How to hire an assistant director

How to hire an assistant director, step by step

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

What does an assistant director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an assistant director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 assistant director 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 assistant director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Assistant Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Director	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$17-50
   Program Supervisor	A program supervisor is a professional who coordinates and monitors the scheduling and technical performance of company programs. Program supervisors aid in negotiating contracts and are responsible for any contractual changes... Show more	$17-25
   Director Of After School Program	A director of after school programs oversees and directs childcare centers in communities. They take the lead in setting goals and guidelines, conducting research and analyses to identify the students' interests and needs, developing programs that provide recreational activities and academic support, supervising the recruitment and training of employees, and monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently... Show more	$14-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • CPR
   • Child Care
   • Oversight
   • Payroll
   • Alumni
   • Direct Supervision
   • Professional Development
   • Human Resources
   • Financial Reports
   • Educational Programs
   • PowerPoint
   • Staff Development
   • Event Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage purchasing, A/P, A/R and budget management.
   • Manage care for k-5 kids before and after school.
   • Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
   • Manage delivery of quality early childhood education programs by establishing an environment of learning and maintaining the integrity of the programs.
   • Coordinate new student Facebook group and create twitter handle to increase applicant and prospective student awareness for admissions news and events.
   • Direct oversight of airport security programs and operations and responsible for business management functions including human resources, finance and procurement.

   More assistant director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $63,063yearly

   $30.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant director salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average assistant director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$98,073	$47
   2	Connecticut	$88,726	$43
   3	New York	$86,263	$41
   4	Massachusetts	$72,750	$35
   5	Nevada	$72,171	$35
   6	District of Columbia	$69,699	$34
   7	Washington	$69,446	$33
   8	Maryland	$65,291	$31
   9	Oregon	$62,397	$30
   10	Illinois	$57,701	$28
   11	Michigan	$56,992	$27
   12	Virginia	$56,950	$27
   13	Georgia	$56,238	$27
   14	Minnesota	$55,653	$27
   15	Texas	$54,068	$26
   16	Pennsylvania	$52,952	$25
   17	Colorado	$52,694	$25
   18	Wisconsin	$52,187	$25
   19	Florida	$49,616	$24
   20	North Carolina	$49,354	$24

   Average assistant director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayer Brown	$183,938	$88.43	6
   2	Acorda Therapeutics	$159,029	$76.46
   3	AIG	$145,660	$70.03	8
   4	Texas Instruments	$142,587	$68.55
   5	Allergan plc	$142,509	$68.51
   6	AbbVie	$140,778	$67.68	4
   7	Wachovia Securities	$137,874	$66.29
   8	Consonus Healthcare	$137,454	$66.08
   9	Bayer	$136,473	$65.61
   10	Northwestern Mutual	$136,269	$65.51	8
   11	Sysmex	$130,741	$62.86
   12	Icma-rc	$126,230	$60.69	6
   13	Providence College	$124,512	$59.86
   14	The Hartford	$123,697	$59.47	34
   15	General Motors	$123,350	$59.30
   16	Scripps Health	$123,142	$59.20
   17	Ernst & Young	$121,215	$58.28	121
   18	Univision Communications	$119,748	$57.57	2
   19	Lincoln Memorial University	$119,273	$57.34	3
   20	Pace University	$118,957	$57.19	2

4. Writing an assistant director job description

   An assistant 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an assistant director job description:

   Assistant director job description example

   Working with KinderCare Learning Companies means using your outstanding talents to help set the foundation for lifelong learners, where you can collaborate with colleagues, grow and learn, and positively impact the families we serve.
   
   With over 50 years of experience, 30,000 employees, and more than 2,000 early learning center programs, we are the most accredited leaders in early childhood education. Together, we create environments where kids grow and thrive. As one of only four companies to receive the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award six times, we're confident that you can grow and thrive here, too. We can't wait to meet you.
   
   If you're passionate about positively impacting the lives of others and making waves in the world of early childhood education, the Assistant Director role might be for you! Assistant Directors play an integral role in leading our centers to success. With KinderCare's world-class curriculum, center accreditation process, and passionate teaching staff, together, our Assistant Directors and Center Directors are changing the world one achievement at a time. As an Assistant Director, you will educate parents, teachers, and leaders on the value of early childhood education and make that value come to life for the children in your center.
   When you join our team as an Assistant Center Director, you will: Assist the Center Director in leading teaching staff, supporting families, and achieving enrollment, accreditation, and operational objectives Partner with parents with a shared desire to provide the best care and education for their children Cultivate positive relationships with families, teachers, state licensing authorities, community contacts, and corporate partners Serve in various roles throughout the center as needed, including teacher, cook, and or driver. Qualifications
   
   Skills, Education, and Experience
   
   Wage Range $17.75-$22.75
   At least two years of early childhood education experience required, with an understanding of developmentally appropriate practices and the ability to ensure its use in the classroom Excellent administrative, organizational, verbal, listening, and communication skills required CPR and First Aid Certification or willingness to obtain Meet state specific guidelines for the role Physically able to use a computer with basic proficiency, lift a minimum of 40 pounds, and work indoors or outdoors. Able to assume postures in low levels to allow physical and visual contact with children, see and hear well enough to keep children safe, and engage in physical activity. Read, write, understand, and speak English to communicate with children and their parents in English Please indicate if you require reasonable accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job Our benefits meet you where you are. We're here to help our employees navigate the integration of work and life:
   Know your whole family is supported with discounted child care benefits. Breathe easy with medical, dental, and vision benefits for your family (and pets, too!). Feel supported in your mental health and personal growth with employee assistance programs. Feel great and thrive with access to health and wellness programs, paid time off and discounts for work necessities, such as cell phones. ... and much more. When you work at a KinderCare Learning Center, each new day is an adventure. You will have the opportunity to directly impact our students and families, encouraging them to become lifelong learners and experiencing all the happiness that comes with it. You will deliver our high-quality proprietary curriculum and apply our time-tested educational techniques, while exploring new, forward-thinking ideas.
   
   As the first national early childcare education provider to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating from the International WELL Building Institute, we continue to follow the latest science-backed and evidence-based strategies for maintaining a safe and worry-free workplace.
   
   Our highest priority has always been to keep our employees, children, families, and communities as safe and healthy as possible. KinderCare highly encourages its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves and their communities. We are proud to provide paid time off for employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We are also subject to state law, local ordinances, and Health Department requirements for employees working in child care, school facilities, and corporate work spaces.
   
   We truly believe that everyone belongs in our circle, and everyone deserves to be celebrated for who they are. By partnering with underrepresented groups and experts in DEI, we are identifying areas to improve and forging a path forward through accountability, compassion, accessibility, and inclusion.
   
   KinderCare Learning Companies is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right assistant director for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with assistant directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit assistant directors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with assistant director 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 assistant director

   Once you've selected the best assistant director candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new assistant director. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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