How to hire a household manager

How to hire a household manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

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

   The following list breaks down different types of household managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Household Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Household Manager	Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage staff who provide social services to the public.	$14-50
   Project Administrator	A project administrator is a professional who assists the project manager in the preparation, reporting, and analysis of projects. Project administrators are given tasks with administrative responsibilities such as managing the budget for supply orders, coordinating meetings with contractors, and doing site visits... Show more	$15-39
   Project Director	A project director is a professional responsible for supervising workers from various departments given specific tasks to complete a given project. They create a budget to complete a job while monitoring the amount of money spent to ensure that overspending is avoided... Show more	$33-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Child Care
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Nutritious Meals
   • Event Planning
   • Meal Planning
   • Meal Preparation
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Conflict Resolution
   • Home Maintenance
   • Household Management
   • Clean Environment
   • Groceries
   • Medical Care
   • Medical Appointments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage monthly Medicaid flex funds for emergencies, rewards/incentives, and other supportive services.
   • Manage various factors of legal employment that include background checks, W4s, employee handbooks, employee contracts, and payroll.
   • Create weekly meal plan, stock groceries, and prepare healthy dinners daily.
   • Plane meals, create shopping lists, purchase groceries and prepare meals for the family.
   • Assist rehabilitation patients with discharge planning by contacting and arranging the necessary resources with outside companies.
   • Assist in kitchen, regulate funds, payroll, maintain health standards, liaison for employees as well as customers.

   More household manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your household manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A household manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, household managers' average salary in hawaii is 45% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level household managers 70% less than senior-level household managers.
   • Certifications. A household manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a household manager's salary.

   Average household manager salary

   $58,000yearly

   $27.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level household manager salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average household manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$76,703	$37
   2	New Jersey	$76,649	$37
   3	New Jersey	$76,550	$37
   4	New Jersey	$76,512	$37
   5	New York	$76,500	$37
   6	California	$74,863	$36
   7	California	$74,765	$36
   8	District of Columbia	$65,671	$32
   9	Arizona	$60,215	$29
   10	Illinois	$59,414	$29
   11	Minnesota	$57,705	$28
   12	Ohio	$56,792	$27
   13	Georgia	$55,632	$27
   14	Indiana	$54,793	$26
   15	Colorado	$46,969	$23
   16	Colorado	$46,962	$23
   17	Kansas	$42,879	$21

   Average household manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sittercity	$104,830	$50.40
   2	Consolidated Investment Group	$63,293	$30.43
   3	College Nannies And Tutors	$61,023	$29.34
   4	Grp Inc	$60,110	$28.90
   5	Excellence	$45,721	$21.98
   6	Go! Retail Group	$33,836	$16.27	3

4. Writing a household manager job description

   A job description for a household 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 a household manager job description:

   Household manager job description example

   $104,000 to $125,000/year+ Full Benefits. DOE.

   Up to 20% performance-based Bonus.

   Atherton, California, USA
   

   ABOUT US:

   Excellence Services LLC is a professional private-owned company that provides luxury service for an HNW family exclusively. We help our client enjoy their life and encourage employee success.

   
   ROLE AND LOCATION:

   Experienced Household Manager
   Atherton, CA
   Full-time, Exempt position
   Competitive Compensation, and Benefits after 90-day Introductory Period

   
   SUMMARY:

   Experienced household manager will keep the day-to-day operations of a private estate. The candidate will be proactive, energetic, detail-oriented and able to anticipate Principals' needs and provide exceptional service in a timely manner. Qualified candidates can work independently, and can wear multiple hats and be hands on to the ever-changing list of priorities.

   
   RESPONSIBILITIES:
   • Complete oversight of principal’s home; maintaining consistency of standards, procedures, and services.

   • Contact, screen, propose and oversee vendors. Compare multiple bids, track budget.

   • Negotiate and manage contracts, supervise work and review invoices.

