How to hire a program safety manager

How to hire a program safety manager, step by step

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

What does a program safety manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the program safety manager you need to hire. Certain program safety 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 program safety manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, program safety 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of program safety managers.

   Type of Program Safety Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Program Safety Manager	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$26-55
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49
   EHS Coordinator	An EHS coordinator develops and organizes environmental health and safety (EHS) programs and protocols in a company. They typically perform research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, gather and analyze data to identify problem areas and their corresponding solutions, spearheading information drives within the company, and coordinating with different departments... Show more	$20-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Program
   • OSHA
   • Corrective Action
   • Oversight
   • Safety Procedures
   • Patient Safety
   • Project Management
   • Safety Audits
   • Safety Training
   • PowerPoint
   • Process Improvement
   • Fall Protection
   • Emergency Response
   • Regulatory Compliance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the procurement program of personal protective equipment; ensure adequate protection of workers and ensure OSHA compliance.
   • Collaborate with cross-functional team to successfully achieve initial ISO 14001certification.
   • Maintain all OSHA data and update company programs to adhere to policy.
   • Conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward EHS organizational objectives.
   • Partner with various departments to ensure relevant EHS training is successfully implement.
   • Provide oversight and technical guidance to facilities, systems, associate support equipment and operations to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.

   More program safety manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your program safety manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A program safety manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, program safety managers' average salary in west virginia is 51% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level program safety managers earn 52% less than senior-level program safety managers.
   • Certifications. A program safety manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a program safety manager's salary.

   Average program safety manager salary

   $81,116yearly

   $39.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level program safety manager salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average program safety manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$139,365	$67
   2	Louisiana	$105,588	$51
   3	District of Columbia	$97,446	$47
   4	North Dakota	$96,313	$46
   5	Connecticut	$94,291	$45
   6	Pennsylvania	$93,205	$45
   7	Oregon	$92,464	$44
   8	New York	$91,091	$44
   9	Texas	$87,755	$42
   10	Colorado	$87,711	$42
   11	Washington	$82,330	$40
   12	Maryland	$81,900	$39
   13	Virginia	$81,629	$39
   14	Michigan	$81,447	$39
   15	New Jersey	$81,254	$39
   16	Arizona	$80,265	$39
   17	Illinois	$76,387	$37
   18	Utah	$74,406	$36
   19	Indiana	$72,453	$35
   20	South Dakota	$69,137	$33

   Average program safety manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$160,034	$76.94	21
   2	Meta	$157,638	$75.79	317
   3	Google	$150,575	$72.39	195
   4	AstraZeneca	$123,962	$59.60	8
   5	Uber Technologies	$123,746	$59.49
   6	Amazon	$116,633	$56.07	508
   7	New Jersey Resources	$113,844	$54.73
   8	Qualcomm	$106,301	$51.11	15
   9	QuintilesIMS	$105,764	$50.85	1
   10	Covanta	$102,713	$49.38
   11	Sysco	$99,894	$48.03	14
   12	American Water	$98,997	$47.59	5
   13	Über	$97,344	$46.80	56
   14	NW Natural	$96,643	$46.46
   15	Rockwell Automation	$90,516	$43.52	10
   16	L.A. Care Health Plan	$87,834	$42.23	4
   17	Black Hills	$85,851	$41.27	2
   18	Systems Planning and Analysis	$85,759	$41.23	10
   19	Texas Health Resources	$84,728	$40.73	7
   20	McKinstry	$80,140	$38.53	3

4. Writing a program safety manager job description

   A program safety 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 program safety manager job description:

   Program safety manager job description example

   • Bachelor's degree and at least 4 years of relevant experience. In lieu of education, at least 6 years of relevant experience

   • Exceptional oral and written communication skills.

   • Highly proficient at project management and organization skills.

   • Ability to build collaborative relationships.

   • Ability to work as part of a team.

   • Salary: $45,000 to $65,000

   • This can be a remote position but only in the state of TX.

   Reasons You’ll Love it here:

   NSC cares about the safety, health, and overall well-being of our employees. We offer competitive benefits, resources, and tools to promote a work-life balance that supports employees during all phases of life. We off the following:

   • At least 20 PTO days accrued 1st year and 11 paid holidays
   • Flexible work arrangements
   • Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
   • Flex spending accounts for medical and dependent care
   • 403(b) & Roth 403(b) with employer match up to 6%
   • Reimbursable training
   • Student loan pay down
   • Dress for your day

   We believe that you can’t be safe if you don’t feel safe. Feeling safe requires a commitment to equitable policy implementation and promoting diversity in the safety profession. We must cultivate our own diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment to deliver on our mission to save lives, from the workplace to anyplace.

   NSC is an equal opportunity employer.

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5. Post your job

   To find program safety 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 program safety managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level program safety 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 program safety manager job on Zippia to find and recruit program safety manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting program safety 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 program safety manager

   Once you've found the program safety manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 program safety 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 program safety manager?