How to hire a senior test manager

How to hire a senior test manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior test 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

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   Hiring the perfect senior test 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 test managers.

   Type of Senior Test Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Test Manager		$41-72
   Quality Analyst	Pumpers are individuals who take responsibility for setting the pumping system controls for product maximization. Their job requires them to set density, concentration, rate, and pressure... Show more	$26-44
   Quality Assurance Analyst	Quality Administrators are responsible for managing the quality processes of an organization. Their duties include creating data collection processes, conducting data cleansing, tracks quality milestones, and develop training programs for internal teams... Show more	$27-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Test Automation
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Metrics
   • Infrastructure
   • QA
   • Java
   • Test Strategy
   • System Integration Testing
   • Test Execution
   • Test Cases
   • Test Data
   • Regression
   • B Testing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve extensive regression coverage through automation scripts currently running at regression facilities.
   • Establish and enforce QA standards and risk-base entry/exit criteria.
   • Develop integrated dashboard and reporting across all QA projects for senior management reviews.
   • Create test customer selection process that eliminate redundancies resulting in organizational cost savings and increase customer satisfaction.
   • Configure specially tailor workstation\server\cluster\mainframe environments for testing of software modifications and new releases prior to deployment on the global production network.

   More senior test manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior test managers' average salary in new mexico is 30% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior test managers 42% less than senior-level senior test managers.
   • Certifications. A senior test 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 test manager's salary.

   Average senior test manager salary

   $114,676yearly

   $55.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior test manager salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average senior test manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$136,211	$65
   2	Washington	$126,369	$61
   3	Rhode Island	$122,057	$59
   4	District of Columbia	$120,309	$58
   5	Minnesota	$120,015	$58
   6	Massachusetts	$117,222	$56
   7	North Carolina	$116,669	$56
   8	Arizona	$116,411	$56
   9	New York	$114,558	$55
   10	Pennsylvania	$114,035	$55
   11	Florida	$112,772	$54
   12	Virginia	$110,483	$53
   13	Ohio	$110,321	$53
   14	Michigan	$109,664	$53
   15	Texas	$109,561	$53
   16	Georgia	$103,685	$50
   17	Indiana	$103,158	$50
   18	Illinois	$99,889	$48
   19	South Carolina	$98,633	$47
   20	Wisconsin	$98,027	$47

   Average senior test manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$137,798	$66.25
   2	Gap Inc.	$135,064	$64.93
   3	Enphase Energy	$131,658	$63.30
   4	Adobe	$131,357	$63.15
   5	Microsoft	$129,076	$62.06	5
   6	Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display)	$127,545	$61.32	6
   7	Robert Half	$126,815	$60.97	5
   8	HSBC Bank	$126,498	$60.82
   9	Amazon	$126,480	$60.81	87
   10	Western Digital	$126,247	$60.70	1
   11	Bungie	$125,375	$60.28
   12	Randstad North America, Inc.	$124,602	$59.90	3
   13	Kforce	$124,276	$59.75	3
   14	Morgan Stanley	$123,594	$59.42
   15	Marriott International	$123,437	$59.34
   16	Vanguard Services	$123,129	$59.20
   17	Oasis Systems	$122,627	$58.96
   18	Southwest Airlines	$122,325	$58.81
   19	Teladoc	$120,336	$57.85
   20	PE Systems	$120,232	$57.80

4. Writing a senior test manager job description

   A senior test 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior test manager job description:

   Senior test manager job description example

   The selected candidate will support the Medium Altitude UAS Program Office (MQ-9 Reaper) in providing test interface support between the program office, test centers and the OEM, as required, to facilitate uninterrupted test activity of aircraft research, development, production, and lifecycle acquisition and sustainment activities.
   
   Selected candidate shall assist the Program Manager in supporting the establishment of an Integrated Test Team (ITT) that will be responsible for developing the Test & Evaluation (T&E) strategy and guiding the development of integrated test plans.
   
   Assist the Program Manager in preparing and coordinating ITT Charters, Test Concepts, LDTO designation letters, Test and Evaluation Strategy (TES) and Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) as required.
   
   Candidate will assist the Program Manager by providing advisory assistance in the review and coordination of test plans and reports to include providing test representation to AFMC, ACC, AFOTEC, HQ AF/TE, SAF/AT&L, and Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E).
   
   Assist the Program Manager by providing advisory and draft documentation support in preparing test budgets and monitoring test expenditures in the conduct of system level tests.
   
   The selected candidate shall assist the Program Manager by providing draft documentation support preparation of test status briefings for the program office and higher headquarters, as required.
   Recommended Skills/Education: Masters degree and 12 years of experience in the respective technical / professional discipline being performed, OR, Bachelors degree and 15 years of experience in the respective technical/professional discipline being performed. Of those, 5 must be in the DoD. Education: Bachelor’s Degree Years’ Experience: 15 Travel: Yes Security Clearance Required: Secret Position Type: Full Time Work Location: Wright-Patterson AFB, OH Top salaries paid for qualified candidates. For more information on Sumaria Systems, please visit our website at www.sumariasystems.com Sumaria is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, or Vietnam era, or other eligible veteran status, or any other protected factor. Sumaria Systems, LLC (Sumaria) is a market leader in Professional Services, Engineering, and Information Technology has been a trusted partner to U. S. Department of Defense communities for more than 30 years. Sumaria Systems only provides engineering services to the federal government, and does not provide professional engineering or surveying services to the public within the meaning of Ohio Revised Code Section 4733.16. With expertise to lead, insight to deliver and commitment to succeed; we staff each mission with a carefully selected team of seasoned professionals. Headquartered in Danvers, MA, with operating locations in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior test managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior test managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior test managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior test manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior test manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior test 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.

   If your interviews with senior test manager 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 senior test manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior test manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   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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