How to hire a project manager/team lead

How to hire a project manager/team lead, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your project manager/team lead job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a project manager/team lead for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A project manager/team lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, project managers/team lead 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 presents project manager/team lead salaries for various positions.

   Type of Project Manager/Team Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Manager/Team Lead		$39-66
   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
   Project Analyst	A project analyst is responsible for overseeing the development of new projects upon completion of data gathering. A project analyst must provide plans and design the project to its full potential... Show more	$25-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Project Scope
   • Infrastructure
   • Process Improvement
   • Risk Management
   • Status Reports
   • Project Budget
   • Business Development
   • Business Process
   • SharePoint
   • Scrum
   • Windows
   • Management System
   • SQL Server

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the SDLC using Iterative/Agile and waterfall methodologies where appropriate.
   • Lead professional services engagements from assessment analysis to completion by partnering directly with healthcare providers to enhance revenue collection and efficiency.
   • Create, monitor and maintain detail project plans, document and resolve issues and risks, develop PMO processes.
   • Participate in the planning and growth of the PMO to support rapidly changing business needs of a small company.
   • Develop organizational business information systems within enterprise architecture.
   • Perform Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) testing and auditing at all locations in region.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, project managers/team lead' average salary in hawaii is 34% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level project managers/team lead earn 41% less than senior-level project managers/team lead.
   • Certifications. A project manager/team lead 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 manager/team lead's salary.

   Average project manager/team lead salary

   $106,977yearly

   $51.43 hourly rate

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   Entry-level project manager/team lead salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

4. Writing a project manager/team lead job description

   A job description for a project manager/team lead role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a project manager/team lead job description:

   Project manager/team lead job description example

   At Anser Advisory, we strive and succeed by creating smart, dynamic and professionally skilled teams to deliver extraordinary projects for our clients. You will work on interesting projects which will expand your expertise and hone your technical skills through the ability to access the most advanced technology on the market. Your successful impact will help us obtain our goal of being the nationwide go-to professional services provider. Anser provides our clients with advisory, compliance, program and project construction management services at the highest level of dedication.
   
   Our relationships are on our credibility to deliver on our commitments, with unbeatable service levels to our clients which has resulted in our rapid growth, nationwide.
   
   This is a senior level consulting position involving management of American Rescue Plan projects. Responsible for overall direction, completion and financial outcome of projects ranging from $1 - $20 million in size.
   
   Duties and ResponsibilitiesLead respective ARP projects and serve as day-to-day ARP resource to the client Supervise On-site/Off-Site Team MembersMay have regional responsibilities/priorities May report to one or more Project LeadersGrants and project management Apply knowledge of 2CFR200 rules, regulations, and guidelines to documentation review Apply knowledge of American Rescue Plan rules and regulations Direct the completion of projects within estimated timeframes and budget constraints Organize, direct, and manage support services Provide solutions through analysis Experience with Local Government grants (CARES Act/ARPA) is a plus
   
   Minimum RequirementsBachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business, Finance, Accounting or a related field from an accredited college/university Minimum of 5 years' experience is required.Must be flexible and have the ability to work well in a fast-paced environment Some travel Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPointCommunication skills including the ability to respond to client requests, conduct trainings and workshops, draft project reports and other project-related documents.Customer service oriented Attention to detail and focus on quality
   
   We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, because it makes our firm stronger. Each of us contributes to our inclusive environment in the way we act, our level of commitment, encouragement to others to share their ideas, and our everyday, outstanding teamwork to support our clients. We also support professional for our staff and celebrate their accomplishments.
   Simply put, our firm is better...because of the people we work with.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right project manager/team lead 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 managers/team lead they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit project managers/team lead 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 manager/team lead job on Zippia to find and recruit project manager/team lead 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

   To successfully recruit project managers/team lead, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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.

   If your interviews with project manager/team lead applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 manager/team lead

   Once you've found the project manager/team lead 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new project manager/team lead 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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