   • Supervise and coordinate onsite activities and provides day-to-day direction of onsite staff.
   • Prepare realistic plans to address needs and conduct regular walkthroughs and daily checklist.
   • Work with, schedule, supervise and upkeep of maintenance schedules for household vendors: HVAC, electrician, plumbing, generator, well systems, etc.
   • Supervise construction and renovation projects, from design to coordination of schedules, inspections during various construction phases, monitoring permits, and daily oversight of subcontractors.

   • Ensure that the project is executed in accordance with designs, budgets, and schedules; take appropriate action to minimize the impact of deviations.

   • Verify estimates based on a detailed review of proposal specifications.

   • Assist the principals in the procurement of design consultant services and administration of design contracts.
   • Experience with handling and caring for fine art, fine furniture, and collectibles.
   • Knowledgeable working with complex household systems: “smart home” systems, Vantage, HVAC, etc.
   • Maintaining seasonal routines and procedures for the household interior and exterior needs: landscaping, window washing, power washing, etc.
   • Demonstrate high-end design sensibilities and appreciation of aesthetic quality.
   • Daily walk through of property (interior and exterior), ensuring principals aesthetics.
   • Review and train staff (concierge-style attitude and discretion are key).

   • Set the service standard and the hiring, training and ongoing management of staff required to meet the service needs of the family and property.

   • Keep accurate records of all employees such as recruitment, terminations, orientation, training, mentoring, coaching, taxes, compensation, reviews, and supervision.
   • Provide weekly and/or monthly schedules for staff: manage vacations and special requests.
   • Weekly meetings with staff, task delegation, inspections of work.
   • Act as a point of contact and gatekeeper for principals – providing updates on household activity, scheduled maintenance and current state of staff.

   • Manage all related financial matters including accounting budgets and payroll for domestic staff.
   • Order and maintain personal stock for principals: toiletries, clothes, travel supplies, etc.
   • Order and maintain household supply inventories: cleaning supplies, beverages, and snacks, etc.
   • Organize, package, ship and receive deliveries and packages for household and principals.
   • Manage petty cash: maintain and submit records and receipts.
   • Maintain and update household manuals.
   • Review and submit vendor invoices for processing.
   • Greet guests and provide formal (but comfortable) service during visit.
   • Oversee all events and dinner parties, orchestrating staff accordingly.
   • Possess a hands-on attitude – providing service when staff or vendors cannot.
   • Assist principals with packing for trips.
   • Organize luggage of family members and guests for trips, ensuring principals travel needs are met.
   • Be available 24/7 for family members; questions, requests or service.
   • Handle any special requests, duties or errands.
   

   JOB REQUIREMENTS:

   • 4-Year degree from accredited college or university.
   • Minimum of 7+ years of relevant experience working in private homes 15,000 sq. ft or larger.
   • Superior project management skills.
   • Excellent Human resources management skills.
   • Superb command of the English language, both written and oral, is required.
   • General understanding of household mechanical systems, appliances, technology and routine maintenance practices of these systems.
   • Possesses superior process and time management skills.
   • Low key, meticulous, personable character.
   • Must be a self-starter.
   • Must have excellent interpersonal skills.
   • Flexible scheduling with availability to work overtime and weekends as needed. A 24/7 mentality.
   • Valid driver’s license with a perfect driving record.
   • Legal to work in the United States.
   • Able to pass an extensive background check, including criminal and credit checks.

   OUR CORE VALUES:

   ● Principal’s First

   Ability to stay focused on meeting and exceeding Highly Private Principals/Clients needs

   ● Learn from mistakes

   Able to admit mistakes upfront and seeks the truth. Learns and grows from mistakes. Makes thoughtful choices and provides solutions to avoid future mistakes. Keeps improving.

   ● Conscientious

   Finishes duties mindfully, effectively and promptly.

   ● Dedication

   Shows a deep commitment to the role and people.

   ● Accountable

   Takes ownership of tasks and time for Due diligence.

   ● Independent

   Thinks and acts independently.

   ● Resilience

   Does not complain or shy away from assigned work. Confronts difficulties with a positive outlook. When the going gets tough the tough get going.

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right household 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 household manager job on Zippia to find and recruit household manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting household managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 household manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect household 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with 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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