How to hire a department chairperson

How to hire a department chairperson, step by step

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

What does a department chairperson do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the department chairperson you need to hire. Certain department 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 department chairperson's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, department 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 presents department chairperson salaries for various positions.

   Type of Department Chairperson	Description	Hourly rate
   Department 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.	$24-91
   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
   Finance Aid Director	A finance aid director oversees finance aid officers that deal with student loans, fees, scholarship grants, insurance, and other loans. They organize cash flow for all funds available... Show more	$17-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Curriculum Development
   • Professional Development
   • Classroom Management
   • Rehabilitation
   • Student Learning
   • Colleges
   • Mathematics
   • Strategic Plan
   • Faculty Development
   • Academic Programs
   • Literature
   • Ethics
   • Advisory Committee
   • Fine Arts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the club's Facebook/Twitter accounts.
   • Lead meetings with ESL department teachers in which teachers collaborate on unit plan ideas, classroom strategies and student needs.
   • Manage the development of an alumni newsletter and coordinate with alumni to provide relevant content.
   • Manage both individual and organizational achievements for the members through involvement with the community, philanthropies, campus involvement, and scholarship
   • Negotiate and obtain clinical sites for PN and ADN programs.
   • Develop and deliver dynamic, rigorous lessons for high school economics classes.

   More department chairperson duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, department chairpeople' average salary in nebraska is 55% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level department chairpeople 74% less than senior-level department chairpeople.
   • Certifications. A department chairperson 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 department chairperson's salary.

   Average department chairperson salary

   $98,438yearly

   $47.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level department chairperson salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average department chairperson salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$125,748	$60
   2	Massachusetts	$107,545	$52
   3	New York	$98,591	$47
   4	Washington	$97,833	$47
   5	Connecticut	$92,286	$44
   6	Ohio	$87,396	$42
   7	Idaho	$87,300	$42
   8	Vermont	$87,265	$42
   9	Maryland	$84,990	$41
   10	Louisiana	$80,465	$39
   11	Wisconsin	$78,400	$38
   12	West Virginia	$77,579	$37
   13	Georgia	$77,267	$37
   14	Virginia	$75,939	$37
   15	Florida	$75,787	$36
   16	Texas	$73,653	$35
   17	Michigan	$72,558	$35
   18	Indiana	$71,177	$34
   19	Utah	$67,773	$33
   20	Minnesota	$64,051	$31

   Average department chairperson salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Marshall University	$163,395	$78.56	7
   2	National Medical Association	$143,601	$69.04
   3	Poly Prep Country Day School	$133,718	$64.29
   4	Peddie School	$132,999	$63.94
   5	Columbia College Chicago	$127,818	$61.45
   6	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$126,704	$60.92	2
   7	Chicago Public Schools	$125,488	$60.33	8
   8	Cornish College of the Arts	$120,076	$57.73
   9	Darrow School	$112,571	$54.12
   10	Mayo Clinic	$108,285	$52.06	44
   11	Faulkner University	$108,130	$51.99
   12	University of Vermont	$106,821	$51.36	6
   13	Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado	$105,665	$50.80	9
   14	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$105,572	$50.76	8
   15	Northwell Health	$101,302	$48.70	4
   16	The International School of Music	$99,520	$47.85
   17	Rutgers University	$99,376	$47.78	35
   18	Iowa State University	$98,344	$47.28	11
   19	Geisinger Medical Center	$97,927	$47.08	20
   20	Fair Haven Community Health Care	$96,088	$46.20

4. Writing a department chairperson job description

   A department chairperson job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a department chairperson job description:

   Department chairperson job description example

   Texas University has an Endowed Chair Position available in the department of Immunology & Molecular Microbiology (IMM). They seek to recruit a NIH-funded investigator to fill a tenure track position at the Assistant/Associate Professor/Professor level in multi areas of Immunology and Microbiology. The University is looking to ad internal funding resources to candiates current externally funded grants. Would consider Infectious Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease background that will support the growth of the department. The department is currently comprised of six full-time faculty and 22 adjunct graduate faculty.

   The School of Medicine has made substantial new investments in IMM; these include the recruitment of a new Chair, remodeling of existing spaces to make state of the art modular laboratories and commitment to provide nationally competitive start up packages. The research in IMM is currently funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health, Horizon 2020/European Union, the Welcome Trust, the CH Foundation, the RIGHT Fund and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

   This position is the first of a series of positions in IMM, with a primary appointment in the School of Medicine, state-supported salary, and a concurrent appointment in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences that affords opportunity to recruit and advise excellent graduate students from the Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology graduate programs. We are committed to diversity in education and employment, and strongly encourages applications from women and minorities.

   Salary Range at AAMC 75 Percentile - Retirement - Health Insurance

   Requirements and Education:

   • Assistant or Associate Professor level in any area of Immunology and Microbiology.
   • Must have a terminal degree (Ph.D., M.D., or US Equivalent) and a commitment to sustained funded research.
   • NIH-Funded Investigator: Specific NIH areas: Traditional microbiology, infectious diseases, basic B&T cell immunology, vaccines, infectious pathogens, parasites, virology, bacteriology, and mycology.

   
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   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find department 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 department chairperson job on Zippia to find and attract quality department chairperson candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with department chairperson candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 department chairperson

   Once you've decided on a perfect department chairperson candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 department chairperson 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 department chairperson?