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How to hire a project leader

Project leader hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring project leaders in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a project leader is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new project leader to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a project leader, step by step

To hire a project leader, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a project leader:

Here's a step-by-step project leader hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a project leader job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new project leader
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a project leader do?

A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.

Learn more about the specifics of what a project leader does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The project leader 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?

    Hiring the perfect project leader 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 project leader salaries for various positions.

    Type of Project LeaderDescriptionHourly rate
    Project LeaderProject Managers are responsibile for defining, planning, tracking, and managing the projects they are assigned. They are also responsible for the distribution of duties, roles, and functions to team members.$33-66
    Information Technology Project ManagerAn information technology project manager is responsible for supervising the technology department, ensuring that all tasks are being done by following technological strategies and solutions. Information technology project managers' duties include monitoring the technology team's daily operation, handling team members' concerns, managing customers' inquiries and complaints, helping team members' in achieving their professional growth, creating reports, sharing updates during team and board meetings, and maintaining effectivity of operational procedures... Show more$36-71
    Technical Project CoordinatorTechnical Project Assistants are involved in the different projects of the company. They are usually entry-level employees assigned to work with project managers... Show more$26-51
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Project Management
    • Work Ethic
    • C++
    • C #
    • Project Plan
    • Status Reports
    • Architecture
    • Scrum
    • Data Warehouse
    • Process Improvement
    • R
    • Management System
    • PC
    • Data Analysis
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead and manage the automation effort for the PeopleSoft financials modules ensuring the desired requirement (s) coverage.
    • Lead the installation of VSAM file extension software that facilitate files larger than native VSAM specs.
    • Lead sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective, scrum of scrum meetings.
    • Play a similar role for an ASP.NET web application (APA) which manages power plant availability information.
    • Manage using PMI methodologies though life cycle ensuring projects successfully complete within plan budget, schedule and scope.
    • Prepare RFP, evaluate bids, select vendor, negotiate contract, acquire hardware and software, manage development & implementation.
    More project leader duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the project leader job description is a good way to get more applicants. A project leader salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a project leader in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level project leader. Additionally, a project leader with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average project leader salary

    $98,559yearly

    $47.38 hourly rate

    Entry-level project leader salary
    $70,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 21, 2025

    Average project leader salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$126,263$61
    2New York$108,284$52
    3District of Columbia$104,823$50
    4New Jersey$103,363$50
    5Maryland$100,804$48
    6Washington$100,277$48
    7Connecticut$99,755$48
    8Massachusetts$98,482$47
    9Virginia$96,392$46
    10Pennsylvania$92,606$45
    11Arizona$92,577$45
    12Michigan$88,983$43
    13Texas$88,939$43
    14North Carolina$86,333$42
    15Illinois$85,640$41
    16Minnesota$82,308$40
    17Ohio$82,181$40
    18Indiana$80,287$39
    19Georgia$79,083$38
    20Colorado$78,695$38

    Average project leader salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Boston Consulting Group$179,105$86.1118
    2Ropes & Gray$170,227$81.846
    3Apple$169,132$81.31169
    4ZS$167,724$80.644
    5Meta$166,873$80.23163
    6Google$157,632$75.78494
    7Bloomberg$154,223$74.15181
    8Cambridge Associates$153,803$73.94
    9McChrystal Group$153,629$73.86
    10Amazon$152,116$73.13650
    11Barclays$147,350$70.841
    12Phillips 66$145,577$69.99
    13Citi$145,454$69.9339
    14Starz$144,846$69.642
    15Genentech$144,705$69.5729
    16Lowell General Hospital$144,000$69.23
    17JPMorgan Chase & Co.$143,310$68.90432
    18Amundi$143,192$68.84
    19Barnes & Noble$141,836$68.192
    20Lionsgate$141,524$68.04
  4. Writing a project leader job description

    A project leader 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 project leader job description:

    Project leader job description example

    • Experience : 7 years or more of post-graduate experience in relevant areas

    • Soft skills : Strong project management, interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to represent Sanofi in major cross-company activities such a consortiums or professional associations.

    • Technical skills : Excellent knowledge of pharmaceutical clinical development and proven experience in late phase development such as submissions, interactions with regulatory agencies or other external stakeholders. Excellent knowledge and good understanding of advanced statistical concepts and techniques.

    • Education : PhD or MS in Statistics or related disciplines. PhD is preferred.

    • Languages : Proficient in written and spoken English

    Pursue progress, discover extraordinary

    Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

    At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.

    Watch our ALL IN video and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com!

    At Sanofi R&D North America, we deliver meaningful solutions for patients. We transform science into breakthrough, best-in-class and first-in-class medicines and vaccines. We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce – and workplace – which brings together the collective brainpower of over 2,000 colleagues and provides you with an exciting place to grow and develop. We set the bar high, and we deliver. Join us and together we will build on our trusted legacy of breakthroughs for society.

    Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

    As a healthcare company and a vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi has an important responsibility to protect individual and public health. All US based roles require individuals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of your job responsibilities.

    According to the CDC, an individual is considered to be “fully vaccinated” fourteen (14) days after receiving (a) the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or (b) the single dose of the J&J vaccine. Fully vaccinated, for new Sanofi employees, is to be fully vaccinated 14 DAYS PRIOR TO START DATE.

    #GD-SA
    #LI-SA

    At Sanofi diversity and inclusion is foundational to how we operate and embedded in our Core Values. We recognize to truly tap into the richness diversity brings we must lead with inclusion and have a workplace where those differences can thrive and be leveraged to empower the lives of our colleagues, patients and customers. We respect and celebrate the diversity of our people, their backgrounds and experiences and provide equal opportunity for all.

  5. Post your job

    To find the right project leader 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 project leaders they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit project leaders 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 project leader job on Zippia to find and recruit project leader candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting project leaders 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.

    While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a project leader applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

    • TestDome
    • CodeSignal
    • Testlify
    • BarRaiser
    • Coderbyte

    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 project leader

    Once you've decided on a perfect project leader 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 project leader first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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 project leader?

Hiring a project leader comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting project leaders involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of project leader recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Project leaders earn a median yearly salary is $98,559 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find project leaders for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $33 and $66.

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