How to hire a professional development manager

How to hire a professional development manager, step by step

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

What does a professional development manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a professional development 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 professional development 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 professional development manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of professional development managers.

   Type of Professional Development Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Professional Development Manager	Training and development managers plan, direct, and coordinate programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of an organization’s employees. They also oversee a staff of training and development specialists.	$31-75
   Training Administrator	Training administrators coordinate employees and management training programs. The administrators administer competency or skill assessments, outplacement, career counseling, and other specialized training for employees... Show more	$15-28
   Director Of Training	Training directors are responsible for directing the planning, design, and implementation of training programs. They are responsible for assessing and identifying the company's training needs, maintaining a consistent culture regarding training, and managing and directing employee training... Show more	$22-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Professional Growth
   • Project Management
   • Educational Programs
   • Staff Development
   • Training Programs
   • Training Sessions
   • Career Development
   • Professional Development Programs
   • Performance Management
   • Professional Services
   • Performance Reviews
   • K-12
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Employee Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage SDLC process, while participating in requirements gathering, functional documentation, data analysis, and implementation plans.
   • Attend and at times chair San Diego CME providers network to share best practices across organizations.
   • Negotiate with product management, development and QA to ensure operational support requirements are incorporated into new product design specifications.
   • Create bi-weekly target HDQ messages direct to flight attendants via e-Board PowerPoint slides.
   • Team with speakers and sponsors to develop materials including PowerPoint and case studies.
   • Develop content and deliver professional skills training including client development, professional responsibility, ethics, and legal practice skills.

   More professional development manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $101,737yearly

   $48.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level professional development manager salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average professional development manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$126,896	$61
   2	Massachusetts	$120,088	$58
   3	Connecticut	$119,495	$57
   4	New York	$119,034	$57
   5	Oregon	$107,077	$51
   6	Maryland	$106,366	$51
   7	Rhode Island	$104,817	$50
   8	Virginia	$103,882	$50
   9	Illinois	$103,425	$50
   10	North Carolina	$98,086	$47
   11	Washington	$95,527	$46
   12	District of Columbia	$94,495	$45
   13	West Virginia	$92,889	$45
   14	Ohio	$92,550	$45
   15	Texas	$92,167	$44
   16	Georgia	$89,656	$43
   17	Michigan	$87,300	$42
   18	North Dakota	$84,762	$41
   19	Kansas	$83,639	$40
   20	Alabama	$83,116	$40

   Average professional development manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shearman & Sterling	$207,268	$99.65
   2	Sidley Austin	$194,921	$93.71
   3	McKinsey & Company Inc	$180,936	$86.99
   4	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$149,213	$71.74	65
   5	Fox Rothschild	$141,304	$67.93
   6	BMO Capital Markets	$137,153	$65.94	21
   7	Cooley	$130,838	$62.90	3
   8	Stanley Black & Decker	$126,499	$60.82	7
   9	Gartner	$124,611	$59.91	13
   10	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$123,338	$59.30	3
   11	Weyerhaeuser International, Inc	$121,283	$58.31	8
   12	UPMC	$119,584	$57.49	7
   13	UMass Memorial Health	$116,237	$55.88
   14	Baylor Scott & White Health	$110,147	$52.96	4
   15	South Georgia Medical Center	$109,455	$52.62
   16	Houston Methodist	$108,244	$52.04	3
   17	St Anthony's Hospital Inc	$105,160	$50.56
   18	REV Holdings LLC	$102,775	$49.41
   19	American Pharmacists Association	$102,264	$49.17
   20	Humana	$100,802	$48.46	186

4. Writing a professional development manager job description

   A professional development 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 a professional development manager job description:

   Professional development manager job description example

   Role
   
   The Professional Development Training Manager assesses organizational developmental needs to drive, implement, and monitor development training initiatives, succession planning and career development training solutions. This manager is responsible for the design, development and implementation of a comprehensive organizational development system, process and programs to support career advancement. The incumbent will ensure alignment with strategic business objectives and maintains high quality standards in instructional design and development for all methods of program delivery.
   
   Major Duties and Responsibilities
   
   Responsible for implementation of organizational professional development training programs. Assesses training techniques, evaluates training results, and considers process improvement techniques to suggest meaningful modifications to existing training programs.
   
   Helps to cultivate skills of current employees by assisting in the creation of development plans, career progression and change management strategies.
   
   Ensures training materials and programs are current, accurate, and effective. Maintains knowledge of new methods and techniques for training, and training requirements applicable to the organization.
   
   Conducts needs assessment studies to determine training programs to be developed and organizational issues to be addressed. Conducts or facilitates required and and recommended professional development training sessions.
   
   Provides coaching and career counseling to employees and those identified to support succession plans.
   
   Must comply with all company policies and procedures, applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Patriot Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
   
   Knowledge and Skills
   
   Experience
   
   3-5 years of training and development experience including succession planning, career progression and program development
   •Strong consultative approach
   •Measuring and evaluating impact experience
   
   Must have demonstrated experience in education coordination, curriculum development, training assessment and evaluation.
   
   Education/Certifications/Licenses
   
   Bachelor's degree preferably in Learning Management, Communications, Human Resource Development or a related field. At least two years of experience in training with one year of supervisory experience beneficial.
   
   Interpersonal Skills
   
   Must be able to communicate effectively with leaders at all levels, employees, trainers from other companies, outside vendors, and professional training group members both verbally and in writing. Ability to moderate large groups.
   
   Extremely organized and detail-oriented. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
   
   ADA Requirements
   
   Must be able to travel to all areas of responsibility, including branches and departments within buildings to perform primarily sedentary work with limited physical exertion and occasional lifting of up to 10 lbs. Must be capable of climbing / descending stairs in emergency situation. Must be able to operate routine office equipment including telephone, copier, facsimile, and calculator. Must be able to routinely perform work on computer for an average of 6-8 hours per day, when necessary. Must be able to work extended hours whenever required or requested by management. Must be capable of regular, reliable and timely attendance.
   
   Must be able to routinely perform work indoors in climate-controlled shared work area with minimal noise. Must be able to perform job functions independently or with limited supervision and work effectively either on own or as part of a team. Must be able to read and carry out various written instructions and follow oral instructions. Must be able to speak clearly and deliver information in a logical and understandable sequence. Must be capable of dealing calmly and professionally with numerous different personalities from diverse cultures at various levels within and outside of the organization and demonstrate highest levels of customer service and discretion when dealing with the public. Must be able to perform responsibilities with composure under the stress of deadlines / requirements for extreme accuracy and quality and/or fast pace. Must be able to effectively handle multiple, simultaneous, and changing priorities. Must be capable of exercising highest level of discretion on both internal and external confidential matters.
   
   Community First Credit Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

   Post your job online:

   • Post your professional development manager job on Zippia to find and recruit professional development manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting professional development 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.

   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 professional development manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect professional development 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.

   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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