How to hire a senior program specialist/program specialist

How to hire a senior program specialist/program specialist, step by step

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

What does a senior program specialist/program specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior program specialist/program specialist you need to hire. Certain senior program specialist/program 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 senior program specialist/program 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior program specialists/program specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Program Specialist/Program Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Program Specialist/Program Specialist	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$27-59
   Program Manager	A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result... Show more	$31-67
   Program Technician	A program technician is responsible for resolving computer software and application issues and performing administrative duties for customer support. Program technicians keep a record of resolution reports and customer files, process payments for program installations and updates, and offer new services to the customers according to their needs and account eligibility... Show more	$12-34

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Process Improvement
   • PowerPoint
   • Program Management
   • SR
   • Management System
   • Earned Value Management
   • HR
   • DOD
   • Data Collection
   • Technical Assistance
   • Medicaid
   • SQL
   • CMS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage monetary, laptop and training supports for members living with HIV.
   • Provide CPR training to staff.
   • Proofread, code, document, and submit contractors' invoices to accounting.
   • Produce accurate, properly format documents, PowerPoint presentations and reports under tight time constraints.
   • Supervise a group home providing support services for adults with intellectual disabilities, schizophrenia and autism.
   • Provide critical therapy to children with autism, ADHD, and other mental and behavioral problems.

   More senior program specialist/program specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior program specialists/program specialists' average salary in michigan is 41% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior program specialists/program specialists 54% less than senior-level senior program specialists/program specialists.
   • Certifications. A senior program specialist/program specialist 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 program specialist/program specialist's salary.

   Average senior program specialist/program specialist salary

   $84,195yearly

   $40.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior program specialist/program specialist salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior program specialist/program specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$114,942	$55
   2	New Jersey	$98,710	$47
   3	District of Columbia	$95,140	$46
   4	North Carolina	$93,337	$45
   5	Iowa	$92,333	$44
   6	Texas	$92,177	$44
   7	Massachusetts	$88,975	$43
   8	New York	$88,674	$43
   9	Oregon	$87,099	$42
   10	Illinois	$82,409	$40
   11	Washington	$81,887	$39
   12	Pennsylvania	$81,384	$39
   13	Arkansas	$78,269	$38
   14	Colorado	$76,172	$37
   15	Ohio	$75,517	$36
   16	Florida	$75,160	$36
   17	Maryland	$72,201	$35
   18	Oklahoma	$68,418	$33
   19	Utah	$67,336	$32
   20	Virginia	$66,786	$32

   Average senior program specialist/program specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Uber Technologies	$134,450	$64.64	1
   2	BNY Mellon	$133,470	$64.17	13
   3	Qualtrics	$129,115	$62.07	6
   4	Infineon Technologies	$128,399	$61.73
   5	Southern California Edison	$125,604	$60.39	1
   6	DTCC	$120,689	$58.02	8
   7	Amazon	$119,186	$57.30	254
   8	Abbott	$118,457	$56.95	24
   9	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$115,741	$55.64	4
   10	Novartis	$114,527	$55.06	7
   11	Eli Lilly and Company	$114,452	$55.02	2
   12	RTI International Metals	$114,425	$55.01
   13	Citrix	$109,291	$52.54
   14	AstraZeneca	$105,680	$50.81
   15	MITRE	$101,198	$48.65
   16	CalOptima	$98,746	$47.47
   17	CompuCom Systems Inc	$98,394	$47.30
   18	Humana	$98,029	$47.13	113
   19	Con Edison	$97,727	$46.98	4
   20	HIMSS	$97,289	$46.77

4. Writing a senior program specialist/program specialist job description

   A good senior program specialist/program specialist 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 senior program specialist/program specialist job description:

   Senior program specialist/program specialist job description example

   Responsible for the management of the benefits, operations, communication, reporting, and data exchange of the Medicare/MMP product in support of strategic and corporate business objectives. Manage for all Medicare lines of business the annual Medicare and Medicare-Medicaid Plan Applications and Plan Benefit Package design, as well as provide centralized year-round support in Medicare for the development and editing of core beneficiary communications, to include the Medicare Summary of Benefits and Annual Notice of Change/Evidence of Coverage for print and online distribution via the iCat authoring process, ensuring compliance with CMS guidelines. Support Medicare and MMP line of business for upcoming contract year business readiness. This position also needs to assist in the development, implementation, and maintenance of annual timelines/work plans to ensure timely and successful project completion including adhoc projects and submissions as assigned by the Director of Medicare Programs.
   KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
   
   Initiate projects by documenting the project scope including goals, objectives, milestones, deliverables and obtaining approval of the project sponsor.
   Plan projects by creating process improvement workflows, project presentations, work plans, establishing due dates, and assigning task responsibilities.
   Guides project efforts by leading work teams and utilizing effective project management tools to achieve desired project results.
   Monitor and control projects by measuring progress according to plan and making course corrections as needed to keep the project on track.
   Provide interim reports and keeping the project sponsor and stakeholders informed of progress and risks.
   Serves in an internal consultant capacity and possesses ability to rapidly learn, assess, and implement projects.
   Develop and distribute internal communications.
   Spearhead submission of Medicare and MMP Applications, annual Medicare Bid and PBP, ANOC/EOC, and Summary of Benefits working closely with a variety of internal and external partners. Responsible for staying up to date with the latest communications and guidance provided by CMS as it relates to applicable projects.
   Coordinate cross-departmental informational updates - focusing on teamwork, information flow and support data to promote cross-training and unified team direction.
   Annual implementation and roll out of business expansion for Medicare/MMP line of business.
   Eligibility Extract analysis (834 file)
   BRD development/Multiple third-party applications that contain Molina member data (examples, case management, MTM).
   
   JOB QUALIFICATIONS
   Required Education
   Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Admin, Marketing, Communications, English
   Required Experience
   
   5+ years in healthcare process design and development, business analysis, compliance, project management or related experience.
   Requires a minimum 2 years' experience in Medicare and/or healthcare and
   1 year experience in project management.
   1-2 years of experience in Information Technology, database Content Management Systems environments.
   
   Preferred Experience
   3-5 years in project coordination, project management, business analysis, compliance.
   #PJHPO #LI-BEMORE
   To all current Molina employees: If you are interested in applying for this position, please apply through the intranet job listing.
   Molina Healthcare offers a competitive benefits and compensation package. Molina Healthcare is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/D/V.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior program specialist/program specialist 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 senior program specialist/program specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit senior program specialist/program 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 senior program specialists/program 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 senior program specialist/program specialist

   Once you've selected the best senior program specialist/program specialist 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 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 senior program specialist/program 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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