How to hire a product design manager

How to hire a product design manager, step by step

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

What does a product design manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The product design manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect product design 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.

   This list presents product design manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Product Design Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Design 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.	$43-92
   Marketing Manager/Project Manager	A marketing manager/project manager oversees a company's marketing programs and projects, aiming to attract more customers and increase the brand value of a business, product, or service. They primarily perform market research and assessments to identify marketing trends and opportunities, gather and analyze data to generate business leads, study the consumer and competitors in the industry, and identify the weaknesses and strengths of existing marketing projects, utilizing information to enhance operations... Show more	$26-52
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Design
   • User Research
   • Sketch
   • Product Management
   • Facebook
   • Visual Design
   • User Experience
   • Product Development
   • UI
   • Prototyping
   • Design Process
   • Market Research
   • HTML
   • Product Line

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create, implement and manage the QA program.
   • Lead teams for branding, wire-framing, prototyping, user-testing, UX and UI design, and more.
   • Lead cross-functional team in pioneering the application/game download ecosystem with the implementation of Java games and generating significant new revenue stream.
   • Update product line launch PowerPoint; create marketing presentations for sales and clients.
   • paper prototyping and usability studies) into design team.
   • Maintain production schedule in AS400 base MAPICS XA MRP system.

   More product design manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your product design manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A product design 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 product design manager in Louisiana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level product design manager usually earns less than a senior-level product design manager. Additionally, a product design 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 product design manager salary

   $133,190yearly

   $64.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product design manager salary

   $91,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average product design manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$178,478	$86
   2	Washington	$158,570	$76
   3	Oregon	$150,314	$72
   4	Rhode Island	$146,280	$70
   5	District of Columbia	$142,853	$69
   6	South Carolina	$130,625	$63
   7	Pennsylvania	$126,517	$61
   8	North Carolina	$125,138	$60
   9	Delaware	$121,839	$59
   10	Utah	$121,325	$58
   11	West Virginia	$119,510	$57
   12	Colorado	$118,878	$57
   13	Massachusetts	$117,090	$56
   14	Arizona	$116,338	$56
   15	New York	$115,273	$55
   16	Iowa	$111,448	$54
   17	Texas	$110,956	$53
   18	Mississippi	$110,848	$53
   19	Michigan	$109,454	$53
   20	Connecticut	$108,456	$52

   Average product design manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$201,572	$96.91	1,171
   2	Apple	$190,046	$91.37	332
   3	Asana	$189,361	$91.04	10
   4	Okta	$188,302	$90.53	32
   5	Twitter	$186,843	$89.83	5
   6	VMware	$183,857	$88.39	1
   7	DoorDash	$182,323	$87.66	96
   8	Dropbox	$179,717	$86.40	9
   9	Etsy	$177,057	$85.12	4
   10	Nike	$174,092	$83.70	105
   11	The Walt Disney Company	$173,681	$83.50	109
   12	Databricks	$173,095	$83.22	28
   13	PitchBook Data	$172,858	$83.10	8
   14	ServiceNow	$169,309	$81.40	93
   15	Thumbtack	$168,178	$80.85
   16	Invesco	$168,156	$80.84	4
   17	Circle Internet Financial	$166,771	$80.18	15
   18	Redfin	$165,839	$79.73	2
   19	DocuSign	$164,583	$79.13	12
   20	Twilio	$164,314	$79.00	6

4. Writing a product design manager job description

   A product design 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. Below, you can find an example of a product design manager job description:

   Product design manager job description example

   At PitchBook we work to provide global professionals with comprehensive data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscape so they can discover and execute opportunities with confidence. We credit our success and rapid growth to our cutting-edge products, customer centered attitude and ability to embrace and drive change.
   
   In just over a decade, PitchBook has reached over 3,500 people with offices worldwide, and we're not slowing down! Consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work, our culture is at the heart of our success and is driven by excellence, inclusion and fun. At PitchBook we're committed to fostering an open and collaborative work environment.
   About the Role:
   
   We are seeking a UX Design Manager to lead design innovation for new features and experiences on the PitchBook platform. In this role, you will lead a team of UX designers and collaborate with cross-functional teams including product managers, engineers and research and editorial teams. You are an inspiring and collaborative design leader who will help raise the bar for UX design on your team.
   
   Primary Job Responsibilities:
   Lead new and holistic thinking across product areas and releases for the PitchBook platform Drive the creation and implementation of UX standards and best practices across the company Partner with product management to work on feature prioritization, design and implementation Grow and develop a team of UX designers; set a high bar for excellence in product design Present designs to cross-functional stakeholders across the company, including the executive team
   Skills and Qualifications:
   5+ years of experience as a user experience designer, interaction design, product designer or similar role Experience managing UX design teams A design portfolio demonstrating a history of customer-centric design Experience leading full life cycle design projects, from research and discovery to execution Strong analytical skills; using qualitative and quantitative data to guide design decisions Collaborative, driven and passionate, yet focused on building long-term relationships
   If you are ready to start the conversation about how you might contribute to all the happenings at PitchBook, submit your resume today! PitchBook appreciates and respects diversity, and as such, we are an equal opportunity employer.
   
   #LI-CC2

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find product design managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your product design manager job on Zippia to find and recruit product design 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 product design 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 product design manager

   Once you've selected the best product design manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new product design 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.)

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