How to hire a technical project manager

How to hire a technical project manager, step by step

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

What does a technical project manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   A technical project manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, technical project managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

   Type of Technical Project Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Technical Project Manager	A Technical Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and finalizing solutions related to new and existing products, modules, and services. Also known as a computer and information systems manager, the Technical Project Manager plays an essential role in various organizations.	$38-68
   Release Manager	A release manager is responsible for supervising project releases across various platforms by closely coordinating with technology and project teams, ensuring the stability and efficiency of outputs according to clients' specifications and business needs. Release managers handle the delivery management procedures from conceptualization to production, maintaining budget requirements and adherence to timetables... Show more	$38-70
   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
   • Technical Project
   • Scrum
   • Infrastructure
   • Jira
   • Software Development
   • Architecture
   • Project Scope
   • Risk Management
   • Status Reports
   • SDLC
   • Digital Marketing
   • Java
   • Confluence

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and manage project plan with PeopleSoft support team.
   • Manage development through launch of first-ever Microsoft OS touchscreen and keyboard smartphone.
   • Lead the complete system re-write of the mission critical enterprise POS retail system.
   • Manage the daily operations and support of the legacy systems while PeopleSoft are implemented.
   • Help manage the project to install a new Cisco VOIP solution for the entire district.
   • Manage, analyze, and enhance pricing program operational control processes and develop SOX controls and documentation over this process.

   More technical project manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, technical project managers' average salary in louisiana is 31% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level technical project managers earn 43% less than senior-level technical project managers.
   • Certifications. A technical project 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 technical project manager's salary.

   Average technical project manager salary

   $108,205yearly

   $52.02 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical project manager salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average technical project manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$126,245	$61
   2	New York	$117,200	$56
   3	Washington	$109,845	$53
   4	New Jersey	$109,207	$53
   5	Virginia	$109,131	$52
   6	Nevada	$106,915	$51
   7	Pennsylvania	$103,149	$50
   8	Massachusetts	$103,000	$50
   9	District of Columbia	$102,715	$49
   10	Wisconsin	$101,955	$49
   11	Ohio	$101,467	$49
   12	North Carolina	$100,889	$49
   13	Oregon	$100,526	$48
   14	Arizona	$100,102	$48
   15	Minnesota	$99,670	$48
   16	Illinois	$98,833	$48
   17	Texas	$96,177	$46
   18	Georgia	$90,984	$44
   19	Florida	$90,290	$43
   20	Maine	$89,444	$43

   Average technical project manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton	$185,530	$89.20
   2	Meta	$150,753	$72.48	223
   3	Safeway	$150,122	$72.17
   4	Rivian	$147,558	$70.94	18
   5	Apple	$145,979	$70.18	53
   6	SoCalGas	$144,702	$69.57
   7	Southern California Edison	$142,390	$68.46	16
   8	Google	$142,107	$68.32	572
   9	Netflix	$140,036	$67.33	11
   10	Nikola Motor	$139,558	$67.10
   11	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$139,321	$66.98
   12	Citi	$138,458	$66.57	14
   13	Sprinklr	$138,281	$66.48
   14	PayPal	$136,686	$65.71	6
   15	Barclays	$136,367	$65.56
   16	GoPro	$135,630	$65.21
   17	Bunge	$135,627	$65.21	2
   18	Palo Alto Networks	$135,357	$65.08	65
   19	Alston & Bird	$135,327	$65.06
   20	Vista Equity Partners	$135,020	$64.91

4. Writing a technical project manager job description

   A job description for a technical project 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 technical project manager job description:

   Technical project manager job description example

   We are looking for a Technology Project Manager to manage multiple workstreams as part of public / private cloud and modernization program for Chase's Digital offerings. This is a highly visible role and will work with senior leaders across multiple horizontal technology groups to deliver important cloud migration and modernization projects. As a member of our Project Execution team, you'll draw on your strengths managing people and processes to manage technology projects that typically span multiple lines of business and have firm-wide implications. You'll lead these projects from initiation through implementation, including establishing project requirements, priorities, and deadlines; ensuring that relevant risk and architecture requirements are in place; and managing the project budget and resources. In addition to collaborating with your teammates, you'll communicate with stakeholders across the firm to work toward the best possible outcomes. You will also help redefine the existing outdated project tracking and reporting processes through the adoption of agile practices and more efficient toolsets offered through CCB Agility program.
   You will:
   Lead the planning and coordination of one or more cross-LOB technology modernization workstreams Partner with business owners, product owners, project managers, technology, controls and finance to organize delivery Understand priorities, challenges and requirements, and dependencies/impact to other domains, including important strategic programs Ensure communications exist among executives, team members, and partners Analyze project risks and impacts, and make relevant recommendations to reduce issues Demonstrate continuous improvement and customer-centric operational excellence Identify opportunities to improve current processes and focus on driving efficiency Present technology analysis/design and feedback to stakeholders Build and reinforce relationships with stakeholders through the whole value chain, as well as with other Tech groups
   We are looking for:
   BS/BA degree or equivalent experience Understanding of global and line of business project management standards and methods Experience working with motivated teams in complex program execution Experience with waterfall and agile methods; partner management; budget management, risk management and operations Experience managing large-scale IT projects in the financial industry in an agile framework Experience managing multiple workstreams as part of public / private cloud initiatives Jira knowledge (story build, story points, execution management and reporting) Excellent communication skills. Crisp & clear verbal communication with the ability to be assertive when speaking to a diverse audience. Excellent facilitation skills. Ability to command/lead facilitation meetings with clear & specific agenda. Keep the audience attentive and active in participation of the meetings Excellent organizational skills, ability to multi-task and manage priorities.
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right technical project manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with technical project managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit technical project managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit technical project managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview technical project manager candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 technical project manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect technical project 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 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.

   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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