job description:

   Health services manager job description example

   You could be the one who changes everything for our 26 million members as a clinical professional on our Medical Management/Health Services team. Centene is a diversified, national organization offering competitive benefits including a fresh perspective on workplace flexibility.
   
   Locations: Work remote from home and service members in Abilene, TX, El Paso, TX San Angelo, TX Wichita Falls, TX and surrounding areas.
   
   Hybrid position - Work from home and travel within the assigned service delivery area(s) to conduct behavioral health assessments and service coordination for members with child behavioral health conditions and special needs.
   As a Behavioral Health Service Mgr, you will:
   
   Perform duties related to the day-to-day operations of the Service Management functions for STAR Kids members to achieve the highest possible levels of functioning and wellness by ensuring consistent, timely access to medically necessary behavioral health services. Monitor quality of care, assist with discharge planning.• Work with Members, Medical Consenters, clinical staff and providers to meet the behavioral healthcare needs of each member’s condition.
   • Identify members who may benefit from service management, conduct an assessment and develop, implement and monitor a behavioral healthcare service plan.
   • Provide information to clinical staff to facilitate development of the behavioral healthcare service plan.
   • Update database regularly with most recent Service Management Plan of Care.
   • Review information submitted by providers into the database to ensure material is appropriate and consistent with guidelines for data inclusion.
   • Encourage behavioral health providers to use evidence-based practices and confirm that behavioral health providers and PCP’s are sharing information as required.
   • Comply with established referral, pre-certification and authorization policies, procedures and processes by related medical management staff.
   • Maintain compliance with federal and state regulations and contractual agreements.
   • Coordinate service management functions with other departmental functions.
   • Monitor data to address trends or potential quality improvement opportunities.
   • Maintain HIPAA compliance and travel to member's homes to conduct assessments. Education/Experience: Master's degree in relevant field (e.g. social work, counseling, psychology) OR Associates/Bachelor’s degree in Nursing specializing in psychiatric/mental health. 3+ years of direct behavioral health/psychiatric experience, case management, utilization management, service coordination. Experience in psychiatric health care settings, child behavioral health conditions and members with special needs. Working knowledge of utilization review procedures, and familiarity with mental health community resources. Managed care is preferred, but not required. License/Certification: Unrestricted license as a LCSW, LMFT, LPC, or RN in the applicable state is required. Driver’s license is required. Work From Home TEXAS: Must reside in Abilene, El Paso, San Angelo, Wichita Falls, and surrounding TX areas Our Comprehensive Benefits Package: Flexible work solutions including remote options, hybrid work schedules and dress flexibility, Competitive pay, Paid time off including holidays, Health insurance coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) and stock purchase plans, Tuition reimbursement and best-in-class training and development. Centene is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, and values the ways in which we are different. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right health services manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with health services 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.

   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.

   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 health services manager

   Once you've found the health services 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new health services manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 health services manager?