How to hire a project manager/test manager

How to hire a project manager/test manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your project manager/test manager 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/test manager 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?

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

   Type of Project Manager/Test Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Manager/Test Manager		$39-66
   Lead Test Technician	Lead test technicians are professionals who are responsible for leading a group of test professionals to test products and report their findings to engineers or product developers. These technicians are required to design and develop test plans and procedures so that they can validate the requirements of products... Show more	$31-48
   Release Manager	A release manager is responsible for supervising project releases across various platforms by closely coordinating with technology and project teams, ensuring the stability and efficiency of outputs according to clients' specifications and business needs. Release managers handle the delivery management procedures from conceptualization to production, maintaining budget requirements and adherence to timetables... Show more	$38-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • QA
   • Jira
   • Test Project
   • Project Plan
   • Test Cases
   • Test Results
   • Test Execution
   • Project Scope
   • UAT
   • SharePoint
   • User Acceptance
   • Test Data
   • Process Improvement

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and monitor test planning and execution of each project using QC.
   • Manage projects from inception through to post implementation in a fast pace, ever-changing environment using Magellan's standard SDLC process.
   • Manage development effort, providing hands-on business analysis and QA support.
   • Participate in development and implementation of a more agile SDLC that lead to greater customer involvement and satisfaction.
   • Improve profitability by effectively managing QA and testing across comprehensive product portfolio to deliver products below budget and on schedule.
   • Develop, implement and maintain tools to automate regression, functional and performance testing concurrent with the application development process.

   More project manager/test manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, project manager/test managers' average salary in wyoming is 37% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level project manager/test managers earn 41% less than senior-level project manager/test managers.
   • Certifications. A project manager/test 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 project manager/test manager's salary.

   Average project manager/test manager salary

   $107,107yearly

   $51.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project manager/test manager salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average project manager/test manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$124,388	$60
   2	California	$118,301	$57
   3	Rhode Island	$117,556	$57
   4	Connecticut	$114,397	$55
   5	Delaware	$108,371	$52
   6	Pennsylvania	$106,871	$51
   7	Arizona	$103,977	$50
   8	Georgia	$102,752	$49
   9	Massachusetts	$102,199	$49
   10	Maryland	$102,011	$49
   11	North Carolina	$101,328	$49
   12	New Jersey	$100,771	$48
   13	New York	$99,142	$48
   14	Louisiana	$96,955	$47
   15	Arkansas	$96,913	$47
   16	Florida	$96,644	$46
   17	Michigan	$95,871	$46
   18	Iowa	$94,804	$46
   19	Minnesota	$94,749	$46
   20	Missouri	$93,982	$45

   Average project manager/test manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JUUL	$132,997	$63.94	1
   2	Tesla	$126,183	$60.66	101
   3	Randstad North America, Inc.	$119,083	$57.25	10
   4	Bank of America	$116,788	$56.15
   5	Eurofins	$113,594	$54.61	38
   6	BAE Systems	$113,480	$54.56	161
   7	Mercedes-Benz of Sarasota	$113,057	$54.35
   8	ALTEN Cresttek - An ALTEN Group	$113,057	$54.35
   9	Trianz	$112,915	$54.29
   10	Marsh McLennan Agency - INSPRO	$111,699	$53.70
   11	American Life Insurance Company	$111,320	$53.52
   12	Meredith Corporation	$110,599	$53.17	1
   13	Avantor	$108,524	$52.17
   14	Accel	$108,022	$51.93
   15	Accenture	$106,938	$51.41	122
   16	Amdocs	$105,271	$50.61
   17	Xator	$104,163	$50.08
   18	Morris & Ritchie Associates, Inc. (mra)	$103,876	$49.94
   19	Infosys Public Service	$100,896	$48.51	67
   20	Solar.com	$99,443	$47.81	6

4. Writing a project manager/test manager job description

   A good project manager/test manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a project manager/test manager job description:

   Project manager/test manager job description example

   The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations, and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1 billion and launched more than 1,000 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 140 countries last year. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org.
   
   The CDC Foundation is working with CDC and state and local authorities to provide surge staffing that is crucial to the nation's COVID-19 response including support for implementation of Covid-19 vaccine. We are seeking candidates for the Project Manager role.
   
   The Project Manager will assist in the overall management of the Schools Team under the supervision of the School Program Lead for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). This Project Manager will serve as a point of contact to all schools and districts interested in information about the California K-12 School Testing Program. Additionally, this individual will serve as a liaison between schools and all vendors that provide testing services to the State of California. The position will provide technical assistance to schools and districts to assist them in making testing strategy choices. In addition, the candidate will optimize and improve all processes related to enrollment, training, and tracking of involved districts, liaise with all involved stakeholders to ensure the success of the project, and assess any upcoming needs of the project development.
   
   Job HighlightsPosition Title: Project Manager - Testing TaskforceSalary Range: $95,000Position End Date: 7/31/2022 Position Type: Limited Term Position, Grant Funded
   
   ResponsibilitiesWork with school and district staff develop and implement testing systems and strategies to ensure consistent, high-quality enrollment, training, and tracking processes Respond to all School Testing Program inquiries from schools and districts and ensure information communicated is accurate and timely Serve as liaison between schools participating in the School Testing Program and vendors providing testing services Provide technical assistance to schools and districts to facilitate appropriate decision-making around testing choices Manage all aspects of project development and implementation, including anticipation and identification of future needs Foster and maintain relationships with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure the success of the School Testing Program goals and implementation strategy Keep abreast of and develop specialized knowledge of COVID-19 testing and tracking policies, procedures, and best practices
   EducationBachelor's degree in public health or a related field; Master's degree preferred
   QualificationsAbility to juggle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment5 or more years managing complex projects in a health-related field, preferably in a local, state, or federal government agency Highly organized and detail-oriented Exceptional oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills Ability to independently troubleshoot and resolve project implementation challenges Strong collaboration skills with previous experience in building relationships with diverse stakeholders and responding to competing needs while project success is on track Experience working with schools and school districts a plus
   Special Notes: This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by both the CDC Foundation and the California Dept. of Public Health, in order to best support the State of California in their public health programming.This position is currently a remote position. CDC Foundation retains the right to make adjustments to this as required.
   The CDC Foundation requires all employees to be fully vaccinated* for COVID-19 as a condition of employment effective November 22, 2021. All offers of employment after that date are contingent upon proof of full-vaccination status as a part of the pre-employment process.
   *Fully vaccinated is defined as follows: At least two weeks have passed since receipt of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, or the second dose of the either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose vaccines.
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.
   
   We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.
   
   The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.
   
   Relocation expenses are not included.

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right project manager/test manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your project manager/test manager job on Zippia to find and recruit project manager/test manager 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 manager/test 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.

   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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a project manager/test manager 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 manager/test manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the project manager/test manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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