How to hire a software development project manager

How to hire a software development project manager, step by step

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

What does a software development project manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the software development project manager you need to hire. Certain software development project manager 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 software development project 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of software development project managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Software Development Project Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Development Project Manager	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$36-71
   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 Leader	A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members... Show more	$33-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Scrum
   • Software Development
   • Jira
   • Project Scope
   • Agile Project Management
   • Web Application
   • SDLC
   • SQL Server
   • Resource Management
   • Status Reports
   • Database
   • C++
   • Microsoft Project

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Project manage hardware and software (SDLC) development tasks by engineering teams in Austin, Dresden and Bangalore.
   • Complete database logical design, verification and validation for production managing software of oil tube production line.
   • Manage technical integration of large relational databases, product fulfillment systems and architecture; directly report to CTO.
   • Collaborate with other developers, perform QA functions, access and prioritize customer needs to produce high quality software applications.
   • Move team from custom language to Java.
   • Establish the use of Jira for project planning, tracking and sprint planning.

   More software development project manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the software development project manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A software development project manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a software development project manager in Louisiana may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level software development project manager. Additionally, a software development project manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average software development project manager salary

   $106,633yearly

   $51.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software development project manager salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average software development project manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$122,262	$59
   2	California	$121,232	$58
   3	Oregon	$114,124	$55
   4	North Carolina	$113,366	$55
   5	District of Columbia	$110,875	$53
   6	Connecticut	$109,186	$52
   7	Massachusetts	$108,063	$52
   8	New York	$105,618	$51
   9	Pennsylvania	$105,456	$51
   10	Michigan	$102,752	$49
   11	Virginia	$102,304	$49
   12	Utah	$100,051	$48
   13	Arizona	$99,577	$48
   14	Ohio	$96,242	$46
   15	Illinois	$94,410	$45
   16	Texas	$92,229	$44
   17	Minnesota	$91,029	$44
   18	Colorado	$85,906	$41
   19	Georgia	$83,593	$40
   20	Indiana	$83,123	$40

   Average software development project manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Barclays	$136,584	$65.67	2
   2	Amazon	$131,620	$63.28	1,153
   3	Open Systems Technologies	$126,145	$60.65	3
   4	Fujitsu	$122,790	$59.03	5
   5	TenMarks Education	$120,383	$57.88
   6	FCCI	$117,264	$56.38
   7	SAS Institute	$115,685	$55.62	36
   8	Iris Software	$115,010	$55.29	2
   9	Addison Group	$114,484	$55.04	11
   10	Siemens	$111,282	$53.50	44
   11	Reliable Group	$110,090	$52.93
   12	Data	$109,167	$52.48	5
   13	VertMarkets	$109,057	$52.43
   14	Randstad North America, Inc.	$108,264	$52.05	33
   15	General Dynamics	$102,144	$49.11	167
   16	Apex Supply Chain	$101,978	$49.03
   17	Glotel	$101,410	$48.75
   18	Nuvaira	$101,285	$48.69
   19	InfoSun Technology	$101,285	$48.69
   20	KDG Construction Consulting	$101,244	$48.67

4. Writing a software development project manager job description

   A software development project 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 software development project manager job description:

   Software development project manager job description example

   Wireless technology now impacts nearly every aspect of daily life around the world. As the fastest-growing global tech company, JMA designs and delivers cutting-edge wireless technology solutions that modernize how people learn, work, live and play, like never imagined. We power today's leading industries through next generation software-based 5G, private wireless networks, 5G-ready antennas and connectors, and advanced indoor 5G capabilities - all manufactured in the U.S. Our headquarters, along with the first-of-its-kind 5G campus are located in Syracuse, NY, with innovative tech hubs around the world.
   
   Join our team to shape the future of wireless technology and elevate how people experience the world!
   
   JMA is looking for a software development Project Manager / Scrum Master who will manage software development teams through the entire software development lifecycle with a blend of traditional project management and scrum master practices to achieve high quality results.
   
   This position will be located in our Chicago Technology Center (Deerfield); or our Richmond, VA Technology Center.
   Responsibilities
   Manage cross-functional teams through the full software development lifecycle Work with Product Management and development team to build the product backlog Facilitate release planning through the analysis and estimation of product backlog items Facilitate sprint planning meetings Lead regular standup meetings Facilitate sprint retrospectives Coordinate technical meetings Standardize and keep track of project processes including but not limited to documentation, risk management, change control. Accountable and responsible that the development teams are practicing the core agile principles of collaboration, prioritization, team accountability, and visibility Establish and maintain project tracking dashboards, publish weekly project reports Maintain project metrics and utilize to improve planning and predictability of projects Identify and remove impediments, prevents distractions, reduce/prevent interruptions Assist with development and maintenance of departmental policies, procedures, and standards
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   Requires 3+ years of project management experience developing software products. Bachelor's degree, preferably in Computer Science, Information Systems, or Project Management Solid understanding of software development life cycle and Agile principles Knowledge of both Agile and traditional project management principles and practices and the ability to blend them together in the right proportions to fit the project and environment Experience with JIRA and Confluence Knowledge of DevSecOps and development within a CI/CD pipeline Excellent communications, written, and oral skills. Skilled in developing, cultivating, and maintaining internal and external working relationships.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   Experience in developing telecommunication products. Experience in developing software products deployed in cloud architectures. PMP certification Scrum Master CSM (Scrum Alliance), DA Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (PMI) certification and/or SAFe Agile Certification
   
   #LI-DD1 >
   
   JMA offers a total rewards package designed to support your life, both in and outside of work. When you join our team, you have immediate access to numerous benefits and perks that fit your specific needs. Whether you're looking for employee discounts, financial, legal and/or childcare resources and support, we have you covered! We believe in providing comprehensive health and wellness coverage along with monetary rewards towards health goals, in addition to numerous company-provided personal protection benefits at no additional cost to you. Investing in our employees is our #1 priority. Are you in?
   
   At JMA Wireless, we don't just accept differences - we celebrate, support, and thrive on them for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. JMA Wireless is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right software development project 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 software development project manager job on Zippia to find and recruit software development project 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

   To successfully recruit software development project 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.

   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.

   If your interviews with software development project 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 software development project manager

   Once you've found the software development project manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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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