How to hire a clinical operations specialist

How to hire a clinical operations specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a clinical operations specialist, 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

   Hiring the perfect clinical operations specialist 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 shows salaries for various types of clinical operations specialists.

   Type of Clinical Operations Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Operations Specialist	Natural sciences managers supervise the work of scientists, including chemists, physicists, and biologists. They direct activities related to research and development, and coordinate activities such as testing, quality control, and production.	$23-61
   Research Nurse	A research nurse specializes in conducting studies and scientific research for healthcare and medical development. They may work for medical facilities, private clinics, learning institutions, and government agencies... Show more	$18-35
   Research Project Coordinator	Research Project Coordinators take on a lead role in maintaining and creating processes that support the execution of a research project. Their duties include researching governance requirements, preparing for contract bidding, manage budgeting of a project to meet a specified timeline, and present findings of a project to all stakeholders involved... Show more	$17-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Clinical Operations
   • EMR
   • Patient Care
   • EHR
   • Epic
   • Home Health
   • Project Management
   • HIPAA
   • Clinical Trials
   • FDA
   • Operational Support
   • Utilization Management
   • Medical Terminology

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage patient caseload with emphasis in occupational rehabilitation
   • Import essential documents from electronic trail master files ETMF to CTMS.
   • Assure program compliance with all federal, state, and local regulatory and institutional policies, including HIPAA.
   • Verify member eligibility and adhere to HIPAA guidelines.
   • Maintain daily records on admissions and discharges for assign hospitalized patients.
   • Assist physicians in obtaining pertinent medical information regarding patients as required.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical operations specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A clinical operations specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, clinical operations specialists' average salary in alaska is 64% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level clinical operations specialists 63% less than senior-level clinical operations specialists.
   • Certifications. A clinical operations specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a clinical operations specialist's salary.

   Average clinical operations specialist salary

   $79,296yearly

   $38.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical operations specialist salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a clinical operations specialist job description

   A good clinical operations specialist 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 specialist job description:

   Clinical operations specialist job description example

   The Clinical Operations Specialist is responsible to provide leadership, direction, and support in the professional development of Health Services Administrators and Directors of Nursing within the Wexford Health Jails Division.
   
   The Clinical Operations Specialist will apply the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary to provide guidance in obtaining operational goals and objectives, developing policies and procedures for health care operations that are in compliance with contractual requirements, and in clinical decisions.
   
   The Clinical Operations Specialist is also responsible for monitoring compliance with all federal and state legislation, accreditation requirements (NCCHC, ACA, etc.), and Wexford Health policies and procedures.
   
   Works closely with the operations management team to thoroughly orient new Health Services Administrators (HSA) and to provide ongoing mentoring and support.
   
   Participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of orientation and continuing education for all levels of nursing staff.
   
   May provide staff training and development programs as well as technical advice; interpret complex NCCHC policy; provide procedural steps to assigned facility staff to enhance their skills in resolving problems related to these areas.
   
   May prepare budgetary recommendations and review of requisitions for supplies and equipment requested by staff. Assists the operations management team by monitoring facility labor and overtime, ensuring site(s) are working within budget.
   May develop or review staff schedules to ensure efficient delivery of all contracted services. Works with operations team to ensure policies and procedures comply with contract requirements and makes recommendations for change when needed. Provides recommendations to the operations management team and participates in decision making on action plans, education, outcome studies, and utilization of services. Conducts routine site visits, ensuring both employee and client engagement during each visit. Identifies strategies that will maximize collaboration between operations and clinical personnel. Assists in the recruitment of qualified staff and participates in the interviewing and selection of new employees. Instills a sense of accountability among team members through fair and consistent oversight of individual and organization performance standards. May be required to fill in for vacant key personnel positions i.e., HSA, DON, Regional Operations for an extended period of time. May complete Quality audits, scorecards and contract compliance audits and provide reports to supervisory personnel. Works closely with the Wexford Health Quality Management team to maintain CQI standards and measures and to design and implement effective processes and programs to improve quality care and ensure compliance. Provides assistance to sites with audits and all that entails, including mock audits, corrective action plans, and file/folder builds (NCCHC, ACA, State DOC audits, and Quarterly Scorecard assessments). BENEFITS Wexford Health offers a competitive benefits package including: Performance check-ins with annual merit increase Generous paid-time off program that combines vacation and sick leave Paid holidays Comprehensive health insurance through BlueCross BlueShield Dental and Vision insurance 401(k) retirement saving plan Company-paid short-term disability Healthcare and dependent care spending account Continuing education options **REQUIREMENTS/ KEY DETAILS** TRAVEL: Extensive travel to site facilities is required LICENSING: Current unrestricted RN license required in state of PA, multi-state license ideal CERTIFICATION: Current CPR certification EDUCATION: Graduate of nursing school required. Bachelor's Degree in Nursing preferred. Additional years of administrative and/or correctional nursing experience can be substituted for BSN. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Experience in corrections Experience in a supervisory/leadership nursing role preferred NCCHC and/or ACA knowledge and experience a plus EOE/M/F/D/V

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find clinical operations specialists 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 clinical operations specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical operations specialist 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 specialists, 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 specialist

   Once you've selected the best clinical operations specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new clinical operations specialist. 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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