How to hire a senior manager

How to hire a senior manager, step by step

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

What does a senior manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior manager 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?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect senior manager 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 senior manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Manager	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$41-78
   Manager Of Business Services	Business Service Managers are administrative professionals who oversee different service-related functions in the company. They manage the teams involved in serving various functions... Show more	$32-67
   Manager, Center Operations	The duties of a manager of center operations depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing business operations, setting targets, assessing the workforce's performance, and performing corrective measures on any issues or concerns... Show more	$18-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Analytics
   • Project Management
   • Portfolio
   • Business Development
   • Professional Development
   • Healthcare
   • Oversight
   • Customer Service
   • SR
   • Patients
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Strong Project Management
   • Risk Management
   • Architecture

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead ISO project to achieve ISO compliance for the organization.
   • Implement a PeopleSoft Financials system and lead the integration team.
   • Manage the VMS, UNIX and NT operating systems and hardware.
   • Manage multiple trading application development and integration projects for TT's API customers.
   • Work with internal and external audit to manage SOX controls testing, compliance issues and corrective actions.
   • Coordinate and manage the monthly and quarterly close process, including quarterly check list for SOX compliance.

   More senior manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior managers' average salary in mississippi is 44% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior managers 47% less than senior-level senior managers.
   • Certifications. A senior manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior manager's salary.

   Average senior manager salary

   $118,906yearly

   $57.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior manager salary

   $86,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average senior manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$142,577	$69
   2	New Jersey	$134,944	$65
   3	District of Columbia	$133,140	$64
   4	New York	$133,060	$64
   5	Washington	$125,392	$60
   6	Massachusetts	$125,355	$60
   7	Virginia	$122,371	$59
   8	Connecticut	$121,289	$58
   9	Colorado	$112,468	$54
   10	Pennsylvania	$110,897	$53
   11	North Carolina	$110,258	$53
   12	Texas	$106,388	$51
   13	Illinois	$105,735	$51
   14	Ohio	$104,538	$50
   15	Minnesota	$104,200	$50
   16	Michigan	$100,656	$48
   17	Arizona	$100,315	$48
   18	Oregon	$98,147	$47
   19	Georgia	$97,532	$47
   20	Maine	$97,242	$47

   Average senior manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cornerstone Research	$218,728	$105.16	1
   2	McKinsey & Company Inc	$204,234	$98.19	9
   3	Boston Consulting Group	$193,205	$92.89	9
   4	Bain & Company	$191,662	$92.15	24
   5	Airbnb	$191,597	$92.11	10
   6	A.T. Kearney	$189,828	$91.26	1
   7	Credit Karma	$189,397	$91.06	6
   8	Oliver Wyman	$188,366	$90.56
   9	NVIDIA	$186,257	$89.55	112
   10	Lyft	$184,977	$88.93	15
   11	Roku	$184,771	$88.83	20
   12	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	$181,674	$87.34
   13	Google	$180,786	$86.92	290
   14	Safeway	$180,007	$86.54
   15	The Walt Disney Company	$179,654	$86.37	160
   16	Netflix	$179,015	$86.06	28
   17	ByteDance	$178,275	$85.71	25
   18	Etsy	$175,623	$84.43	6
   19	ICE Mortgage Technology	$174,451	$83.87
   20	Flexport	$173,288	$83.31	36

4. Writing a senior manager job description

   A job description for a senior manager 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 senior manager job description:

   Senior manager job description example

   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
   
   + 8 years of experience in Supply Chain Responsible Sourcing, Social Compliance, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability in a leadership capacity.
   
   + Experience in legal, regulatory or compliance-related field.
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + Law or Policy-related professional degree.
   
   + Industry expertise and understanding of global manufacturing supply chains.
   
   + Experience working in the technology sector such as hardware / consumer electronics manufacturing.
   
   A problem isn't truly solved until it's solved for all. That's why Googlers build products that help create opportunities for everyone, whether down the street or across the globe. As a Program Manager at Google, you'll lead complex, multi-disciplinary projects from start to finish - working with stakeholders to plan requirements, manage project schedules, identify risks, and communicate clearly with cross-functional partners across the company. Your projects will often span offices, time zones, and hemispheres. It's your job to coordinate the players and keep them up to date on progress and deadlines.
   
   Our goal is to build a Google that looks like the world around us - and we want Googlers to stay and grow when they join us. As part of our efforts to build a Google for everyone, we build diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work and we aim to cultivate a sense of belonging throughout the company.
   
   Behind everything our users see online is the architecture built by the Technical Infrastructure team to keep it running. From developing and maintaining our data centers to building the next generation of Google platforms, we make Google's product portfolio possible. We're proud to be our engineers' engineers and love voiding warranties by taking things apart so we can rebuild them. We keep our networks up and running, ensuring our users have the best and fastest experience possible.
   
   + Understand current and emerging risks within the supply chain (materiality, geographic location, industry) and evolve the team and its programs to mitigate risks.
   
   + Design, plan and implement strategies to measure the performance and impact of Responsible Sourcing initiatives related to the well-being of workers in supply chains.
   
   + Provide data-driven guidance to support business decisions and inform purchasing practices.
   
   + Build coalitions and drive scalable, measurable initiatives related to worker well-being supply chain initiatives.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior managers, 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.

   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 senior manager

   Once you've selected the best senior manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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