How to hire a deputy commissioner

How to hire a deputy commissioner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step deputy commissioner hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a deputy commissioner, 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 deputy commissioner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, deputy commissioners 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 deputy commissioners.

   Type of Deputy Commissioner	Description	Hourly rate
   Deputy Commissioner	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$38-82
   Chief Of Staff	A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive... Show more	$40-96
   Chief Operating Officer	A chief operating officer, also known as a COO, is a high-ranking official who oversees a company or organization's daily administrative and overall operations. They are typically the second in the chain of command, reporting directly to the company's chief executive officer, also known as a CEO... Show more	$38-110

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Human Resources
   • Public Health
   • Policy Development
   • NYC
   • Financial Management
   • Rehabilitation
   • Press Releases
   • Criminal Justice
   • Service Delivery
   • NYS
   • State Agencies
   • Real Estate
   • Property Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a restructuring of the office which encourage greater collaboration between subunits and eliminate redundancies.
   • Supervise fiscal staff and provide oversight of all audits and vouchers regarding aging programs.
   • Provide project management oversight on various technical advancement initiatives.
   • Develop and implement rapid training and replacement program to fill critical personnel shortages in support of combat logistics operations in Afghanistan.
   • Complete NCIC course require to access nationwide criminal history database.

   More deputy commissioner duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, deputy commissioners' average salary in mississippi is 60% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level deputy commissioners 53% less than senior-level deputy commissioners.
   • Certifications. A deputy commissioner 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 deputy commissioner's salary.

   Average deputy commissioner salary

   $117,609yearly

   $56.54 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level deputy commissioner salary

   $80,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average deputy commissioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$171,423	$82
   2	District of Columbia	$141,188	$68
   3	Maryland	$140,212	$67
   4	New York	$134,098	$64
   5	Washington	$127,123	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$125,624	$60
   7	Texas	$122,935	$59
   8	Virginia	$122,830	$59
   9	Colorado	$113,738	$55
   10	Minnesota	$111,795	$54
   11	Louisiana	$107,739	$52
   12	Nebraska	$98,749	$47

   Average deputy commissioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	County Of Los Angeles Public Library	$129,546	$62.28
   2	Social Security Administration	$128,428	$61.74
   3	New York State Restaurant Association	$117,066	$56.28
   4	Department of Homeland Security	$107,888	$51.87
   5	City of Baltimore	$98,226	$47.22	2
   6	Nyc Parks	$91,657	$44.07
   7	Minnesota State Fair	$84,804	$40.77	2
   8	Ontario County	$83,622	$40.20
   9	Department of Public Social Services	$82,298	$39.57
   10	State of West Virginia	$77,077	$37.06	39
   11	County of San Joaquin, CA	$56,192	$27.02	8

4. Writing a deputy commissioner job description

   A job description for a deputy commissioner 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 deputy commissioner job description:

   Deputy commissioner job description example

   Work for Indiana
   
   Grow your career with the State of Indiana! With more than 50 executive branch agencies, the State of Indiana is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging projects across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a State of Indiana employee, you impact the well-being of Indiana's communities every day.
   
   At the State of Indiana, we don't just talk about diversity and inclusion - Our goal is to create a welcoming, accessible, and equitable workplace, with a workforce that is representative of the State of Indiana population. As a proud equal opportunity employer, reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to interview and perform the essential functions of a role.
   
   About the Indiana Department of Labor (IDOL):
   
   The mission of the Indiana Department of Labor is to advance the safety, health, and prosperity of Hoosiers in the workplace. To make significant strides in achieving our mission, we emphasize both enforcement and voluntary compliance for employers. Our office administers the IOSHA program, state wage and hour and youth employment laws, as well as underground coal mine safety. We also have many free training and educational resources available to the public through our INSafe Division. Finally, our Quality, Metrics & Statistics Division counts, measures, and tracks trends internally and externally. Our goal is to help make Indiana a great place to work and to do business. Let us know how we can help you!
   
   Salary:
   
   The salary for this position may be commensurate with education and/or experience.
   
   Next Level benefits at the State of Indiana are here! Be sure to review our expanded benefit package offerings below.
   
   About the Job:
   
   As the Deputy Director/Commissioner, you will be responsible for a variety of executive duties within a state agency or facility involving a high degree of discretion in the interpretation, application, and execution of all agency policies and programs. You may supervise Department Directors or Division Directors.
   
