How to hire an assistant program director

How to hire an assistant program director, step by step

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

What does an assistant program director do?

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

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your assistant program 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 assistant program 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 assistant program 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 assistant program director that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Assistant Program Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Program 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.	$13-44
   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
   Program Manager	A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result... Show more	$31-67

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Oversight
   • Social Work
   • CPR
   • Professional Development
   • Alumni
   • Clinical Supervision
   • Curriculum Development
   • Program Development
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Substance Abuse
   • Crisis Intervention
   • PowerPoint
   • Mental Illness

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
   • Provide direct oversight of all program operations to ensure contract compliance, revenue enhancement, program development and quality assurance.
   • Perform first aid and CPR when necessary
   • Direct training classes for aides to become CPR certify.
   • Organize enrichment programs to service working families including a supplementary kindergarten and after-school care program.
   • Provide quality management oversight, auditing records to ensure regulatory compliance and the provision of quality services.

   More assistant program director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant program director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An assistant program director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, assistant program directors' average salary in south carolina is 47% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assistant program directors earn 70% less than senior-level assistant program directors.
   • Certifications. An assistant program director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an assistant program director's salary.

   Average assistant program director salary

   $51,138yearly

   $24.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant program director salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average assistant program director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$69,050	$33
   2	California	$68,187	$33
   3	District of Columbia	$67,737	$33
   4	Massachusetts	$58,958	$28
   5	Connecticut	$56,942	$27
   6	Maryland	$55,760	$27
   7	New Jersey	$53,563	$26
   8	Georgia	$51,936	$25
   9	Michigan	$51,192	$25
   10	Oregon	$50,439	$24
   11	North Carolina	$50,089	$24
   12	Minnesota	$49,907	$24
   13	Virginia	$49,442	$24
   14	Pennsylvania	$48,670	$23
   15	Illinois	$47,899	$23
   16	Florida	$47,507	$23
   17	Texas	$46,978	$23
   18	Washington	$46,955	$23
   19	Ohio	$44,891	$22
   20	Colorado	$44,718	$22

   Average assistant program director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Southeastern Lifestyle Fitness Center Lumberton	$118,088	$56.77
   2	Boston Public Schools	$106,717	$51.31	4
   3	Fisher College	$102,310	$49.19
   4	Claremont Graduate University	$101,334	$48.72	1
   5	City of Jacksonville	$99,813	$47.99	1
   6	Harvard University	$97,467	$46.86
   7	New York University	$94,495	$45.43	12
   8	Stanford University	$91,844	$44.16	36
   9	Barnstable, Massachusetts	$90,780	$43.64
   10	The Center for Early Education	$89,353	$42.96
   11	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$89,338	$42.95	4
   12	Kingsborough Community College	$88,158	$42.38
   13	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$85,374	$41.05	6
   14	Cornell University	$84,172	$40.47	25
   15	Columbia University in the City of New York	$83,027	$39.92	36
   16	Molloy College	$79,777	$38.35
   17	UCI Health	$77,365	$37.19	2
   18	Georgetown University	$77,205	$37.12	7
   19	Lincoln Memorial University	$77,170	$37.10	7
   20	iHeartMedia	$77,020	$37.03	19

4. Writing an assistant program director job description

   A good assistant program director job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an assistant program director job description:

   Assistant program director job description example

   The Assistant Program Director is responsible for providing day to day supervision of program and designated staff members. The Assistant Program Director works with other programs to ensure coordination, communication and the integration of program services. The Assistant Program Director assists with strategic oversight of monitoring budget, audits and all components of Program compliance.
   
   Essential Functions: ● Development of programs including establishing and adapting programs as needed while assuring program goals are in alignment with agency mission and needs of recipients. Maintain up-to-date knowledge in order to consistently evaluate program adaptation and/or expansion in correlation with existing needs. ● Resolves problems in service provision and conflicts among staff. ● Participates and documents training on a regular basis for all areas/staff when required. ● Provides supervision to staff assigned, identifying learning needs and addressing limitations. ● Evaluate staff performance, participate in staff hiring, and oversees disciplinary actions. ● Coordinate schedules of staff and recipients. ● Prepares and submits statistical reports as required. ● Identifies appropriate community contacts/agencies to establish a network for communication, referrals, and working relationships. ● Meet performance expectations/metrics, as defined for the position within the assigned program. ● Perform other related duties as assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities: Manages the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the Program/Department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the agency policies and applicable laws. Solid comprehension of Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) where applicable. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, planning, assigning, directing work, rewarding, disciplining employees, performance reviews, and addressing complaints and resolving problems.
   
   Minimum Qualifications: ● Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Education, Public Administration or related field. ● 5 years’ experience.
   
   Bilingual in one or more of the following: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali and others, may be required based on client needs. ● Proficiency in Microsoft Office. ● Excellent organization and program development skills. ● Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills. ● Ability to plan and carry out assignments independently. ● Ability to prioritize, adhere to timelines and multi-task.
   
   Job Behavioral Expectations: ● Maintain regular consistent and professional attendance, punctuality, personal appearance, and adherence to relevant health & safety procedures. ● Safe and successful performance, including meeting productivity standards. ● Maintain an understanding of the principles, methods and processes needed to perform the job. Attends staff meetings, seminars and in-service training as assigned. ● Demonstrates the ability to complete work in an acceptable manner by the time and/or date established with accuracy, neatness and thoroughness and minimal amount of errors. ● Maintain established departmental policies and procedures including maintain strict confidentiality and adherence to all HIPAA guidelines at all times.
   
   Physical demands and work environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to walk, sit for long period of time; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or control; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Work environment: ● Work is performed in an office environment with normal heating and cooling.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right assistant program 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 assistant program director job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant program director 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 program directors, 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.

   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 assistant program director

   Once you've decided on a perfect assistant program director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an assistant program director?