How to hire an adoption coordinator

How to hire an adoption coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adoption coordinator hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your adoption coordinator 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 adoption coordinator 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

   Hiring the perfect adoption coordinator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents adoption coordinator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Adoption Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Adoption Coordinator	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$14-25
   Family Services Coordinator	A family services coordinator maintains quantitative quality and qualitative quality monitoring systems and improvement systems for the program strategies to get executed with quality, fidelity, and reliability. They coach and offer supervisory guidance services to the family service team to keep the staff capacity robust and move the staff members towards mastering the core competencies... Show more	$15-26
   Client Care Coordinator	A client care coordinator is a health care professional who arranges and coordinates services for patients, ensuring they receive optimal care. They usually meet with patients to identify their health care needs, develop personalized care plans, monitor the patients' conditions, and document their progress... Show more	$10-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Foster Care
   • PET
   • Adoption Process
   • Customer Service
   • Adoptive Families
   • Adoption Program
   • Background Checks
   • Front Desk
   • Shelter Animals
   • Community Outreach
   • Birth Parents
   • Facebook
   • Options Counseling

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Facilitate development of veterans individual rehabilitation plans, which provide purpose, organization and empowerment to achieve life goals.
   • Coordinate and oversee pet adoption process, including review of applications and interviews of potential adopters.
   • Determine CCS and non-relate CCS DX
   • Work A/R aging and high dollar reports.
   • Correspond to A/R staff on denials and patient account issues.
   • Work closely with claims department to verify services bill for Medi-Cal members.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your adoption coordinator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An adoption coordinator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, adoption coordinators' average salary in utah is 35% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level adoption coordinators 42% less than senior-level adoption coordinators.
   • Certifications. An adoption coordinator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an adoption coordinator's salary.

   Average adoption coordinator salary

   $41,259yearly

   $19.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adoption coordinator salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

4. Writing an adoption coordinator job description

   A job description for an adoption coordinator 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 adoption coordinator job description:

   Adoption coordinator job description example

   FamiliesFirst Network of Lakeview (FFN) represents a partnership with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide an array of foster care and related services in coordination with network partners. The network includes DCF, Lakeview Center (as the lead agency), judiciary, sub-contracted service providers, foster parents, the Circuit 1 Community Alliance, agency stakeholders, and the community working together to implement the legislative mandate for community-based care. Services include: case management for out-of-home and in-home placements; foster home recruitment, training, recommendation for licensure, and support; adoption support; an independent living program; dependency court resource facilitation; sub-contract management; and other services related to abused and neglected children and their families.
   
   This position is to provide adoption education and services for children and families in the child welfare system where there is a legal case goal of adoption. This position is responsible for assessing the child's and family's adoption readiness and offering support or interventions to ensure permanency is obtained for the child in a physically and emotionally safe and stable environment.
   
   The position requires the ability to communicate effectively with children, youth, families, partners and providers regarding the adoption process and requirements. Assignments/tasks are to be executed with considerable independence and maintain compliance with established agency policies and procedures, contract requirements, and federal and state regulations/laws.
   Requirements
   
   Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or a Master's degree. The following related degrees will be accepted: Counseling, Social Work, Human Services, Education, Human Sciences, Law, Behavioral Sciences, Human Development, Psychology, Social Policy, Sociology, Public Administration, Education, Community Development, Health Science, Political Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, Child and Society and Criminal Justice/Criminology.
   
   Strong written and verbal communication skills.
   
   Proficient with word processing and spreadsheet software.
   
   Must possess a valid driver's license from the state in which you reside, must have a good driving record and be insurable under LCI's policy.
   
   Must receive passing score on the Introduction to Child Protection written assessment and field based assessment within one (1) year of employment.
   
   To Apply
   
   Interested applicants please visit and complete the on-line application. If you require additional assistance, please call Human Resources at (phone number removed).
   
   LCI is putting our employee health and safety first by following guidance from local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
   
   Lakeview Center is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Drug Free Workplace Employer, DRUG TESTING REQUIRED

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right adoption coordinator 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 adoption coordinator job on Zippia to find and recruit adoption coordinator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with adoption coordinator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 adoption coordinator

   Once you've found the adoption coordinator 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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