Hiring manager
A hiring manager defines a role's work and contributes to selecting the person who will join the team. They are often the future line manager, but final approval, compensation decisions, and process ownership depend on the organisation's governance.
The person closest to the work
The hiring manager brings the role context that a selection process needs: what the team must achieve, which tasks are central, and what evidence would be relevant. The OPM’s job-analysis guidance similarly begins with the work and the competencies it requires.
In many organisations this person will manage the new hire. That common arrangement does not create a universal rule about authority. A founder, department head, finance approver, or people team may hold part of the decision.
Give responsibility a written boundary
Before a search opens, agree who will define requirements, contact candidates, conduct each interview, consolidate feedback, approve an offer, and prepare onboarding. A recruiter may lead communication and coordination while the hiring manager shapes the role; either colleague can contribute outside that pattern when the team has agreed it.
The important point is not a fixed division of labour. It is that candidates and colleagues should not discover it through missed handoffs.
Prepare the conversation the role needs
A hiring manager need not interview alone. Use job-related questions and planned criteria for the areas each interviewer can assess. The OPM’s structured-interview guidance describes a predetermined order and common rating criteria; those elements make feedback easier to discuss without making a hiring decision automatic.