project manager recruitment agency and engineering headhunters
your next project manager, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from a first R&D project to running a programme.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
they hire their project managers with muzzo
how do you hire a project manager through a recruitment agency?
A good project manager delivers on time and on budget, without being asked. Muzzo gives your role to the headhunters with the most hires in this engineering trade: they check projects delivered and milestones kept. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Leaves within 3 months, we restart the search free.
the figures
a project manager's salary in figures
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 67 (R&D project management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 67 (R&D project management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 67 (R&D project management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 67 (R&D project management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the project, your company, your sector. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
our data chooses the headhunters
Our AI picks those with the most hires of project managers, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by headhunters who are engineering experts. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed fees. A junior project manager supporting an experienced one and a senior project manager running a programme do not call for the same search.
You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost. If we find no replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
engineering headhunters are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.
the reality
a project manager is judged by the project they delivered, not their CV
a good project manager is mid-project, not reading job ads
They own a schedule, a budget and a team. They aren't looking for a job. An engineering headhunter knows when and how to approach them.
the same job title covers very different sectors
Industrial R&D, the energy transition, product formulation: each sector has its own constraints and networks. The headhunter starts from yours, not a generic job title.
a badly run project shows up in budget and deadlines
A missed milestone, a budget overrun, a disorganised team: the headhunter checks projects actually delivered before introducing anyone to you.
the roles
the project management profiles our headhunters go after for you
From a first project to running a programme, each search goes to a headhunter who has already placed that profile.
junior project manager
They support an experienced project manager, own one work package and prepare milestones. Often a first role after engineering school.
project manager
They run a project end to end: schedule, budget, team, milestones. The most requested role.
already hired via muzzo
R&D project manager
They run the development of a product or a process, from research through to industrialisation.
already hired via muzzo
energy transition project manager
They run a solar, energy efficiency or renewable energy project, with its own regulatory and technical constraints.
already hired via muzzo
senior project manager and programme director
They run several projects or a whole programme, and lead other project managers.
already hired via muzzo
the method
a headhunter who already places project managers, not an agency for everything
A project manager is judged by the project they deliver. So the method starts from the sector and the type of project.
we start from the sector and the type of project
R&D, industrial, energy transition: the brief describes the sector, the budget, the team and the project's milestones, not just the job title.
a headhunter who places project managers in this sector
From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those with the most hires in this engineering sector.
projects and milestones checked before the interview
The headhunter asks about projects actually delivered, budgets kept and teams led, then cross-checks with references before introducing anyone to you.
hiring a project manager: what you need to know
why use a headhunter to hire a project manager?
A good project manager is mid-project: schedule, budget, team, milestones. They don't answer small ads. You have to approach them directly, with a project and clear terms.
An engineering headhunter knows where to look for this profile and what to check: projects actually delivered, budgets kept, the size of the teams led.
project manager or R&D engineer: who should you hire?
The R&D engineer designs and develops the product or process. The project manager organises the work around them: schedule, budget, trade-offs, reporting. Some profiles do both, especially in small teams.
State this boundary in the brief. A project manager who keeps a hand in the technical side isn't the same profile as a purely managerial one.
junior or senior: what salary should you offer a project manager?
According to Apec, managerial R&D project management staff earn a median of €47k under 35, and €63k over 45 (2025 edition). The gap mostly reflects the size and complexity of the projects entrusted to them, not just seniority.
45% of these managers have variable pay, with a median of €4,000. State the level of responsibility expected in the brief before talking pay.
how do you assess a project manager at interview?
The CV lists projects and methodologies. The interview has to check something else: how the profile handled a missed milestone, a budget running over, or a conflict within the team.
The headhunter asks about projects actually delivered and cross-checks budgets kept and teams led with references before introducing anyone to you.
manufacturing or construction: does a project manager's pay change?
According to Apec, the median reaches €58k in manufacturing, against €54k in construction. The gap stays moderate, but the context changes more: product development cycles in manufacturing, site and subcontracting constraints in construction.
Our headhunters have already placed project managers in the energy transition (solar, energy efficiency) and industrial R&D. Each role goes to whoever knows the sector, not just the project method.
your questions about hiring a project manager
According to Apec, managerial R&D project management staff under 35 earn a median of €47k gross a year. The median reaches €53k across all ages, and €63k over 45 (2025 edition).
Yes, in 45% of cases according to Apec, with a median of €4,000 a year. It's not the majority: fixed pay remains the base for most project managers.
A little. According to Apec, the median reaches €58k in manufacturing, against €54k in construction (2025 edition). The gap stays moderate for this trade.
The R&D engineer designs and develops the product or process. The project manager organises the work around them: schedule, budget, trade-offs. Some profiles do both in small teams: state the boundary in the brief.
This page covers project managers in engineering and manufacturing (R&D, energy transition). For an IT project manager, running software or IT system projects, see our IT recruitment agency page.