How to hire an interior designer/project manager

How to hire an interior designer/project manager, step by step

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

What does an interior designer/project manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the interior designer/project manager you need to hire. Certain interior designer/project 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 an interior designer/project 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 interior designer/project manager that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of interior designer/project manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Interior Designer/Project Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Interior Designer/Project Manager	Interior designers make interior spaces functional, safe, and beautiful by determining space requirements and selecting decorative items, such as colors, lighting, and materials. They read blueprints and must be aware of building codes and inspection regulations, as well as universal accessibility standards.	$24-50
   Kitchen And Bath Designer	As the name entails, kitchen and bath designers design kitchens and bathrooms using their interior design skills and knowledge of space, colors, lighting, and textures. They typically begin working on their projects by doing a tour and talking to clients to better understand their requirements... Show more	$15-38
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Revit
   • Design Projects
   • Building Codes
   • Design Services
   • Sketch
   • FF
   • Space Planning
   • Design Firm
   • Auto CAD
   • General Contractors
   • Manage Projects
   • Construction Administration
   • Design Concepts
   • Design Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage design for corporations, churches, educational facilities and healthcare organizations
   • Lead efforts to redesign and convert existing self-pace and instructor-le course materials into eLearning and web-base formats.
   • Produce schematic drawings and renderings in Revit for proposal packages, CD sets, and shop drawings.
   • Design interior and exterior commercial and residential construction projects utilizing digital sketch software AutoCAD.
   • Design, modele and render graphically intensive exteriors and interior environments and animations utilizing the latest in visualization technology.
   • Specialize in the areas of corporate, education, and healthcare design.

   More interior designer/project manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the interior designer/project manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. An interior designer/project manager 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 an interior designer/project manager in Oklahoma may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level interior designer/project manager. Additionally, an interior designer/project manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average interior designer/project manager salary

   $73,114yearly

   $35.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level interior designer/project manager salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average interior designer/project manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$101,336	$49
   2	Washington	$90,762	$44
   3	New York	$88,456	$43
   4	Texas	$79,228	$38
   5	New Jersey	$78,620	$38
   6	Pennsylvania	$76,401	$37
   7	Arizona	$75,921	$37
   8	Colorado	$71,610	$34
   9	Missouri	$69,836	$34
   10	Maryland	$69,012	$33
   11	North Carolina	$68,418	$33
   12	Georgia	$67,081	$32
   13	Alabama	$57,635	$28
   14	Tennessee	$56,108	$27
   15	Illinois	$55,814	$27
   16	South Carolina	$53,953	$26
   17	Florida	$51,990	$25

   Average interior designer/project manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Stanford Health Care	$92,119	$44.29	6
   2	The CID Group	$91,332	$43.91	3
   3	Whitman	$89,504	$43.03	3
   4	RQ Construction	$88,945	$42.76	14
   5	Compassus	$81,073	$38.98
   6	Accounting Services Limited	$76,991	$37.01
   7	TISTA Science & Technology	$72,002	$34.62
   8	Rieke Office Interiors	$70,206	$33.75	1
   9	Genera	$69,404	$33.37
   10	Galloway	$69,064	$33.20	3
   11	HGA	$69,031	$33.19	22
   12	JLL	$68,691	$33.02	30
   13	Right 2 Work Corporation	$68,498	$32.93
   14	Life House	$68,497	$32.93
   15	Gensler	$65,654	$31.56	186
   16	LPA Holding Corp	$64,169	$30.85	35
   17	Erickson Senior Living	$61,928	$29.77
   18	Stanford Hotels	$60,278	$28.98	2
   19	Atria Senior Living	$53,111	$25.53

4. Writing an interior designer/project manager job description

   An interior designer/project 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 interior designer/project manager job description:

   Interior designer/project manager job description example

   RQC, LLC, (a wholly-owned subsidiary of DPR Construction) is seeking a Interior Designer Project Manager, with 5+ years' medical facility interiors project experience, to join our design/build team to contribute to true integrated project delivery for the Department of Defense. Projects are challenging, interesting and diverse both technically and geographically.
   
   Our dynamic 25+ Architectural team (including Interior Design) includes over 10 licensed Architects, and staff hailing from some of the top commercial Arch/A&E firms in the nation. We utilize the highest levels of design and 3D technologies for production and construction.
   
   The holistic experience at RQ is like no other. From one Architect's perspective, "There is no better environment to work, than with a team of designers and builders collaborating together to deliver the best built environment for our nation's federal and DOD agencies."
   
   From another Architect's perspective, "It is exciting to work for a company that encourages a team effort for design and is passionate about professional development and mentoring. We are fortunate to work in an environment that incorporates all facets of the construction industry from estimators to the building trades. . . and we are better Architects as a result."
   EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: A BA/BS degree in Interior Design from a CIDA accredited program is the minimum formal education required for this position. A BA/BS Interior Architecture or Architecture may be considered with appropriate work experience. Ten (10) or more years of relevant design experience with 5 years medical facility interiors projects and 5 years DoD experience required. Interior Design License or NCIDQ certification preferred. Computer literacy (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Internet, etc.) required. Specific software literacy (Revit v2018 or higher, ACAD v2018 or higher; Adobe Creative Suite) required but can be trained. Sketchup and Bluebeam a plus.
   COMPANY PROFILE: RQC, LLC is a full service contracting and design firm that specializes in Design/Build projects for both public and private clients, with a primary focus on the Department of Defense. Our mission is 'to provide our customers the best built environment while being the first choice of all stakeholders.
   
   The firm offers a variety of services including construction, architectural design, interior design, trade services, virtual design and construction, and LEED/sustainable design management for projects ranging from $30M to over $200M. RQ's experience includes projects throughout the nation including California, Washington, Virginia and North Carolina, as well as internationally as U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Puerto Rico. The success of this company has been built on three pillars: Quality, Integrity, and Leadership. Our employees work hard as a team, thrive on innovation and remain committed to being the first choice of our clients as well as all other stakeholders. In return we offer an excellent work environment, very competitive compensation and an outstanding benefits package.
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

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5. Post your job

   To find interior designer/project managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any interior designer/project managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level interior designer/project managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your interior designer/project manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality interior designer/project manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit interior designer/project 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 interior designer/project manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the interior designer/project 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.

   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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