A hiring manager is the person who owns a vacancy and makes the final decision on who gets the job. Usually they will be your direct manager if you are hired. They define what the role needs, review shortlisted candidates, run or join the interviews and sign off the offer, working alongside recruiters who manage the process.
Why does it matter who the hiring manager is?
Recruiters filter; hiring managers decide. A recruiter checks that your CV matches the advert. The hiring manager asks a harder question: can this person do the work my team does, on the cases we actually see, without me checking everything they touch?
In AI operations that question is sharp. The person hiring a reviewer or team lead will be answerable for the decisions that reviewer makes on held items. They want evidence that you understand where an agent's authority ends and yours begins, and that you will escalate rather than wave things through.
What does a hiring manager do in practice?
Across a typical vacancy, the hiring manager:
- Writes or approves the role profile and the duties in the advert.
- Agrees with the recruiter what "must have" and "nice to have" mean.
- Reviews the shortlist and often reads CVs in more detail than the recruiter.
- Asks the technical or scenario questions at interview.
- Checks evidence, such as a certificate number, a work sample or a reference.
- Makes the decision and agrees the offer terms within the budget they hold.
An example
Take a hiring manager we will call Priya, who leads an AI operations team at a Canadian insurer. She is hiring two reviewers for a claims agent. The recruiter sends ten CVs. Priya reads the decision examples each candidate gives, and in interview she shows a held claim with one fact declared by the claimant and asks what they would do. She checks one candidate's operator certificate at source by its number before the final round. Her decision rests on the answers and the evidence, not on job titles. People aiming for her side of the table can read how to become an AI operations manager in Canada.
How is a hiring manager different from a recruiter or talent acquisition partner?
A recruiter runs the process: sourcing, screening, scheduling, offers. A talent acquisition partner works more strategically with managers on what roles to hire and how. The hiring manager owns the decision and the role itself. When you write a cover letter or prepare an interview, write it for the hiring manager: they care about the work, not keywords.
Related terms
The wider map of roles is in AI agent jobs and careers. If you want to become a hiring manager in this field, start with how you become an AI operations manager, and for one market, how to become an AI operations manager in Singapore.
Questions people ask
Can I contact the hiring manager directly?
Often you can, through a professional network, especially when an advert names the team. Keep it short, show you have read the duties and ask a specific question. Do not ask them to bypass the process.
Does the hiring manager see every application?
Usually not. Recruiters or screening tools sort applications first, and the hiring manager sees a shortlist. That is why your CV must make the duties you have done easy to find.