How to hire a system development manager

How to hire a system development manager, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a system development 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

   Hiring the perfect system development 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 presents system development manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of System Development Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   System Development 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.	$46-75
   Manager, Systems Engineering	A systems engineering manager is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of the company's technology systems and network infrastructure. System engineering managers inspect the output deliverables of computer systems, identifying process improvement techniques to improve optimal performance and maintain high-quality results... Show more	$46-84
   Project Manager/Team Lead	Project Managers are responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of a project from inception to completion. Their duties include defining project scope, developing a project plan, creating work breakdown structures to distribute resources, and communicating responsibilities to all project team members and vendors... Show more	$39-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Infrastructure
   • Systems Development
   • Architecture
   • Software Development
   • Java
   • Project Management
   • Linux
   • Development Process
   • SQL Server
   • Performance Reviews
   • Scrum
   • Data Warehouse
   • Application Development
   • Direct Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead design of POS replenishment process and software design/implementation to significantly increase retail sales.
   • Collaborate with QA to maintain test environment and conduct different level of software testing.
   • Perform QA analysis on all aspects of vendor's original code and custom modifications.
   • Develop operational procedures and train corporate staff for support of ERP and HRIS systems.
   • Serve as a member of the team to port the company's in-house ERP from FoxPro to SQL.
   • Create and maintain disaster recovery database for customer installations creating revenue stream and minimizing customer impact of system failure.

   More system development manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, system development managers' average salary in oklahoma is 33% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level system development managers earn 38% less than senior-level system development managers.
   • Certifications. A system development 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 system development manager's salary.

   Average system development manager salary

   $122,528yearly

   $58.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level system development manager salary

   $96,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average system development manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$147,783	$71
   2	California	$143,367	$69
   3	New York	$132,438	$64
   4	Oregon	$129,427	$62
   5	New Jersey	$126,696	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$119,133	$57
   7	Nevada	$118,944	$57
   8	North Carolina	$117,612	$57
   9	Illinois	$116,987	$56
   10	Arizona	$116,152	$56
   11	Texas	$115,104	$55
   12	Virginia	$114,540	$55
   13	Georgia	$113,373	$55
   14	Florida	$110,683	$53
   15	Colorado	$110,626	$53
   16	Connecticut	$108,762	$52
   17	Maryland	$108,608	$52
   18	Minnesota	$108,083	$52
   19	Missouri	$99,779	$48
   20	Puerto Rico	$77,919	$37

   Average system development manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$157,600	$75.77	118
   2	Amazon	$149,525	$71.89	842
   3	H-E-B	$145,959	$70.17	7
   4	Bloomberg	$145,129	$69.77	2
   5	Williams Sonoma	$138,258	$66.47
   6	Lendlease	$136,050	$65.41
   7	Intel	$135,229	$65.01	10
   8	PGIM	$135,188	$64.99	2
   9	Smartsheet	$134,288	$64.56	3
   10	AIG	$131,896	$63.41	10
   11	Citrix	$131,748	$63.34
   12	Thales	$130,776	$62.87	3
   13	Lexmark	$130,731	$62.85
   14	Slice, Inc.	$129,962	$62.48
   15	The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Inc.	$126,844	$60.98
   16	Motion Recruitment	$125,828	$60.49	19
   17	CARFAX	$125,573	$60.37	3
   18	Affiliated Computer Services	$125,174	$60.18
   19	Xerox State Healthcare LLC	$123,855	$59.55
   20	Prudential Financial	$123,058	$59.16	2

4. Writing a system development manager job description

   A system development 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 system development manager job description:

   System development manager job description example

   Deloitte's Enterprise Performance professionals are leaders in optimizing operations that span the entire enterprise of an organization, from strategy to implementation and operation. By joining our team, you can help clients achieve impact and value from their investments in both people and technology that support enterprise-wide operations, as well as solutions for specific functions in the organization, from IT to finance and the supply chain.
   Work you'll do
   
   + SharePoint management, SharePoint development, organizational change management, human capital development, workforce training, and process improvement
   
   + Support State or Federal Government agencies or large, complex companies (greater than 1,000) employees.
   
   The team
   
   Deloitte's Government and Public Services (GPS) practice - our people, ideas, technology and outcomes-is designed for impact. Serving federal, state, & local government clients as well as public higher education institutions, our team of over 15,000+ professionals brings fresh perspective to help clients anticipate disruption, reimagine the possible, and fulfill their mission promise.
   
   The Technology Services Optimization Offering works with clients to transform their technology services and operations and provide enterprise-wide service transformation using ServiceNow. Working with Chief Information Officers, Technology Executives, Service Owners (HR, IT, Customer, Field Service, Project Portfolio Management) and their teams, they help to establish an operating model for technology, attentive to NextGen and advanced technologies, new and evolving service models for technology and the operational expectations of an organization.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Required:
   
   + Bachelor's degree
   
   + Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future
   
   + Active Secret security clearance
   
   + 9+ years of experience with SharePoint management, SharePoint development, organizational change management, human capital development, workforce training, and process improvement.
   
   + 9+ years of experience supporting State or Federal Government agencies or large, complex companies (greater than 1,000) employees.
   
   + 6+ years of experience leading financial management services and related projects.
   
   + Current federal guidance requires that GPS professionals must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8, 2021, unless legally entitled to an accommodation.
   
   Preferred:
   
   + Familiarity with DoN processes and procedures preferred.
   
   How you'll grow
   
   At Deloitte, our professional development plan focuses on helping people at every level of their career to identify and use their strengths to do their best work every day. From entry-level employees to senior leaders, we believe there's always room to learn. We offer opportunities to help sharpen skills in addition to hands-on experience in the global, fast-changing business world. From on-the-job learning experiences to formal development programs, our professionals have a variety of opportunities to continue to grow throughout their career.
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or protected veteran status, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with system development 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.

   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 system development manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the system development 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 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new system development 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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