How to hire a project management specialist

How to hire a project management specialist, step by step

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

What does a project management specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the project management specialist you need to hire. Certain project management specialist 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

   Hiring the perfect project management specialist 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.

   Here's a comparison of project management specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Project Management Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Management Specialist	Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve the efficiency of an organization. They advise managers on how to make organizations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.	$27-53
   Securities Consultant	A securities consultant is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the company's premises, including enforcing protection for all the employees and company assets. Securities consultants also handle the confidentiality and stability of data network systems to prevent potential breaches and unauthorized access to information... Show more	$34-55
   Project Officer	A project officer provides vital support to a project by monitoring deadlines for each project task and closely monitors the project schedule. They work with the project manager and other team members to reach the project target... Show more	$19-40

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PMP
   • PowerPoint
   • Status Reports
   • Program Management
   • Customer Service
   • Project Management Tools
   • Portfolio
   • Management Processes
   • SharePoint
   • Project Scope
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • HR
   • Logistics
   • Process Improvement

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan and manage all development and production activities for the company s new cardiac rhythmic management (CRM) extrusion line.
   • Manage user authorization in SharePoint.
   • Manage change management activation and stabilization activities for ERP project within all sites.
   • Manage a team responsible for designing service-orient application architecture, standards and best practices guidelines, security and data access frameworks.
   • Update, create stories, and modify VDS tasks in JIRA.
   • Facilitate project meetings, including setting the agenda, meeting logistics and documentation of meetings.

   More project management specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, project management specialists' average salary in arkansas is 48% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level project management specialists earn 48% less than senior-level project management specialists.
   • Certifications. A project management specialist 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 project management specialist's salary.

   Average project management specialist salary

   $81,204yearly

   $39.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project management specialist salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2026

   Average project management specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$106,894	$51
   2	District of Columbia	$95,257	$46
   3	Texas	$94,742	$46
   4	Washington	$93,018	$45
   5	North Carolina	$93,005	$45
   6	New York	$91,350	$44
   7	Ohio	$89,910	$43
   8	California	$88,417	$43
   9	Pennsylvania	$87,415	$42
   10	Georgia	$86,553	$42
   11	Virginia	$86,101	$41
   12	Minnesota	$82,226	$40
   13	Michigan	$79,722	$38
   14	Arizona	$79,209	$38
   15	South Carolina	$78,921	$38
   16	Illinois	$77,050	$37
   17	Colorado	$74,829	$36
   18	Wisconsin	$72,434	$35
   19	Indiana	$67,531	$32
   20	Missouri	$66,662	$32

   Average project management specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Enbridge	$120,301	$57.84	6
   2	East Tennessee Children's Hospital	$111,242	$53.48	1
   3	Lowenstein Sandler	$110,263	$53.01
   4	Eli Lilly and Company	$107,961	$51.90	12
   5	Morgan Stanley	$106,267	$51.09	77
   6	Southern California Edison	$105,404	$50.67	11
   7	Baker Hughes	$98,760	$47.48	8
   8	BNY Mellon	$96,937	$46.60	40
   9	Wabtec Corporation	$96,177	$46.24	3
   10	American Family Insurance	$95,988	$46.15	1
   11	Broadleaf Results	$94,806	$45.58
   12	Ortho Clinical Diagnostics	$93,943	$45.16
   13	Unclaimed Baggage	$93,446	$44.93
   14	SS&C Technologies	$93,121	$44.77	18
   15	CoreLogic	$92,936	$44.68	6
   16	Medical Mutual	$92,302	$44.38
   17	Prudential Bank	$91,949	$44.21	9
   18	Verizon Data Services Inc	$90,923	$43.71
   19	Ukpeagvik IOoOupiat Corporation	$90,645	$43.58	22
   20	Axient	$90,588	$43.55

4. Writing a project management specialist job description

   A project management specialist 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 management specialist job description:

   Project management specialist job description example

   * Project/Program Management - IC3Participates in or leads a wide array of activities associated with project planning and management to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget and to internal client specifications.
   
   * Manages and oversees project management activities such as project reporting, project planning, issue/risk identification and tracking, scope management, estimation, internal client management, relationship management and other project documentation preparation, and turnover to production for projects of low to medium business complexity.
   
   * Directs and controls all work performed. Reports and escalates progress/issues to management, as needed.
   
   * Develops the statement of work, including project justification and plan. Defines roles and responsibilities of the project team.
   
   * Contributes to vendor and client relations to ensure that service expectations are developed and met. Maintains regular contact with internal clients and coordinates and reports on project progress and accomplishments.
   * Works with all required functions and groups to effectively plan and execute the project.
   * Effectively communicates with internal management and external clients.
   * Contributes to the achievement of related teams objectives
   
   Bachelors degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience in business management or related field is required. 5-7 years of total work experience in Project Management preferred. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and/or Prince2 certification is preferred. Strong written and verbal communication skills required.. BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans. Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.
   
   BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals With Disabilities/Protected Veterans.
   
   Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right project management specialist 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 management specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit project management specialists 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 management specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit project management specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit project management specialists, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 project management specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect project management specialist 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 management specialist 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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