How to hire an account director

How to hire an account director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step account director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an account director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new account director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an account director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your account director job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an account director for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an account director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an account director that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of account directors.

   Type of Account Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Account Director	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$39-75
   Director Of Sales & Business Development	A director of sales business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits... Show more	$18-84
   Director Of Marketing & Development	A director of marketing development is a management professional who is responsible for improving the marketing scheme of an organization while discovering ways to obtain new customers. This director is required to lead a team of marketers and work with other departments to make the organization's marketing plans become a reality... Show more	$28-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Account Management
   • Project Management
   • Work Ethic
   • Healthcare
   • Digital Marketing
   • Email Marketing
   • Business Development
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Service
   • Patients
   • Integrated Marketing
   • Excellent Presentation
   • Client Facing
   • CRM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage coordination with HCP agencies for launch.
   • Manage the development and creation of print and broadcast advertising and in-store merchandising.
   • Manage relationships with all GPO pharmacy, medical device, and physician preference teams.
   • Manage client accounts as well as introducing cross selling into other verticals to increase the portfolio.
   • Manage RFP / RFI process and drive all opportunities that provide a consultative, long-term solution and support.
   • Increase clients SEO rankings and achieve first page placement both locally and nationally for highly search phrases for a client.

   More account director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your account director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An account director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an account director in Arkansas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level account director usually earns less than a senior-level account director. Additionally, an account director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average account director salary

   $114,728yearly

   $55.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level account director salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average account director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$126,795	$61
   2	Nevada	$122,985	$59
   3	New York	$117,360	$56
   4	Pennsylvania	$114,455	$55
   5	Michigan	$113,464	$55
   6	Washington	$112,914	$54
   7	Nebraska	$112,440	$54
   8	Minnesota	$111,578	$54
   9	Virginia	$110,727	$53
   10	Connecticut	$108,919	$52
   11	Ohio	$108,634	$52
   12	Maryland	$108,400	$52
   13	Illinois	$108,155	$52
   14	Texas	$107,227	$52
   15	Oregon	$107,098	$51
   16	North Carolina	$105,668	$51
   17	District of Columbia	$104,354	$50
   18	Georgia	$103,600	$50
   19	Massachusetts	$102,865	$49
   20	Utah	$98,229	$47

   Average account director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BuzzFeed	$152,341	$73.24
   2	TBWA Worldwide	$145,662	$70.03
   3	Schrödinger Inc	$144,904	$69.67	1
   4	Northwell Health	$144,223	$69.34	1
   5	Brightstar	$143,819	$69.14
   6	Jack Morton Worldwide	$142,868	$68.69	5
   7	AstraZeneca	$141,069	$67.82	4
   8	Condé Nast	$141,028	$67.80	7
   9	Wieden+Kennedy	$140,685	$67.64
   10	Cummins & White	$140,581	$67.59
   11	Google	$139,308	$66.97	50
   12	DocuSign	$138,165	$66.43	21
   13	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$138,085	$66.39	62
   14	Canva	$136,493	$65.62	3
   15	VICE	$136,421	$65.59
   16	Cadence Design Systems	$136,091	$65.43	7
   17	Palantir	$135,804	$65.29	3
   18	J. The Jewish News of Northern California	$135,064	$64.93	4
   19	Yahoo	$134,941	$64.88
   20	Cytokinetics	$134,923	$64.87

4. Writing an account director job description

   An account director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an account director job description:

   Account director job description example

   Account Director
   Who we are
   We are a worldwide provider of legal services and technology, serving law firms, corporations, financial institutions and government agencies-helping them manage the complex data and logistics of eDiscovery. No matter how large, small or complex the project, success comes down to managing the details. This principle is only magnified under tight deadlines and unfamiliar challenges. In such situations, choosing the right partner and employees is critical to success for our clients and our organization.
   We are currently looking for an innovative, strategic Business Development Account Director.
   
   Responsibilities
   Become an expert in the application and sale of litigation support services for your territory. These services include Electronic Data Discovery, Document Hosting/Coding, Consulting, Managed Review, and other Professional Services.Become a trusted advisor for clients while working to identify new opportunities to upsell within their business Partner with Sales Management to align the sales strategies in the market and meet annual revenue targets along with personal earning goals Perform hunting activities to identify the needs of new potential clients Schedule and attend sales calls, customer meetings, presentations and demonstrations Account management of existing and newly added clients Diligently work to achieve high customer satisfaction ratings Coordinate billing and project activities with all internal teams to support the optimal outcome of client engagements Meet daily sales outstanding goals for your assigned territory Work within company policies to complete sales reports as assigned
   
   Requirements
   We are looking for someone who will embody our company culture and values while working to grow sales and add value for our clients by solving their complex needs. If you're looking to break into a new vertical, this may be the position for you!
   Preferred Qualifications include:
   Proven high achiever with a track record of selling success where you've met or exceeded goals Ability to produce a sales brag book of continual goal achievements for quotas and client satisfaction Pick up quickly on new technology verticals and sales strategies Excellent communicator - Presentation of complex technical details, articulate, and able to instill confidence in clients Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
   
   What's next?
   If you are eager, naturally curious and looking to make a difference, we cannot wait to speak with you! Our Talent Acquisition team will review your resume and be in touch if your skills are aligned for this role. Following this conversation, be prepared for a dynamic interview process with our world class sales leaders.
   Together, you can achieve your personal and professional goals with this exciting career path!
   
   If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!
   
   It is Epiq's policy to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws by making all employment decisions without unlawful regard or consideration of any individual's race, religion, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, transgender status, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, marital status, age, national origin, genetic information, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, veteran or family status or any other basis protected by applicable national, federal, state, provincial or local law. Epiq's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on any of these impermissible bases, as well as any bases or grounds protected by applicable law in each jurisdiction. In addition Epiq will take affirmative action for minorities, women, covered veterans and individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. Epiq is pleased to provide such assistance and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request. Pursuant to relevant law, where applicable, Epiq will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right account director for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your account director job on Zippia to find and recruit account director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit account directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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.

   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 account director

   Once you've found the account director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new account director first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire an account director?