How to hire a product quality manager

How to hire a product quality manager, step by step

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

What does a product quality manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   A product quality manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, product quality managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of product quality manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Product Quality Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Quality Manager	Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.	$38-81
   Quality Supervisor	A quality supervisor is a professional who manages and implements the quality assurance and control systems of a company to ensure the proper execution of products and customer satisfaction. Quality supervisors oversee a team of quality control analysts and train them on the latest product standards... Show more	$20-40
   Quality Assurance Director	The job of a quality assurance (QA) director is to oversee all QA functions across the company. Your duties typically include working closely with other department heads to deliver high-quality products on time, hiring managers and analysts, and establishing and maintaining a quality system to make sure that company guidelines and regulatory standards are met... Show more	$46-97

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Continuous Improvement
   • Data Analysis
   • Project Management
   • Product Development
   • GMP
   • Corrective Action
   • Supplier Quality
   • ISO
   • Quality Management System
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Quality Standards
   • Quality Metrics
   • FMEA
   • Sigma

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Strengthen the supply base that lead to multiple ISO certifications and sprayer certifications for export.
   • Manage initial USDA regulatory visits, working collaboratively with USDA inspectors leading audit preparation and follow-up activities and reports.
   • Perform and document following GMP standards incoming inspections on all buyout medical devices and components.
   • Obtain 21CFR 110 GMP and 9CFR 417HACCP and SQF level 2 -7.2 edition certifications with excellent rating.
   • Set and maintain product specs using SPC, machine capability, on line gauge verification and customer needs.
   • Help by leading meetings and workshops to robust operational procedures/plans to prevent parts escapes - through engineering FMEA and quality audits.

   More product quality manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $117,932yearly

   $56.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product quality manager salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average product quality manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$154,218	$74
   2	Massachusetts	$132,377	$64
   3	Washington	$131,594	$63
   4	Pennsylvania	$125,698	$60
   5	New York	$122,974	$59
   6	Connecticut	$122,717	$59
   7	New Jersey	$117,240	$56
   8	Maryland	$116,687	$56
   9	Virginia	$115,170	$55
   10	Utah	$112,823	$54
   11	Michigan	$108,997	$52
   12	Illinois	$107,014	$51
   13	Texas	$106,254	$51
   14	District of Columbia	$105,220	$51
   15	North Carolina	$104,268	$50
   16	Minnesota	$102,828	$49
   17	Colorado	$99,005	$48
   18	Missouri	$98,418	$47
   19	South Carolina	$96,946	$47
   20	Ohio	$96,187	$46

   Average product quality manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$168,460	$80.99	127
   2	Zoox	$161,145	$77.47	11
   3	The Walt Disney Company	$154,304	$74.18	58
   4	Amazon	$149,526	$71.89	270
   5	AbbVie	$143,222	$68.86	52
   6	Moderna	$141,858	$68.20	7
   7	Veeva Systems	$139,227	$66.94	53
   8	Square	$137,370	$66.04
   9	Pwc	$136,160	$65.46	573
   10	National Semiconductor	$133,974	$64.41
   11	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$130,590	$62.78	312
   12	Johnson & Johnson	$128,502	$61.78	42
   13	Deloitte	$127,786	$61.44	815
   14	Sumitomo Rubber Industries	$126,958	$61.04
   15	Integra LifeSciences	$125,652	$60.41	18
   16	Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC	$120,824	$58.09
   17	Danfoss	$119,676	$57.54	16
   18	Cambria	$116,105	$55.82	3
   19	Toro	$114,616	$55.10	12
   20	Weber International Packaging LLC	$114,279	$54.94	2

4. Writing a product quality manager job description

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

   Product quality manager job description example

   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
   
   + 5 years of experience in product management with technical products.
   
   + Experience working in the connectivity space (cellular, WiFi, etc.).
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + Demonstrated cross-functional collaboration and clear concise communication.
   
   + Excellent data, strategic thinking, prioritization, and problem-solving skills.
   
   At Google, we put our users first. The world is always changing, so we need Product Managers who are continuously adapting and excited to work on products that affect millions of people every day.
   
   In this role, you will work cross-functionally to guide products from conception to launch by connecting the technical and business worlds. You can break down complex problems into steps that drive product development.
   
   One of the many reasons Google consistently brings innovative, world-changing products to market is because of the collaborative work we do in Product Management. Our team works closely with creative engineers, designers, marketers, etc. to help design and develop technologies that improve access to the world's information. We're responsible for guiding products throughout the execution cycle, focusing specifically on analyzing, positioning, packaging, promoting, and tailoring our solutions to our users.
   
   Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Our Devices & Services team combines the best of Google AI, Software, and Hardware to create radically helpful experiences for users. We research, design, and develop new technologies and hardware to make our user's interaction with computing faster, seamless, and more powerful. Whether finding new ways to capture and sense the world around us, advancing form factors, or improving interaction methods, the Devices & Services team is making people's lives better through technology.
   
   + Create strategy and roadmap to improve data, calling, and messaging quality.
   
   + Partner with Fi Support to uncover, prioritize, and resolve emergent connectivity issues.
   
   + Work on maturing Google Fi's continuous improvement framework.
   
   + Think strategically creatively to shape the future of the Fi product.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting product quality 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.

   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 quality manager

   Once you've selected the best product quality 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 quality 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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