How to hire a senior technical program manager

How to hire a senior technical program manager, step by step

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

What does a senior technical program manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior technical program 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?

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   Hiring the perfect senior technical program 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 shows salaries for various types of senior technical program managers.

   Type of Senior Technical Program Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Technical Program Manager	Computer and information systems managers, often called information technology (IT) managers or IT project managers, plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization. They help determine the information technology goals of an organization and are responsible for implementing computer systems to meet those goals.	$49-88
   Manager Applications Development	An applications development manager is responsible for keeping businesses running smoothly and effectively through planning, coordinating, and overseeing all activities related to software applications. You will oversee the maintenance, upgrade, and support of existing applications and systems required for the smooth day-to-day operations of the business... Show more	$46-75
   Project Manager/Scrum Master	Project Managers or scrum masters are experienced employees who lead an agile team. They are in charge of managing a specific project in terms of the agile model... Show more	$33-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Program
   • Program Management
   • Project Management
   • Cloud
   • Software Development
   • Infrastructure
   • Architecture
   • AWS
   • Analytics
   • SR
   • Scrum
   • Java
   • Product Development
   • Escalation Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead application development and architecture in a large scale environment that manage company's mortgage financial data.
   • Conduct daily scrum meetings with agile teams to manage scope, schedules, and budgets.
   • Manage deployment of DynMRO SaaS solution to every program which include the overall release and versioning control.
   • Plan, manage, and contribute to full SDLC of transaction processing tools (e-Commerce and POS).
   • Manage test execution across all stages of testing (QA, integration, performance, UAT and for operational readiness).
   • Manage integration of bank acquisition ATM infrastructure into corporate core.

   More senior technical program manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior technical program managers' average salary in north dakota is 33% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior technical program managers 45% less than senior-level senior technical program managers.
   • Certifications. A senior technical program 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 technical program manager's salary.

   Average senior technical program manager salary

   $137,188yearly

   $65.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior technical program manager salary

   $102,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average senior technical program manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$158,786	$76
   2	Washington	$144,183	$69
   3	Oregon	$136,621	$66
   4	Pennsylvania	$129,742	$62
   5	Arizona	$129,711	$62
   6	Massachusetts	$128,873	$62
   7	New York	$128,670	$62
   8	New Jersey	$124,988	$60
   9	Utah	$123,890	$60
   10	Hawaii	$123,862	$60
   11	Texas	$123,518	$59
   12	Kentucky	$123,210	$59
   13	District of Columbia	$123,120	$59
   14	Virginia	$122,161	$59
   15	Florida	$119,579	$57
   16	Ohio	$118,582	$57
   17	Indiana	$118,404	$57
   18	North Carolina	$117,625	$57
   19	Illinois	$117,550	$57
   20	Arkansas	$117,213	$56

   Average senior technical program manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Roku	$196,703	$94.57	11
   2	Airbnb	$189,389	$91.05	1
   3	Netflix	$186,989	$89.90	17
   4	Credit Karma	$183,921	$88.42
   5	Pure Storage	$179,981	$86.53	22
   6	Flexport	$177,680	$85.42	5
   7	The Walt Disney Company	$177,200	$85.19	102
   8	Squarespace	$176,433	$84.82
   9	Twitter	$175,658	$84.45	1
   10	Google	$173,952	$83.63	437
   11	Current TV	$172,750	$83.05	2
   12	Medallia	$172,724	$83.04
   13	StubHub	$170,660	$82.05	6
   14	Coinbase	$169,947	$81.71	265
   15	ZS	$169,893	$81.68	13
   16	Boston Consulting Group	$166,981	$80.28	15
   17	eBay	$166,890	$80.24	15
   18	Okta	$166,541	$80.07	32
   19	NVIDIA	$165,720	$79.67	28
   20	VMware	$165,098	$79.37

4. Writing a senior technical program manager job description

   A senior technical program 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior technical program manager job description:

   Senior technical program manager job description example

   At Baker Hughes, we are building a Talent Community of highly talented and motivated professionals for future job roles. If you match the described job role and are as excited as we are to have you on-board in the future, please hit the apply button to be a part of our Talent Community.
   
   As a member of our talent community, you will be amongst the first to get exclusive news about Baker Hughes, various cool projects we are working on, our employee success stories and new job opportunities you may be interested in.
   
   As a Senior Program Manager, you will be responsible for end-to-end delivery of project through upfront client engagement. Deep technical expertise within a field. Has comprehensive knowledge of underlying principles, approaches, and methodology.
   As a Senior Program Manager, you will be responsible for:
   Ensuring successful, end-to-end delivery of project through ongoing client engagement. Partnering with technical teams internal and external to the initiative, and coordination of all required activities and milestones. Involving in projects prioritization and initiation, responsible for definition of and compliance with project management methodologies. Performing regular tracking and reporting on progress, and accountable for initiative results verification. Appling existing technologies, approaches, methodologies in new combinations to design new products, systems, or processes. Monitoring internally and externally as a specialist in the discipline. Presenting projects plans, technical roadmaps, risks, and recommendations to senior business leaders (EB and SEB) within technical space and occasionally to senior leaders in partner technical teams. Communicating solutions across the own function and with cross-functional partner organizations.
   
   Fuel your passion
   
   To be successful in this role you will:
   Have Bachelors in any discipline from an accredited university or college. Have minimum 12 yrs of experience of which 3 yrs in Project/Program Management. Have interpersonal and leadership skills, Have establish project management skills Be able to lead programs / projects. Be able to document, plan, market, and execute programs. Be able to analyze and resolve problems.
   
   *Please remember that joining the Talent Community is not an application for any specific job at Baker Hughes but to have the privilege of being considered for an opportunity that suits your profile on priority.
   
   As part of our commitment to the health and safety of our employees, customers and the communities in which we operate, this role requires full vaccination for COVID-19 prior to beginning work. Requests for reasonable accommodations due to valid medical reasons, a sincerely held religious belief, or other personal conscience objection will be considered on a case-by-case basis, including but not limited to essential job duties, in accordance with applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior technical program 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 senior technical program manager job on Zippia to find and recruit senior technical program manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior technical program 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.

   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 technical program manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior technical program 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 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior technical program 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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