How to hire an assistant director of operations

How to hire an assistant director of operations, step by step

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

What does an assistant director of operations do?

Post an assistant director of operations job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an assistant director of operations, 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

   An assistant director of operations's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant directors of operations 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of assistant directors of operations.

   Type of Assistant Director Of Operations	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Director Of Operations	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$19-51
   Operations Vice President	The responsibilities of an operations vice president will revolve around overseeing business operations and ensuring workforce and workflow efficiency through evaluations and providing strategic plans that would drive the company to meet its vision and mission. An operations vice president, in adherence to the company policies and regulations, also has the power to hire and train employees, even to execute disciplinary actions such as termination or suspension when necessary... Show more	$50-119
   Operations Director	Operations directors oversee all company operations. They have the power to set the direction, change the course of the organization, and reform strategies to ensure efficiency in how the company operates... Show more	$31-78

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Patients
   • Oversight
   • Human Resources
   • Project Management
   • Direct Supervision
   • Payroll
   • Professional Development
   • Facility Management
   • Direct Reports
   • PowerPoint
   • NCAA
   • Performance Reviews
   • Corrective Action

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Supervise and manage the deployment and redeployment of assign forces and equipment.
   • Provide leadership to manufacturing organization by aligning overall KPIs to achieve near term and long term business objectives.
   • Provide daily oversight of the college fiscal and administrative business operations ensuring compliance with federal/state/university guidelines.
   • Create and maintain payroll budget through cost-effective operating procedures.
   • Process audit information/donations, update payroll information, revise employee handbook
   • Devise training and inspection methodologies in concert with DoD for modeling/simulation and exercise programs.

   More assistant director of operations duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $66,975yearly

   $32.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant director of operations salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average assistant director of operations salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$98,412	$47
   2	District of Columbia	$96,316	$46
   3	California	$85,748	$41
   4	Delaware	$85,553	$41
   5	Virginia	$84,621	$41
   6	Washington	$75,910	$37
   7	Massachusetts	$75,123	$36
   8	Connecticut	$74,107	$36
   9	Maryland	$73,654	$35
   10	Wisconsin	$73,357	$35
   11	Colorado	$72,965	$35
   12	Texas	$70,935	$34
   13	Ohio	$69,173	$33
   14	North Carolina	$65,305	$31
   15	Illinois	$65,301	$31
   16	Pennsylvania	$65,217	$31
   17	Nevada	$60,893	$29
   18	New Hampshire	$58,631	$28
   19	Georgia	$58,616	$28
   20	Oregon	$54,593	$26

   Average assistant director of operations salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Art Institute of Chicago	$106,397	$51.15
   2	City of Detroit	$103,760	$49.88
   3	Moody's	$101,904	$48.99	11
   4	iHeartMedia	$100,768	$48.45	2
   5	NJ Transit	$92,784	$44.61
   6	New York University	$91,338	$43.91	6
   7	City of Houston	$91,226	$43.86	6
   8	Chobani	$90,935	$43.72	1
   9	Transdev Services, Inc.	$90,880	$43.69	50
   10	Gilbane Building Company	$88,672	$42.63
   11	Mt. San Antonio College	$87,279	$41.96
   12	Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.c. Or Aza	$86,762	$41.71	5
   13	Eastern Kentucky University	$85,863	$41.28	2
   14	Columbia University in the City of New York	$84,641	$40.69	15
   15	Johns Hopkins Medicine	$84,126	$40.45	22
   16	Simon Property Group	$83,704	$40.24	11
   17	Princeton University	$83,607	$40.20	2
   18	National Railroad Passenger Corporation	$83,472	$40.13	1
   19	Kaiser Permanente	$82,977	$39.89	56
   20	New York State Restaurant Association	$82,523	$39.67

4. Writing an assistant director of operations job description

   An assistant director of operations 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 assistant director of operations job description:

   Assistant director of operations job description example

   1. Develops, implements and manages a variety of programs that provides support to, develop community among, and ensure the best possible experience for Yale students. 2. Works closely with student affairs staff throughout the university to ensure programs meet the specific needs of students. 3. Regularly assesses and identifies needs of the students and scholar community; develops programs and resources to support these needs. 4. Promotes student development through individual advising, outreach, resources, and information sessions. 5. Develops and ensures adherence to protocol for promoting and publicizing activities and programs. 6. Directs and supervises a team of fulltime staff; trains and supervises staff. 7. Serves as back-up for in-take interviews with new students and scholars, offers information and answers questions about Yale and New Haven. 8. Participates fully in and contributes to office projects, including development and maintenance of website, departmental meetings, including weekly staff meetings. 9. May perform other duties as assigned.
   Required Education and Experience
   
   Minimum requirement of Bachelor's Degree in related field and three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
   
   Background Check Requirements
   
   All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.
   
   Position Focus:
   
   Collaborate with staff in the planning, coordination, and implementation of student and scholarly involvement with the University. Lead Yale Connect and law.yale.edu updates for the Office of Student Affairs and work with student groups and staff around communication and development of programs, policies and procedures. Support Assistant Dean of Students with Title IX and Accommodations work. Oversee Student Group support through Yale Connect platform. Oversee student workers. Provide training, guidance and clear communication in regards to support needed within the office. Organize lunches for transfer students. Develop and ensure adherence to protocols for promoting and publicizing activities and programs.
   
   This position may regularly include night and weekend departmental support.
   
   Posting Disclaimer
   
   The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit assistant directors of operations, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 of operations

   Once you've selected the best assistant director of operations 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new assistant director of operations. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an assistant director of operations?