How to hire an associate director of communications

How to hire an associate director of communications, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate director of communications hiring guide:

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

What does an associate director of communications do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The associate director of communications 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

   Hiring the perfect associate director of communications 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 associate director of communications salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate Director Of Communications	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Director Of Communications	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$28-69
   Chief Of Staff	A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive... Show more	$40-96
   Public Relations Internship	A public relations intern is responsible for assisting the public relations department in creating content to engage customers and prospective clients in availing of the goods and services of the company. Public relations interns participate in meetings to suggest strategies and observe areas of improvement... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • PowerPoint
   • Strategic Communications
   • External Communications
   • Employee Engagement
   • Press Releases
   • Alumni
   • Community Engagement
   • Web Content
   • Community Outreach
   • External Audiences
   • Strategic Plan
   • Digital Marketing
   • Content Strategy

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage supervisory staff in their oversight of the day-to-day activities of marketing representatives.
   • Lead copywriting for newly launch Chinese language website LeEco.com/Chinese to attract Chinese American customers.
   • Assist with development, oversight and implementation functional pieces of vision.
   • Expand prospective donor audience through email acquisition campaigns, primarily on Facebook.
   • Serve as representative to senior management team during community events and company spokesperson for division, including to nonprofit sector clients.
   • Advise on communications design; oversee all proofreading activities.

   More associate director of communications duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $93,716yearly

   $45.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate director of communications salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average associate director of communications salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$133,030	$64
   2	Washington	$132,404	$64
   3	California	$129,067	$62
   4	Connecticut	$119,888	$58
   5	District of Columbia	$117,113	$56
   6	New York	$115,604	$56
   7	Arizona	$110,873	$53
   8	Texas	$109,514	$53
   9	Illinois	$105,239	$51
   10	Maryland	$104,618	$50
   11	Massachusetts	$101,497	$49
   12	Pennsylvania	$100,370	$48
   13	Delaware	$98,438	$47
   14	Colorado	$96,323	$46
   15	Minnesota	$92,634	$45
   16	Michigan	$90,232	$43
   17	Florida	$86,661	$42
   18	Georgia	$80,688	$39
   19	Missouri	$76,869	$37
   20	South Carolina	$74,950	$36

   Average associate director of communications salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AstraZeneca	$160,168	$77.00	3
   2	Novo Nordisk	$156,321	$75.15	4
   3	Biogen	$153,417	$73.76	2
   4	Sarepta Therapeutics	$150,462	$72.34	1
   5	APCO Worldwide	$146,689	$70.52	2
   6	Twitter	$146,369	$70.37
   7	Novartis	$144,878	$69.65	1
   8	Sanofi US	$144,420	$69.43	4
   9	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$144,243	$69.35	3
   10	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$139,449	$67.04	1
   11	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$138,855	$66.76
   12	Novavax	$138,528	$66.60
   13	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$136,066	$65.42	11
   14	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$131,639	$63.29	2
   15	Merck	$130,895	$62.93	4
   16	Bayer	$130,804	$62.89	4
   17	Gilead Sciences	$129,046	$62.04	8
   18	Seagen	$128,637	$61.84
   19	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$126,824	$60.97
   20	UBS	$126,266	$60.70

4. Writing an associate director of communications job description

   An associate director of communications 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 associate director of communications job description:

   Associate director of communications job description example

   Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB) is looking for a full-time Associate Director of Communications who will be located in the NYC office to support the development and execution of an annual communications strategic plan in collaboration with the Senior Director of Communications and CVB leadership team. The individual will help create this integrated, organization-wide plan to broaden awareness of CVB's brand identity across key stakeholder audiences.
   
   This will include supporting the development of a brand/marketing/public relations strategy that will allow CVB leadership to cultivate and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences, including the media, public officials, and key influencers. This position will help drive the creation of detailed goal/ROI driven plans.
   
   The Associate Director of Communications will help manage projects, content development (press releases, etc.), social media strategy & execution, including online fundraising support, branding, external stakeholder interaction strategy, community growth and retention at CVB.
   
   They will also engage in direct awareness campaigns, as they relate to communications and must align their planning/activities with the overall goals of the organization. The successful candidate would bring 5+ years of experience as a communications professional within a health or science agency or client-side setting. Prior experience with neuroscience, data science, technology, biopharma, biotech and/or research nonprofits is preferred.
   
   The candidate should be able to demonstrate a past record of strategic and tactical success and a working knowledge of targeted analytics tools. In addition, the applicant must possess strong verbal and written skills to passionately communicate the needs and solutions of individuals with brain diseases to a variety of audiences. The candidate must have a strong work ethic, excellent judgment, and the ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
   Primary Responsibilities · The candidate will be assigned to manage CVB communications and support the CVB mission to advance biomarkers, diagnostics, translational research tools, and accelerate therapeutic development for target brain diseases · Work closely with the Senior Director, Communications to ensure all communication activities maximize the impact and effectiveness of branding and identity-building and share of voice for a newer organization · Manage and regulate, in cooperation with the Senior Director, Communications, all messaging both internally and externally, ensuring that CVB's messaging is consistent across all platforms · Vigilant monitoring of CVB's presence on a variety of online forums, including social media, printed news, television, etc · Manage all external communication interaction, as it relates to perceptions and branding of CVB · Help support internal and external communications processes and key performance indicators as they relate to communications · Oversee administrative functions as they relate to communication management · Work with several cross-functional stakeholders, responsible for developing resource plans for multiple large and small campaigns · Manage multiple event/communication activities, with many functional teams, through full lifecycle from high-level concept to deployment · Support the development of an integrated communications strategy both externally and internally · Articulate CVB's mission via communication activities in a clear and concise way that speaks to a variety of audiences · Other responsibilities as assigned Qualifications · A minimum of a BA in communications or similar degree · Minimum 5 years experience in communications; agency and in-house experience a plus Required Skills · Must have a strong working knowledge of communications, project management, and customer relations · Familiarity with the biotech development process is preferred · Experience working in a Communications or Marketing team setting · Must be comfortable with communicating both verbally and in writing · Must have the determination to see projects through to the end · Must be self-directed and able to work independently · Proven ability to quickly earn the trust of key stakeholders · Must have proficiency with Microsoft Office: PPT, Word, Excel, and Project Management Tracking Software · Excellent English communication and interpersonal skills · Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time Position Location Authorization to work in the U.S. is required. The office location is Manhattan, NY (midtown, west side) with the expectation of 3 days per week in the office. COMPENSATION We offer a highly competitive salary commensurate with experience and a full benefits package. Writing Samples are required.
   ABOUT COHEN VETERANS BIOSCIENCE Cohen Veterans Bioscience is a nonprofit research 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fast-tracking the development of diagnostic tests and personalized therapeutics for the millions of veterans and civilians who suffer the devastating effects of trauma-related and other brain disorders. CVB is an Equal Opportunity Employer
   
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5. Post your job

   To find the right associate director of communications 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 associate directors of communications they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit associate directors of communications 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 associate director of communications job on Zippia to find and attract quality associate director of communications candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit associate directors of communications, 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 associate director of communications

   Once you've found the associate director of communications 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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