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How to hire a clinical operations manager

Clinical operations manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring clinical operations managers in the United States:

  • There are a total of 25,977 clinical operations managers in the US, and there are currently 284,048 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a clinical operations manager is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per clinical operations manager on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • San Francisco, CA, has the highest demand for clinical operations managers, with 12 job openings.

How to hire a clinical operations manager, step by step

To hire a clinical operations manager, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a clinical operations manager:

Here's a step-by-step clinical operations manager hiring guide:

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

What does a clinical operations manager do?

Clinical Operations Managers oversee the daily operations of a clinic, hospital, or any other medical facility. They ensure that the facility is abiding by the laws and other regulatory orders related to healthcare facilities. They manage the paperwork and licensing needs of the facility. They also ensure that the facility's proper licenses are acquired before conducting any clinical trials or any other related activities. Clinical operations managers also oversee the employees in the facility. Clinical Operations Managers also manage the upkeep of the different equipment and fixtures in the office. They sign off on procurement requests and manage the clinic budget as well.

Learn more about the specifics of what a clinical operations manager does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the clinical operations manager you need to hire. Certain clinical operations manager 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?

    A clinical operations manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, clinical operations managers 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 presents clinical operations manager salaries for various positions.

    Type of Clinical Operations ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Clinical Operations ManagerTop executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.$30-70
    Manager, Center OperationsThe duties of a manager of center operations depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing business operations, setting targets, assessing the workforce's performance, and performing corrective measures on any issues or concerns... Show more$18-46
    Clinical DirectorA clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports... Show more$30-69
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • Clinical Operations
    • Healthcare
    • Oversight
    • Customer Service
    • Project Management
    • GCP
    • Process Improvement
    • Direct Reports
    • Excellent Organizational
    • Performance Management
    • Quality Patient Care
    • Oncology
    • Patient Satisfaction
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead the project to develop and implement an electronic medical record (EMR) system for physician practices.
    • Prioritize repairs, participate in approving turnaround/project scope development, ensure PSM compliance, and achieve refinery department goals.
    • Manage 13 RN's who are responsible for clinical review and authorization of Medicaid and Medicare acute inpatient hospital services.
    • Manage 16 CRA contractors at upper management request, resulting in increase compliance with site visit report metrics for that group.
    • Lead operational test team for ISR payload; validate operability/capabilities.
    • Manage all contingency communications planning for response by USAF special operation forces to real-world operations.
    More clinical operations manager duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your clinical operations manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A clinical operations manager 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 clinical operations manager in Wyoming may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level clinical operations manager usually earns less than a senior-level clinical operations manager. Additionally, a clinical operations manager 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 clinical operations manager salary

    $96,262yearly

    $46.28 hourly rate

    Entry-level clinical operations manager salary
    $63,000 yearly salary
    Updated February 2, 2026

    Average clinical operations manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$128,962$62
    2Massachusetts$125,717$60
    3District of Columbia$122,038$59
    4New York$115,770$56
    5Maryland$115,284$55
    6New Jersey$112,649$54
    7Connecticut$104,174$50
    8Washington$104,039$50
    9Pennsylvania$96,785$47
    10Minnesota$93,204$45
    11Nevada$92,651$45
    12Arizona$88,887$43
    13Colorado$87,709$42
    14Wisconsin$87,317$42
    15North Carolina$83,541$40
    16Illinois$78,880$38
    17Georgia$78,030$38
    18Texas$77,832$37
    19Oregon$75,618$36
    20Indiana$75,369$36

    Average clinical operations manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Mayo Clinic$161,716$77.7594
    2Genentech$142,545$68.5351
    3Natera$135,457$65.1253
    4Fred Hutch$129,905$62.4514
    5Bristol-Myers Squibb$128,667$61.86166
    6Merck$126,078$60.61187
    7Foundation Medicine$125,279$60.233
    8Clinica Sierra Vista$123,863$59.557
    9Veeva Systems$123,705$59.4712
    10Alnylam Pharmaceuticals$123,385$59.32
    11Excellus BCBS$122,789$59.032
    12Moderna$122,398$58.854
    13Johnson & Johnson$121,118$58.23180
    14Seattle Cancer Care Alliance$120,667$58.01
    15Presbyterian$120,479$57.929
    16Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$120,305$57.84300
    17Stanford University$119,992$57.6954
    18RWJBarnabas Health$118,973$57.2044
    19Medstar Health$118,805$57.122
    20Dean Health Plan$117,463$56.47
  4. Writing a clinical operations manager job description

    A good clinical operations manager 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 a clinical operations manager job description:

    Clinical operations manager job description example

    The Clinical Operations Manager "COM" (Nursing Supervisor) is a hospital administration representative and serves as the delegated agent of the hospital administrative team. Responsible for upholding and executing the mission, vision, philosophy, core values, standards of practice, strategic day-to-day hospital operations, and implementation of standards of care using current evidence-based practices for all staff on all shifts. The position is per diem, 12-hour shifts, with a minimal requirement of one shift per month, including rotating weekends and holidays.

    Responsibilities:

    The COM provides oversight and is responsible for facilitating the resolution of issues relating to house-wide staffing, patient care, complaints, and patient throughput/bed management and the communication of such matters to Logistics, Staff, Leaders, and the Administrator-On-Call. Responsible for allocating the available resources to promote autonomous, effective, safe, cost-efficient, and compassionate quality care. Facilitate an atmosphere of interactive management and the development of collegial relationships among nursing personnel and other disciplines. Ensure compliance with all applicable policies, laws, and regulations and provide standardized employee feedback on policies and clinical performance. Is responsible for knowledge of the patient population served and assures awareness of ethical standards of practice as defined by the ANA code of ethics. Is responsible for reporting identified safety issues such as hazardous environments (i.e., damaged floors/walls/ceiling tiles/unsecured areas) and medical errors to unit leaders and hospital administration. Provides clinical leadership for medical and psychiatric emergencies and oversees unexpected events. Serve as a catalyst and role model that provides leadership and direction. Responsible for the collection of QA data, as assigned.

    Requirements/ Qualifications:

    Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing,

    Active, valid NJ Registered Nurse license required,

    BSN required,

    Current Basic Life Support (CPR) and ACLS through the American Heart Association (AHA) required,

    1-2 years of recent/current acute care nursing supervisory/management/leadership experience required,

    Two years of Critical Care or Emergency Department experience preferred,

    ICS 100 and NIMS 700 certificates are preferred,

    Successful completion of orientation requirements and ongoing license, competency, and certification maintenance.

    We are committed to High Reliability and consistent demonstration of our Safety Together behaviors and tools:

    S - Speak up for Safety

    A - Accurately communicate

    F - Focus on the task

    E - Exercise and accept a questioning attitude

    T - Thoughtfully interact

    Y - You and Me Together

  5. Post your job

    To find clinical operations managers 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 clinical operations managers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level clinical operations managers 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 clinical operations manager job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical operations manager 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 clinical operations managers, 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 clinical operations manager

    Once you've found the clinical operations manager 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 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 clinical operations manager. 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 clinical operations manager?

There are different types of costs for hiring clinical operations managers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new clinical operations manager employee.

You can expect to pay around $96,262 per year for a clinical operations manager, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for clinical operations managers in the US typically range between $30 and $70 an hour.

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