How to hire a national product manager

How to hire a national product manager, step by step

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

Post a national product manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a national product 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 a national product 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 national product manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of national product managers.

   Type of National Product Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   National Product Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$51-100
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60
   Product Lead	A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands... Show more	$41-78

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pricing Strategy
   • Product Management
   • Product Line
   • R
   • Sales Growth
   • Product Strategy
   • Product Development
   • Product Roadmap
   • Regional Trade Shows
   • Sales Training
   • Market Research
   • Financial Analysis
   • Market Analysis
   • Business Cases

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead cross-functional team in pioneering the application/game download ecosystem with the implementation of Java games and generating significant new revenue stream.
   • Utilize SQL to support data-driven analysis and decision processes to inform project prioritization, assess feature effectiveness, and troubleshoot issues.
   • Provide statistical analysis and technical responses to customer RFQ.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, national product managers' average salary in missouri is 33% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level national product managers 48% less than senior-level national product managers.
   • Certifications. A national product 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 national product manager's salary.

   Average national product manager salary

   $150,687yearly

   $72.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level national product manager salary

   $108,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a national product manager job description

   A job description for a national product 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 national product manager job description:

   National product manager job description example

   Become part of the excitement.
   
   As a National Product Manager, you will maintain effective relationships with assigned suppliers, initiate and recommend national product programs and activities designed to improve market share and profitability, and coordinate supplier support for training, Corporate sales and marketing programs, and national account agreements.
   
   In this role you will:
   
   * Maintain key supplier relationships with district management and sales personnel.
   
   * Coordinate interaction between assigned suppliers and other departments for special initiatives such as Vendor Managed Inventory, Electronic Data Interchange, product recalls, and special terms.
   
   * Maintain distributor and incentive agreements with selected suppliers that provide protection and profitability for the Company.
   
   * Identify, evaluate, and recommend new products and new suppliers.
   
   * Initiate, develop, and implement product training applicable to assigned suppliers.
   
   * Review performance of assigned suppliers; implement appropriate action plans for improvement when results are below expectations.
   
   * Responsible for zone inventory strategies.
   
   What you bring to the table:
   
   * Minimum one year of experience in direct sales and sales management
   
   * 2+ years progressively responsible direct sales and sales management experience preferred
   
   * 4 year degree in Marketing or Industrial Distribution preferred
   
   * Ability to evaluate customer needs, analyze sales reports and statistics, and develop sales strategies to improve product penetration
   
   * Ability to develop, implement, and evaluate marketing plans
   
   * Strong interpersonal skills to maintain positive ongoing business relationships with assigned suppliers
   
   * Ability to quickly learn assigned product marketing, the Company's market requirements/trends, and the Company's structure, business, department functions, and their relation to one another
   
   * Oral and written communication skills
   
   * Analytical and negotiation skills
   
   * Some travel required
   
   Why should you join Graybar?
   
   At Graybar, our employees are the heart and soul of our company. We believe that employees with diverse perspectives bring the ideas and innovative thinking we need to solve our biggest challenges and compete in an ever-changing world. Consistent with our values, we welcome people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences into our company because we believe it's the right thing to do and the right way to run our business.
   
   We want each of our employees to know that they matter and to feel a sense of belonging, ownership and inclusion at Graybar. We believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and we work to build a collaborative environment where our employees have the opportunity to grow, learn and make a difference, both as individuals and as part of the team.
   
   That's what our employee ownership culture is all about: working as one team and moving forward together, while honoring the unique value each person brings to our company.
   
   Apply now and find out what's next for you.
   
   At Graybar, we are known for our comprehensive benefits and our employee stock ownership plan! As a full-time employee of Graybar, you will accrue THREE weeks of vacation during your first 12 months, and will have access to a wide variety of our benefits. Benefits include: Medical Insurance and Prescription Drug, Dental Insurance, Vision Plan, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Profit Sharing Plan, 401(k) Savings Plan, Paid Vacation, Sick Days and Holidays, Employee Recognition Program
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disabled
   
   Not the right fit? Let us know you're interested in a future opportunity by clicking Introduce Yourself in the top-right corner of the page or create an account to set up email alerts as new job postings become available that meet your interest!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find national product 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 national product managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level national product 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 national product manager job on Zippia to find and recruit national product manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit national product 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 national product manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect national product 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new national product manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a national product manager?