   A Day in the Life:
   
   The essential functions of this role are as follows:
   
   * Review and evaluate organizational effectiveness, goal determination, and strategic planning, etc., makes recommendations for improvement.
   * Develop and coordinate plans and policies, resources, and mission as well as goals, vision, and expectations of the agency or program.
   * Guide agencies and the public regarding applicable laws and rules.
   * Supervise subordinate personnel including hiring, determining workload, and delegating assignments, training, monitoring, and evaluating performance, and initiating corrective or disciplinary action.
   * Monitor agency or program budget including revenues, expenditures, and budget projections.
   * Communicate with news and other media. responds to media questions or requests in an appropriate public relations manner.
   * Coordinate with other government officials on planning issues (i.e. federal and/or state agency directors, etc.).
   * Coordinate, review, and evaluate the use of appropriate controls and standards for the agency.
   * Recruit, select, onboard, and train employees to ensure role responsibilities and expectations are clearly understood while providing opportunities to continue professional development.
   * Set expectations, measure progress, provide ongoing feedback, and evaluate the performance of employees. Ensure work adheres to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures.
   
   The job profile is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
   
   What We're Looking For:
   
   IC 22-10-1.5-6 Director of Bureau; qualifications; term of office; salary
   
   Sec. 6. (a) With the Governor's approval, the Commissioner of Labor shall
   
   appoint a director of the Bureau of mines and mine safety created under IC 22-
   
   1-1-4(1) who must have the following qualifications:
   
   (1) Be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Indiana.
   
   (2) Have at least four (4) years of experience in underground coal mines.
   
   (3) Hold an Indiana mine foreman certificate.
   
   (4) Posse a practical knowledge of:
   
   (A) the different systems of working and ventilating coal mines;
   
   (B) the nature, chemistry, detection, and control of noxious, poisonous,
   
   and explosive gases;
   
   (C) the dangers incident to blasting and the prevention of these
   
   dangers;
   
   (D) the application of electricity in mining operations;
   
   (E) the methods for preventing mine fires and gas or dust explosions;
   
   (F) the methods for controlling and extinguishing mine fires;
   
   (G) the methods of rescue and recovery work following mine disasters;
   
   (H) the mining laws of this state.
   
   (b) The director may not be an owner or part owner of a coal mine or coal
   
   mining company while serving as director.
   
   (c) The director shall serve for a four (4) year term. However, the director
   
   serves at the pleasure of the Governor.
   
   (d) The director is entitled to receive an annual salary to be fixed by the
   
   Commissioner of Labor with the approval of the Governor.
   
   As added by P.L.37-1985, SEC.46. Amended by P.L.144-1988, SEC.1; P.L.215-
   
   1989, SEC.4; P.L.35-2007, SEC.8.
   
   What You'll Need for Success:
   
   You must meet the following requirements to be considered for employment:
   
   * Thorough knowledge of the agency and/or organizational program(s) and business practices.
   * Thorough knowledge of State programs and resources, public policy, and program evaluation.
   * Ability to develop and/or measure program outcomes.
   * Ability to create and maintain strong working relationships with key public and private government and business leaders.
   * Ability to identify problems, determine accuracy and relevance of information, and use sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations.
   * Ability to work with internal and external customers to assess needs, assist, resolve problems, and satisfy expectations.
   * Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships, establish credibility, and influence leaders at all levels.
   * Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions. perceives the impact and implications of decisions.
   * Ability to identify problems. determine accuracy and relevance of information. use sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations.
   * Ability to delegate work, set clear direction, and manage workflow.
   * Ability to effectively give feedback, provide guidance or corrective action, coach, and develop employee skillsets.
   
   Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports:
   
   This role provides direct supervision for one or more staff members.
   
   Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana:
   
   The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees which includes:
   
   * Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) as well as vision and dental plans
   * Wellness program (offers a premium discount for the medical plan and gift cards)
   * Health savings account, which includes bi-weekly state contribution
   * Flexible work scheduling options, including the potential for hybrid remote work for employees whose work may be performed outside state facilities
   * Deferred compensation 457B account (similar to 401k plan) with employer match
   * Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options
   * A robust, comprehensive program of leave policies covering a variety of employee needs, including but not limited to:
   * 150 hours of paid new parent leave
   * Up to 15 hours of paid community service leave
   
   * Combined 180 hours of paid vacation, personal, and sick leave time off
   * 12 paid holidays, 14 on election years
   * Education Reimbursement Program
   * Group life insurance
   * Referral Bonus program
   * Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits
   * Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
   * Free Parking for most positions
   * Free LinkedIn Learning access
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity:
   
   The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
   
   Current Employee? Click here to apply.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right deputy commissioner for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your deputy commissioner job on Zippia to find and recruit deputy commissioner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit deputy commissioners, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 deputy commissioner

   Once you've decided on a perfect deputy commissioner 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new deputy commissioner. 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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