How to hire a deputy director

How to hire a deputy director, step by step

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

What does a deputy director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your deputy director job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a deputy director for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, deputy 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 deputy directors.

   Type of Deputy Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Deputy Director	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.	$27-83
   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
   • Policy Development
   • Customer Service
   • Human Resources
   • Project Management
   • Public Health
   • Financial Management
   • Direct Supervision
   • Professional Development
   • Personnel Management
   • Technical Assistance
   • Logistics
   • Strategic Plan
   • Program Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage ISO and OFCCP compliance.
   • Manage the cleaning and horticulture operation for NYC's highways.
   • Manage alarm reports and notification to QA from cGMP equipment and critical systems.
   • Establish and lead engineering-wide functions such as technical publications, source code management and release processes, and QA.
   • Manage all CIO time and team resource allocation decisions to ensure the CIO addressed the highest priorities across the company.
   • Manage payroll department operations and staff while assessing procedures and processes as necessary.

   More deputy director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your deputy director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A deputy director 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 deputy director in Arkansas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level deputy director usually earns less than a senior-level deputy director. Additionally, a deputy director 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 deputy director salary

   $100,190yearly

   $48.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level deputy director salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average deputy director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$137,113	$66
   2	District of Columbia	$130,484	$63
   3	California	$130,349	$63
   4	New York	$125,084	$60
   5	Pennsylvania	$117,095	$56
   6	Virginia	$112,742	$54
   7	Massachusetts	$106,880	$51
   8	Maryland	$97,906	$47
   9	Michigan	$95,340	$46
   10	Illinois	$94,414	$45
   11	Minnesota	$89,361	$43
   12	Oregon	$89,314	$43
   13	Texas	$88,329	$42
   14	Ohio	$86,324	$42
   15	North Carolina	$83,855	$40
   16	Wisconsin	$80,792	$39
   17	Colorado	$78,877	$38
   18	Arizona	$77,724	$37
   19	Nebraska	$76,875	$37
   20	Florida	$76,850	$37

   Average deputy director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	$212,725	$102.27	3
   2	Public Health Institute	$208,500	$100.24
   3	IIF	$180,348	$86.71
   4	Abt Associates	$174,592	$83.94
   5	Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors	$171,988	$82.69
   6	Echoing Green	$162,579	$78.16
   7	Sanofi US	$161,284	$77.54	50
   8	Stanford University	$159,176	$76.53	34
   9	Dexis Consulting Group	$159,159	$76.52
   10	The Aspen Institute	$158,692	$76.29
   11	Bayer	$154,224	$74.15	55
   12	National Medical Association	$153,575	$73.83
   13	Public Company Accounting Oversight Board	$151,589	$72.88
   14	Hagerty	$151,523	$72.85
   15	AIG	$150,880	$72.54	4
   16	Commonwealth	$150,120	$72.17	6
   17	Population Services International	$146,075	$70.23
   18	MediaTek	$143,374	$68.93
   19	Boston Planning & Development Agency	$140,071	$67.34
   20	CRISTA Ministries	$139,502	$67.07

4. Writing a deputy director job description

   A deputy director 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. Below, you can find an example of a deputy director job description:

   Deputy director job description example

   Deputy Director of Equity, Office of Justice Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (0922 Manager I)
   Under the direction of the Director of the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), the Deputy Director will serve as support in overseeing strategic planning, organization, implementation, and evaluation of equity, behavioral health, and workforce initiatives across BHS; and integrating racial equity framework and policy all throughout BHS. The Deputy Director will manage the Community Support Section of JEDI and provide additional support in managing with Mental Health Services Act budget and programming.
   
   Deputy Director of Equity, Community Health Equity and Promotion (0922 Manager I)
   Under the supervision of the Director of Community Health Equity, the deputy director will ensure equity principles and practices, including racial equity are integrated in all programs and will lead the Community Sexual and Drug User Health unit. The position will support strategic planning communication for equity for the fifty-five staff members. The position will support integration, implementation, and quality improvement of equity in all areas of the branch, including chronic disease prevention, tobacco use prevention, policy, systems, and environmental strategies, and HIV, HCV, STI, and overdose prevention. The deputy provides direct oversight to the Community Sexual and Drug User Health unit which works in collaboration with community to develop, implement, and evaluate programs to address health disparities specifically related to HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), STI, and overdose prevention.
   
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
   The Deputy Director of Equity (0922 Manager I) performs the following essential job functions:
   
   Lead the development of equity activities and performance measures for assigned units and community programs; manage the departmental racial equity and workforce strategy.
   
   Develop standards and a strategic plan for including equity in all programs managed or supported by assigned units.
   
   Gather input from internal and external stakeholders to develop, communicate, and support implementation of equity priorities for the unit and in the community; provide summary reports of data, accomplishments and recommendations for improvement.
   
   Supervise, support, and mentor Civil Service employees, contractors, peer specialists, and volunteers; train, counsel, motivate, and evaluate direct reports, manage program-specific units as assigned; integrate and coordinate with related programs throughout DPH.
   
   Oversee all aspects of program operations including program evaluation, budgeting, planning, and implementation, Requests for Proposal (RFPs), and contracts to support equity programs and other assigned initiatives or units; monitor program performance objectives and contractual commitments.
   
   Develop and engage partnerships within the division and DPH and facilitate, coordinate, and engage various stakeholders in community planning meetings.
   
   The Deputy Director of Equity (0922 Manager I) will perform other duties as requested or assigned.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right deputy director 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 director job on Zippia to find and recruit deputy director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit deputy directors, 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.

   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 deputy director

   Once you've found the deputy director 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.

   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.

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