How to hire a chairperson

How to hire a chairperson, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chairperson hiring guide:

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

What does a chairperson do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the chairperson you need to hire. Certain chairperson roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A chairperson's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, chairpeople 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 chairpeople.

   Type of Chairperson	Description	Hourly rate
   Chairperson	Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.	$22-162
   Student Dean	A Student Dean is focused on responding to students' needs at a college or university. They plan and direct university activities related to student services and campus life.	$15-52
   Registrar	A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information... Show more	$13-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Curriculum Development
   • Alumni
   • Scholarship
   • Professional Development
   • Strategic Plan
   • Community Outreach
   • Executive Board
   • Leadership
   • Social Events
   • Student Body
   • Facebook
   • Event Planning
   • Philanthropic Events
   • Recruitment Events

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage both individual and organizational achievements for the members through involvement with the community, philanthropies, campus involvement, and scholarship
   • Provide oversight relate to the overall strategic plan, marketing/outreach initiatives and external communications.
   • Develop service classes for sql server to replace code after migration.
   • Update the by-laws and standard operating procedures for day to day operations.
   • Create and become the captain of the intramural soccer and volleyball society teams.
   • Direct and run annual auction, raising more than $20K each school year.

   More chairperson duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, chairpeople' average salary in north dakota is 63% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level chairpeople earn 86% less than senior-level chairpeople.
   • Certifications. A chairperson 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 a chairperson's salary.

   Average chairperson salary

   $125,944yearly

   $60.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chairperson salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average chairperson salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$120,786	$58
   2	Massachusetts	$115,106	$55
   3	Virginia	$101,940	$49
   4	Maryland	$101,086	$49
   5	Michigan	$83,664	$40
   6	West Virginia	$76,730	$37
   7	Illinois	$66,686	$32
   8	Utah	$62,670	$30
   9	Missouri	$57,247	$28
   10	Colorado	$52,108	$25
   11	Minnesota	$51,998	$25

   Average chairperson salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Summit Health Oregon	$221,874	$106.67
   2	DMGAZ	$195,611	$94.04	1
   3	University of Florida	$179,331	$86.22	10
   4	Live Nation Entertainment	$174,217	$83.76	2
   5	Wunderlich Securities	$166,064	$79.84
   6	University of Notre Dame	$159,449	$76.66
   7	Rutgers University	$157,838	$75.88	21
   8	Berklee College of Music	$157,644	$75.79	3
   9	University of Texas System	$149,733	$71.99	3
   10	Summit Health	$146,512	$70.44
   11	Provider Solutions & Development	$144,613	$69.53
   12	Merritt Hawkins	$144,137	$69.30
   13	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$143,545	$69.01	4
   14	*n/a*	$142,736	$68.62
   15	AMR	$141,895	$68.22
   16	University of North Carolina	$139,740	$67.18	4
   17	Miraca Life Sciences	$133,127	$64.00
   18	Michigan State University	$131,537	$63.24
   19	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$127,907	$61.49	2
   20	Cleveland Clinic	$124,823	$60.01	4

4. Writing a chairperson job description

   A job description for a chairperson 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 chairperson job description:

   Chairperson job description example

   1. Responsible for planning, developing, and evaluating the pharmacology curriculum including topics, courses, and methods of instruction related to pharmacology in all curricular years as assigned.

   2. Participates in the instruction and supervision of medical students at all phases of training including didactics, small groups, and clinical cases.

   3. Leads the development of creative educational experiences to enhance the overall medical education program.

   4. Assists in developing and participating in teaching for a Masters of Biomedical Science program.

   5. Maintains competency in the field including new developments and advancements in literature.

   Administrative:

   1. Promotes, by example, a general atmosphere of respect for knowledge, thought, and inquiry within the University.

   2. Contributes to the planning, development, and evaluation of courses and academic programs within the University.

   3. Constructs and manages the departmental budget, allocating funds appropriately to efficiently utilize resources. Projects future departmental budgetary needs (operational and personnel) and provides proposals with documentation during the budget planning cycle.

   4. Motivates and develops departmental course directors and faculty and provides regular feedback on performance.

   5. Evaluates departmental faculty and staff members according to their job descriptions and consistent with departmental, medical school, and University standards.

   6. Participates in the appointment and promotion process for faculty within the department. Reviews all faculty appointment applications for the department and provides recommendations to the appointment and promotion committee. Also, reviews all department faculty for eligibility for reappointment.

   7. Leads regular departmental meetings.

   8. Meets regularly with the Associate Dean for Biomedical Affairs to provide updates on the pharmacology aspects within the curriculum and departmental projects, faculty, advisees, budgetary items, and needs.

   9. Provides vision and leadership in departmental strategic planning taking into consideration input by the departmental faculty, the COM and University administration, outside stakeholders, and national benchmarks.

   10. Participates in fundraising activities.

   Service:

   1. Serves on committees within the medical school as assigned.

   2. Represents the COM by serving on state and national committees in their field.

   3. Collaborates with other departments within the University to develop and implement interprofessional educational curriculum and clinical experiences.

   4. Participates in interviewing applicants for potential admission to the COM.

   5. Participates as an item writer for the USMLE and NBOME.

   6. Participates in required COM faculty development.

   Research:

   1. Leads the development and revision of the research and scholarly activity strategic plan for the department.

   2. Supports faculty involvement with educational, clinical, or other research and scholarly activity in pharmacology and related disciplines.

   3. Develops a strong research-focused team dedicated to advancing the field of pharmacology.

   PandoLogic. Keywords: Writer and Author, Location: Washington, DC - 20037

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find chairpeople for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your chairperson job on Zippia to find and attract quality chairperson candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit chairpeople, 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.

   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 chairperson

   Once you have selected a candidate for the chairperson 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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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