How to hire a business director

How to hire a business director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business director hiring guide:

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

What does a business director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a business 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a business 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 a business director that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of business directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Business Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Director	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.	$41-85
   Director Of Operations And Finance	A director of operations and finance is in charge of overseeing and spearheading business and financial operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the best practices to optimize operations, coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting research and analysis to identify new business and investment opportunities, and monitoring the progress of various projects and programs... Show more	$37-87
   Director Of Sales & Business Development	A director of sales business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits... Show more	$18-84

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Healthcare
   • Sigma
   • Customer Service
   • Oversight
   • Business Development
   • Process Improvement
   • Patients
   • Business Strategy
   • Medicare
   • Business Process
   • Payroll
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Excellent Interpersonal

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan and project manage the migration, testing and deployment of a new ERP system.
   • Develop various tools and processes to identify operational risk, effectively manage KPI's and monitor vendor relationships.
   • Manage cost-centers and leverage unique Indian production and post- production capabilities and position the company as a prefer production partner.
   • Lead ERP selection process and implementation project.
   • Enter claims into Medicare system; bill Medicaid and long-term care policies.
   • Provide direct operational oversight and supervision for assign dining facility.

   More business director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your business director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A business 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 a business director in West Virginia may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level business director usually earns less than a senior-level business director. Additionally, a business 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 business director salary

   $124,563yearly

   $59.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business director salary

   $86,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average business director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$158,782	$76
   2	District of Columbia	$153,329	$74
   3	California	$145,802	$70
   4	New York	$143,638	$69
   5	Delaware	$136,630	$66
   6	Massachusetts	$136,224	$65
   7	New Jersey	$134,341	$65
   8	Washington	$131,644	$63
   9	Virginia	$131,512	$63
   10	Colorado	$124,375	$60
   11	Connecticut	$123,526	$59
   12	North Carolina	$119,780	$58
   13	Maryland	$117,421	$56
   14	Illinois	$115,038	$55
   15	Minnesota	$110,070	$53
   16	Michigan	$108,990	$52
   17	Pennsylvania	$106,153	$51
   18	Texas	$105,512	$51
   19	Louisiana	$104,960	$50
   20	Arizona	$103,823	$50

   Average business director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ep Energy	$199,365	$95.85
   2	Roku	$196,382	$94.41	9
   3	Meta	$191,340	$91.99	120
   4	Google	$185,397	$89.13	131
   5	Lyft	$183,953	$88.44	5
   6	VMware	$183,111	$88.03
   7	Citi	$174,201	$83.75	94
   8	TBWA Worldwide	$174,073	$83.69
   9	ViacomCBS	$167,802	$80.67
   10	Harley-Davidson	$162,665	$78.20	1
   11	Juniper Networks	$162,599	$78.17
   12	Didi Chuxing	$160,814	$77.31
   13	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$159,006	$76.45	41
   14	BNY Mellon	$158,350	$76.13	175
   15	AlixPartners	$158,322	$76.12	2
   16	The Walt Disney Company	$157,853	$75.89	31
   17	Microsoft	$157,647	$75.79	92
   18	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$157,590	$75.76	6
   19	Maxim Integrated	$156,531	$75.26
   20	Silicon Valley Bank	$156,227	$75.11

4. Writing a business director job description

   A job description for a business director 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 a business director job description:

   Business director job description example

   CrossCountry Consulting is a trusted business advisory firm, specializing in Accounting Advisory, Business Transformation, Risk & Compliance, Cybersecurity, and Technology Solutions.
   
   We're looking for a Director to join our growing West Region practice and leadership team where Excellence is a priority, Collaboration is the norm, Energy is contagious, and the opportunity to make an Impact is endless.
   
   Awarded Glassdoor's Best Places to Work for the 2nd consecutive year, we strive to provide our employees with a meaningful work-life balance, competitive salary & benefits, and continuous professional development. See what makes us so special here!
   
   Who You Are15+ years advising publicly traded companies in finance transformation, system implementation, operations improvement, business process improvement, acquisition and divestiture implementation and/or risk Prior professional services experience in a client-facing role at an accounting firm, consulting firm, or commensurate experience Strong experience with ERP systems and/or data analytic tools Proven record in building and developing strong client relationshipsA bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, information systems, or a similar field CPA, CISA, CFE, CPA, or PMP preferred Passionate about building, developing, motivating, and leading others Adaptability, professionalism, enthusiasm, and a great sense of humor!
   
   What You'll DoClient Delivery Provide high-quality consulting services by taking personal ownership for client engagements and ensure that deliverables/services are fact-driven and solution oriented Supervise execution teams, providing senior project leadership and managing evolving client management needs for operational and change initiatives Lead projects across the project lifecycle from current state evaluation, gap analysis, requirements gathering, future state design, and implementation across the organizational, process, technology (financial systems) and data dimensions Practice LeadershipAccount management: oversee client engagements and maintain strong relationships with senior client personnel Coaching and Development: provide coaching and training opportunities for team members leveraging individual skills and the firm's people first culture Recruiting and Retention: take an active role in attracting, interviewing, hiring and retaining top talent Thought leadership: share expertise in technical domain(s) with team members and clients, including case studies, white papers, learning materials, and other resources Business DevelopmentActively purse business development opportunities and market a full range of services to prospective clients including using existing relationships to generate new opportunities Support the business development team with client delivery or sector specific expertise
   #LI-AH1
   #Li-Hybrid
   
   CrossCountry Consulting provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants and believes that respect and fair treatment are critical to creating a productive, diverse, and inclusive workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, CrossCountry is fully committed to comply with all federal, state, and local laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, pregnancy, genetics, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find business directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any business directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level business directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting business directors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 business director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the business director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new business director. 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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a business director?