In a small company, the owner of the company may be the hiring authority for the entire company. In a partnership, all the partners may have hiring authority, but only one will be the hiring manager for a particular position. In large corporations, the Board of Directors usually appoints the President or CEO as the hiring authority. That individual then delegates that authority one or more levels within the organization so that the hiring manager for any particular job is a manager to whom the position reports.
While the CEO may be the hiring manager for the CFO position, the CFO will be the hiring manager for the VP of Finance position, and that VP will be the hiring manager for the Accounting Manager position and so on down the chain.
Many people from many departments may have input on the hiring decision, but ultimately that decision is made by the hiring manager.
**See the full Glossary of Business Management Terms and Abbreviations
