How to hire a project manager

How to hire a project manager, step by step

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

What does a project manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a project 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 project manager that fits the bill.

   This list presents project manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Project Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Manager	Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any domain of engineering. Project managers are first point of contact for any issues or discrepancies arising from within the heads of various departments.	$30-62
   Information Technology Project Manager	An 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
   Manager, Project Management	The role of a project management manager involves the planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of projects. Project managers oversee the scope of the entire project, the team, success or failure, and its resources... Show more	$35-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Project Scope
   • Customer Service
   • Infrastructure
   • Status Reports
   • Risk Management
   • Construction Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Project Documentation
   • Quality Standards
   • Construction Projects
   • Process Improvement
   • Business Development
   • Scrum

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
   • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
   • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
   • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
   • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
   • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.

   More project manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the project manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A project manager 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 manager in Idaho may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level project manager. Additionally, a project manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average project manager salary

   $91,578yearly

   $44.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project manager salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average project manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,794	$52
   2	Massachusetts	$99,862	$48
   3	New Jersey	$99,177	$48
   4	Connecticut	$98,841	$48
   5	New York	$95,322	$46
   6	District of Columbia	$95,168	$46
   7	Pennsylvania	$94,425	$45
   8	Washington	$91,960	$44
   9	Virginia	$90,439	$43
   10	Maine	$88,902	$43
   11	Arizona	$88,405	$43
   12	North Carolina	$87,914	$42
   13	Texas	$86,933	$42
   14	Oregon	$83,771	$40
   15	Michigan	$83,598	$40
   16	Georgia	$83,045	$40
   17	Minnesota	$81,810	$39
   18	Ohio	$80,829	$39
   19	Wisconsin	$78,643	$38
   20	Florida	$78,457	$38

   Average project manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Citadel	$153,774	$73.93
   2	Apple	$139,620	$67.13	60
   3	Meta	$139,071	$66.86	543
   4	Reed Smith	$138,841	$66.75
   5	Google	$136,483	$65.62	478
   6	Intuitive Surgical	$133,831	$64.34	4
   7	ServiceNow	$133,042	$63.96	34
   8	Varian Medical Systems	$132,638	$63.77
   9	Western Digital	$131,926	$63.43	14
   10	PayPal	$131,277	$63.11	66
   11	Airbnb	$130,710	$62.84	2
   12	Mayo Clinic	$130,460	$62.72	9
   13	NVIDIA	$128,976	$62.01	32
   14	Waters	$128,943	$61.99	13
   15	Bridgewater Associates	$128,658	$61.85	1
   16	Lyft	$128,410	$61.74	4
   17	BP America Inc	$127,859	$61.47	2
   18	Chegg	$127,814	$61.45
   19	Safeway	$127,424	$61.26
   20	The New York Times Company	$127,117	$61.11

4. Writing a project manager job description

   A project 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 project manager job description:

   Project manager job description example

   Job Description (Posting)
   
   Resource having Project Management skill for:1. ARB Notes and to add the updates into documentation and follow up approvals2. To reduce the huge count of Software approvals queue, adding into Tech Stack3. Update the ARB , EA repository with new and existing updates Input from Chris 1) Detail Oriented incumbent will need to be extremely detail-oriented to track multiple and various approvals and other status on technology that is covered within three different areas of managing new technologiesa. Our Technology Stack management of technology lifecycle states which is our reference for authorized technology productsb. Our Software Governance and approval of new and existing technology requestsc. Our ARB approval process for technology solutions including follow up of conditional approvals to confirm final approvals2) Ability to derive concise and accurate notes on technology discussions that occur at our Architecture Review Board meetings to provide mandatory meeting minutes3) Technical understanding of EA s strategic goals and the ability to translate and align these goals to our EA operating model.Of course as you have suggested, the combination of multiple resources is likely the best approach where someone with a Project Manager skillset should be able to handle completing meeting minutes that address the historic record as well as someone who can identify clear next steps and needed outcomes within a known timeframe. They would be able to track down and garner needed responses, deal with logistics and be adaptive to potential unknowns. The first two skillsets would be able to be addressed by this type of person.There would also be a need for someone technical with writing skills to help draft and finalize our documentation, starting with a Policy level document and including existing Standards and Procedures (and Job Aids) to clearly identify the requirements of such documents and provide clearcut ways for us to comply with such requirements. The last one in the list is aligned to this particular area.My other thought goes to having someone that can build out our automated forms and process workflow (Nintex, Coupa- working with them, and any other SharePoint forms) that can help create the streamlined intake and dashboard results that would make it so much easier for us to work through the volume and improve our turnaround times. (1.) To create all quality documents, collect metrics data and conducting Audits. To perform Value creation and KM activities. (2.) To create project plans and keep track of schedule for on time delivery as per the defined quality standards (3.) To ensure process improvement and compliance, and participate in technical design discussion and to review technical documents (4.) Co-ordination with On-Site Engineers and attending customer calls (5.) Raising risks, issues and escalation to senior management and customer
   
   Qualification
   
   B Tech, B.E.
   
   Skill (Primary)
   
   Project Management Skills (APPS)-Project Management-Project Analytics

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find project managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with project manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 project manager

   Once you've found the project 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.

   To prepare for the new project manager 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 manager?