How to hire a solutions manager

How to hire a solutions manager, step by step

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

What does a solutions manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a solutions manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a solutions manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a solutions manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of solutions managers.

   Type of Solutions Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Solutions 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.	$44-77
   Information Technology Director	An information technology (IT) Director is a professional responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors... Show more	$46-94
   Technical Services Manager	A technical services manager is a professional who supervises and collaborates with staff members and clients to implement maintenance and repairs to the information technology (IT) system. Technical services managers must assist the technical operations performed by programmers and IT support experts to ensure that clients' targets are achievable... Show more	$32-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Healthcare
   • Cloud
   • Project Management
   • Architecture
   • Business Development
   • CRM
   • Pre Sales
   • Customer Service
   • Infrastructure
   • ERP
   • Product Development
   • Business Process
   • Client Facing
   • Customer Satisfaction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and manage the ETL process with a team of five analysts and developers.
   • Lead and assemble combined RFI and RFP response teams and negotiate contracts.
   • Manage offshore team SLA within require results for the core business functions.
   • Attain more successful cloud deployments by generating blueprint for Cisco s cloud services.
   • Manage ERP solutions for multiple clients serving as a single point of contact.
   • Manage, delegate, and deliver on SME projects for store and district.

   More solutions manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your solutions manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A solutions manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, solutions managers' average salary in south dakota is 35% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level solutions managers earn 43% less than senior-level solutions managers.
   • Certifications. A solutions manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a solutions manager's salary.

   Average solutions manager salary

   $122,023yearly

   $58.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level solutions manager salary

   $92,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average solutions manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$148,038	$71
   2	Washington	$135,943	$65
   3	New York	$128,828	$62
   4	Arizona	$128,576	$62
   5	District of Columbia	$127,248	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$123,371	$59
   7	Texas	$121,018	$58
   8	Michigan	$119,896	$58
   9	North Carolina	$118,032	$57
   10	Utah	$117,190	$56
   11	Virginia	$116,567	$56
   12	New Jersey	$116,539	$56
   13	Indiana	$115,290	$55
   14	Florida	$115,041	$55
   15	Ohio	$115,016	$55
   16	Pennsylvania	$113,711	$55
   17	Connecticut	$112,302	$54
   18	Georgia	$111,549	$54
   19	Illinois	$111,413	$54
   20	Colorado	$105,326	$51

   Average solutions manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$157,356	$75.65	219
   2	Lyft	$154,996	$74.52
   3	Dotdash	$154,098	$74.09	2
   4	Apple	$153,746	$73.92	52
   5	ByteDance	$153,569	$73.83	2
   6	McKinsey & Company Inc	$152,724	$73.42	12
   7	Google	$151,191	$72.69	84
   8	Netflix	$149,875	$72.06	10
   9	Cepheid	$149,381	$71.82
   10	Pure Storage	$149,264	$71.76	37
   11	Infoblox	$146,714	$70.54	2
   12	The Walt Disney Company	$146,208	$70.29	56
   13	Medallia	$145,757	$70.08
   14	A.T. Kearney	$145,475	$69.94	2
   15	Intuitive Surgical	$144,769	$69.60	11
   16	VMware	$144,756	$69.59
   17	Wayfair	$143,974	$69.22
   18	Genentech	$143,961	$69.21	3
   19	ServiceNow	$142,295	$68.41	186
   20	Amazon	$142,160	$68.35	435

4. Writing a solutions manager job description

   A job description for a solutions 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 solutions manager job description:

   Solutions manager job description example

   
   22WD64348
   
   Position Overview
   Exciting opportunity to manage Technical Solution Executives supporting Autodesk's Named Account (Enterprise) Sales, serving customers in the DACH and Netherlands AEC industry. The Technical Solutions team's mission is to translate customer's business challenges into technical solutions that deliver business outcomes for our customers through technical expansion selling by leading customer technical discovery, quantifying impact of technical solutions on customer's software consumption (tokens) & customer whitespace analysis. The team also works on solution concept design which involves vision creation for customer's technical solution, development of compelling technical solution concept designs & validation of technical solution and implementation plans. The team is responsible for building technical relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
   
   Responsibilities
   Manage team of 4-6 AEC Technical Solution Executives. Develop team by recruiting resources (when needed), defining staff development areas and providing ongoing feedback, coaching, training, and development. Evaluates performance and promotes ongoing development Active engagement with Sr. and peer Technical Solutions management to develop and execute upon Worldwide and EMEA business strategies Develop ongoing, collaborative business relationships with extended internal teams for driving cross-team alignment and an optimized customer success Motivate and develop team to achieve company goals and objectives. Coach teams to define/develop Expansion Plans to drive solution sales with a customer outcome focus Arrange regular team calls to provide business updates Develop 1:1 coaching and development opportunities with team members Continually evaluate organization structure to ensure success through alignment with Sales teams, allocate resources as needed Keep Technical Solution Executives operating expenses within budget Establish strong working relationships across GEOs, Sales, Consulting, Industry Strategy and Marketing, Worldwide Sales Operations, and other groups to gain insight and appropriately structure teams Act as the technical interface to corporate product groups. Provide guidance to product groups on new product enhancements and prioritization of new features. May be involved with launching new products Participate in forecast calls, account planning, and other management meetings either virtually or in person Develop and execute an annual business plan Support product group or sales development activities to drive sales and generate additional revenue Define and or develop team training as required Review and recommend sales quota alignment with sales compensation plan design to drive appropriate behavior Drive effective use of sales processes, tools, and methodologies within the team Develop/maintain technical knowledge of product line and company's industry focus Support sales opportunities & industry events with presentations of Autodesk portfolio and industry fit Be instrumental as an Autodesk Thought Leader both internally and externally Well-practiced in holding discovery sessions and creating an action plan from the results
   
   At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.
   
   Are you an existing contractor or consultant with Autodesk? Please search for open jobs and apply internally (not on this external site). If you have any questions or require support, contact Autodesk Careers.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting solutions managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 solutions manager

   Once you've selected the best solutions 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 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 solutions manager 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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How much does it cost to hire a solutions manager?