How to hire an industrial relations manager

How to hire an industrial relations manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your industrial relations 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 an industrial relations 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?

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   Hiring the perfect industrial relations 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.

   Here's a comparison of industrial relations manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Industrial Relations Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Industrial Relations Manager	Human resources managers plan, direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. They oversee the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top executives on strategic planning; and serve as a link between an organization’s management and its employees.	$25-56
   Generalist	A generalist, also known as a human resource generalist, is responsible for overseeing the operations in a human resource department, focusing on employees' welfare and working conditions. They are primarily involved in the hiring and laying off processes among employees, handing training and benefits programs, and coordinating with every department in the company... Show more	$13-34
   Director Of Human Resources	A human resources director is responsible for managing the overall operations of the human resources department, ensuring smooth operations while meeting the company's goals of successful profitability and services. Human resources directors' duties include providing staff consultation, addressing staffing concerns, managing compensation and benefits plans, reviewing plans for training and development programs, and reporting future actions to the management... Show more	$32-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Industrial Relations
   • Press Releases
   • Labor Relations
   • Safety Program
   • Contract Negotiations
   • Trade Shows
   • HR
   • Arbitration
   • Training Programs
   • Human Resources Functions
   • Collective Bargaining
   • Labor Agreements
   • Organizational Development
   • EEO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage EEO / AAP programs and control substance testing programs.
   • Manage relations with the UAW, including grievance resolution and contract negotiation.
   • Manage alumni programs and data systems including implementing new data tracking system and creating data privacy policy.
   • Draft collective bargaining contract language, discrimination complaint settlement agreements, and labor arbitration legal briefs.
   • Authore affirmative action plans and direct corporate equal opportunity (EEO) program.
   • Addressed internal grievances, and external complaints file with EEOC, PHRC, OCR, prepare research and responses utilizing PeopleSoft.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, industrial relations managers' average salary in tennessee is 44% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level industrial relations managers earn 56% less than senior-level industrial relations managers.
   • Certifications. An industrial relations 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 industrial relations manager's salary.

   Average industrial relations manager salary

   $78,465yearly

   $37.72 hourly rate

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   Entry-level industrial relations manager salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

4. Writing an industrial relations manager job description

   An industrial relations 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 an industrial relations manager job description:

   Industrial relations manager job description example

   At Pentair, you will work along-side passionate problem-solvers who are committed to the future of our planet. We put our purpose into practice, inspiring people to move, improve and enjoy life's essential resources for happier, healthier lives. From our residential and business water solutions, to our sustainable innovations and applications, our 11,250 global employees serve customers in more than 150 countries, working to help improve lives and the environment around the world.
   
   As a Pentair employee, you would enjoy a wide array of benefit options to help keep you and your family healthy and protected, a generous 401(k) and ESPP to help you save for retirement, plus paid time off and wellness programs to encourage a healthy work/life balance.
   
   We have an opportunity for a FP&A Manager to join our Commercial and Infrastructure Flow team. This role is responsible for driving short and long-term financial planning and analysis activities by partnering with cross-functional leadership across the business unit. Key areas of ownership for the role include sales and margin analytics, forecasting and planning, and opportunity identification.
   You Will:
   Act as a key business partner to the BU Product Category leaders to ensure the delivery of sales and standard margin commitments.Responsible for driving standardization in management reporting.Accomplishes department objectives by providing leadership and coaching.Develop operating plans and forecasts with analysis of order trends and backlog, including development of bottoms up financials, with identified areas for growth and margin expansion.Tracks and analyzes performance against the financial plan and forecast, including identification of risks and opportunities.Manage the BU Sales, Inventory, Operations and Planning (SIOP) process.Utilize Lean tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of financial processes to improve standardization, predictability and financial results.Support new product business cases/capital expenditure requests.Perform ad-hoc analysis at the request of various levels of management as needed.
   
   Key Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree with Finance or Accounting major; MBA, CMA, or CPA preferred Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in FP&A, Operational Finance, or Controllership, multinational manufacturing industry experience preferred Knowledge of US GAAP and International Accounting Standards (IAS) Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, as well as experience working with OneStream, PowerBI, and SAP (or similar systems) Experience in Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Production Planning and/or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes Excellent communications skills, both verbal and written, with ability to complete necessary analytical reports and provide written commentary and interpretation Ability to build relationships quickly and to influence effectively in ambiguous situations
   
   Pentair is an Equal Opportunity Employer
   
   Diversity and Inclusion:
   With our expanding global presence, cross-cultural insight and competence are essential for our ongoing success. We believe that a diverse workforce contributes different perspectives and creative ideas that enable us to continue to improve every day. Race, gender, ethnicity, country of origin, age, personal style, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, life experiences and many more factors contribute to this diversity.
   We take ongoing action to improve the diversity of our workforce by:
   Ensuring leadership involvement and ownership Attracting and retaining diverse talent at all levels Fostering a globally aware, inclusive culture Ensuring our practices are fair and non-discriminatory

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5. Post your job

   To find the right industrial relations 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 industrial relations managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit industrial relations 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.

   To find industrial relations manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as hrcrossing, ihirehr, hrjobs, shrm hr jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit industrial relations managers, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 industrial relations manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the industrial relations manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new industrial relations 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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