How to hire an activities director

How to hire an activities director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step activities 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 activities director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new activities director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an activities director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The activities director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An activities director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, activities directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of activities directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Activities Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Activities Director	Recreation workers design and lead recreational and leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps, aquatic centers, and senior centers. They may lead activities such as arts and crafts, dance, sports, adventure programs, music, and camping.	$12-35
   Program Lead	A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands... Show more	$28-82
   Group Leader	A group leader is responsible for overseeing and distributing fair tasks to the members, ensuring clear instructions and procedures. Group leaders are mainly the ones leading the team towards their success... Show more	$27-83

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • Resident Care
   • Customer Service
   • Home Health
   • MDS
   • Compassion
   • Comprehensive Assessments
   • Bed Facility
   • Community Resources
   • Senior Care
   • CPR
   • State Regulations
   • Memory Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
   • Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
   • Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
   • Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
   • Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
   • Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

   More activities director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your activities director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An activities 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 activities director in Montana may be lower than in Mississippi, and an entry-level activities director usually earns less than a senior-level activities director. Additionally, an activities 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 activities director salary

   $44,982yearly

   $21.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level activities director salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2026

   Average activities director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$61,203	$29
   2	California	$57,375	$28
   3	Maryland	$48,297	$23
   4	Louisiana	$48,088	$23
   5	Oregon	$47,546	$23
   6	Virginia	$46,763	$22
   7	Pennsylvania	$46,255	$22
   8	Massachusetts	$46,029	$22
   9	Maine	$45,192	$22
   10	Tennessee	$44,684	$21
   11	Colorado	$43,580	$21
   12	Oklahoma	$42,809	$21
   13	Minnesota	$42,022	$20
   14	Florida	$41,352	$20
   15	Texas	$41,079	$20
   16	North Carolina	$40,361	$19
   17	Michigan	$40,078	$19
   18	Washington	$40,039	$19
   19	Ohio	$39,667	$19
   20	Illinois	$39,267	$19

   Average activities director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$127,596	$61.34
   2	FTI Consulting	$125,784	$60.47
   3	Audible	$98,074	$47.15
   4	Senior Living Properties	$73,667	$35.42
   5	Essence Global	$72,263	$34.74
   6	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$70,746	$34.01
   7	Liberty HomeCare and Hospice	$68,936	$33.14
   8	Catholic Health East	$65,444	$31.46	1
   9	Ruthven Community Care Center	$63,902	$30.72
   10	Solaris Hospice	$62,282	$29.94
   11	Ciena Healthcare	$60,945	$29.30
   12	Epic Systems	$60,544	$29.11
   13	Continuing Healthcare Solutions	$59,794	$28.75
   14	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$56,535	$27.18
   15	Signature Healthcare	$56,005	$26.93	24
   16	American Senior Benefits	$55,906	$26.88	2
   17	Greystone Health Network	$54,742	$26.32
   18	Aegis Therapies	$54,246	$26.08	6
   19	Iroquois Memorial Hospital	$53,375	$25.66
   20	Virginia Health Services	$52,195	$25.09

4. Writing an activities director job description

   A job description for an activities director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an activities director job description:

   Activities director job description example

   Sunrise considers the health and safety of its residents, family members, and team members as its highest priorities. All offers of employment with Sunrise are conditioned on completing and passing a background and drug test, participating in mandatory vaccine programs (e.g., Covid-19), participating in testing requirements (e.g. Covid-19, TB) and using designated PPE when required.

   Sunrise Senior Living offers a comprehensive benefits plan to eligible team members including health, dental, vision, retirement benefits, short-term disability, long-term disability, and paid time off. Team members may also be eligible to receive a bonus based on their position. Some leadership roles are eligible to receive annual bonuses. All team members have the potential to receive spot bonuses and other incentive awards.

   
   Qualifications
   

   Sunrise Senior Living has championed quality of life in senior care for more than 30 years. We believe team members are our greatest resource and are looking for people who share our commitment to provide quality care for seniors and their families. It's no surprise that many of the world's leading experts in Senior Living entrust their career to Sunrise.

   At Sunrise, you will…
   
   Make a Difference Every Day
   We are passionate about our mission — to champion quality of life for all seniors. We deliver high-quality care with a personal touch and encourage our residents to enjoy life to the fullest.

   Be Part of a Uniquely Supportive Community
   The care-focused environment we create for residents extends to our team members. We offer programs, rewards, and benefits to help you live your best.

   Ignite Your Potential
   We believe potential has no limits. We offer best-in-class leadership development programs designed to grow our leaders. We are committed to helping our team members achieve their career goals.

   Sunrise Senior Living was again named as one of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services™ by Fortune and certified as a Great Place to Work® by Activated Insights. This is the 5th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of.

   Apply today to learn why Sunrise Senior Living is a certified Great Place to Work ®

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find activities directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any activities directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level activities directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit activities 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 activities director

   Once you've found the activities 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new activities director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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 activities director?