How to hire a clinical services director

How to hire a clinical services director, step by step

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

What does a clinical services director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a clinical services 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

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

   Type of Clinical Services Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Services Director	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$30-62
   Director Of Professional Services	A director of professional services is responsible for evaluating and improving the professional services offered by the firm. Directors of professional services assess the operational processes and systems to ensure high-quality outputs and deliverables... Show more	$45-99
   Director Of Clinical Operations	A director of clinical operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a clinic facility, ensuring the efficiency of staff performance in providing the best quality care services for the patients. Directors of clinical operations enforce safety guidelines and security procedures during operations for everyone's strict compliance to prevent hazards and unforeseen circumstances within the premises... Show more	$40-95

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Social Work
   • Clinical Services
   • Mental Health
   • Quality Care
   • Infection Control
   • Clinical Operations
   • Customer Service
   • Home Health
   • Autism
   • Performance Improvement
   • Risk Management
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Direct Patient Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Supervise all clinical staff, participates and leads IDG lmeeting.
   • Complete comprehensive assessments for all LTC residents which include managing falls, pain, skin integrity, and medications.
   • Maintain compliance with OSHA, FDA, and HIPAA guidelines.
   • Maintain compliance with new and existing HIPAA and company client privacy requirements.
   • Monitor DME, medical supplies and pharmacy costs for budgetary and regulatory guidelines.
   • Control expenses by negotiating competitive contracts for DME, pharmaceuticals and in-patient care.

   More clinical services director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the clinical services director job description is a good way to get more applicants. A clinical services director salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a clinical services director in Colorado may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level clinical services director. Additionally, a clinical services director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average clinical services director salary

   $90,816yearly

   $43.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical services director salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average clinical services director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$105,667	$51
   2	Massachusetts	$103,878	$50
   3	District of Columbia	$102,111	$49
   4	Nevada	$97,470	$47
   5	Washington	$93,963	$45
   6	New York	$86,439	$42
   7	Nebraska	$85,753	$41
   8	Oklahoma	$85,339	$41
   9	South Carolina	$83,776	$40
   10	Illinois	$82,022	$39
   11	Louisiana	$79,834	$38
   12	Texas	$79,682	$38
   13	North Dakota	$79,370	$38
   14	New Mexico	$78,112	$38
   15	Pennsylvania	$77,775	$37
   16	Virginia	$77,559	$37
   17	Alabama	$75,669	$36
   18	Tennessee	$75,275	$36
   19	Colorado	$70,950	$34
   20	Florida	$63,776	$31

   Average clinical services director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$136,302	$65.53	7
   2	General Electric	$122,886	$59.08	2
   3	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$120,155	$57.77	2
   4	Stanford Health Care	$119,298	$57.35	47
   5	Massachusetts General Hospital	$112,926	$54.29
   6	Boston Medical Center	$110,593	$53.17	18
   7	Arnot Health	$108,702	$52.26	1
   8	Hutchinson Regional Medical Center	$103,755	$49.88
   9	Steris	$103,547	$49.78	13
   10	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$101,249	$48.68
   11	UMiami Health System	$101,228	$48.67
   12	Inspira Health Network	$100,072	$48.11	9
   13	CentraState Healthcare System	$100,024	$48.09
   14	Capital Caring Health	$99,553	$47.86	19
   15	Medical Billing	$97,297	$46.78
   16	USPI	$97,172	$46.72
   17	Lahey Health Behavioral Services	$97,104	$46.68
   18	American In-Home Care	$96,760	$46.52
   19	PeaceHealth	$89,429	$42.99	37
   20	Loving Care Agency	$89,264	$42.92	1

4. Writing a clinical services director job description

   A job description for a clinical services 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 clinical services director job description:

   Clinical services director job description example

   The Director of Clinical Services is responsible for all Emergency Department (ED), Post-Surgical unit (PSU), and Pre-Admission Testing departmental functions in support of the hospital mission, vision and facility goals. The Director has the responsibility for organizing and directing activities in accordance with nursing standards, Joint Commission, Medicare and all other applicable federal, state and local guidelines. The ED Director identifies the cost-effective systems needed to support the business of the departments taking into account business trends, resource availability and changes in customers. This position establishes effective working relationships with all constituencies including patients, physicians, employees, volunteers and vendors. The Director identifies and remedies variances through continuous customer satisfaction data and employee involvement. The Director works with Senior Management in meeting Facility goals and will function as an ED, PSU, or PAT RN as needed.
   Required Skills:
   JOB DUTIES AND POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   
   Graduate of an accredited school of nursing, BSN preferred
   Minimum 2 - 5 year experience in an Critical Care or Medical Surgical staff nursing preferred.
   2-3 years of management experience in a hospital setting.
   Current Texas Nursing License
   Current BLS, ACLS and PALS required
   Excellent communication skills
   Good organizational habits; adapts to change quickly
   Excellent leadership skills
   Ability to care for patients from infancy to geriatrics
   Ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects
   Excellent communication skills with staff and physicians
   Excellent teaching skills
   Basic knowledge of Performance Improvement methodology
   
   
   Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by an applicant's or employee's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other legally protected status. Tenet will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right clinical services director 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 clinical services directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit clinical services directors 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 clinical services director job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical services director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting clinical services 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 clinical services director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the clinical services 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new clinical services director first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 services director?