How to hire a digital media director

How to hire a digital media director, step by step

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

What does a digital media director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   The following list breaks down different types of digital media directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Digital Media Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Digital Media Director	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$31-71
   Marketing Strategist	The marketing strategist is an executive who works with the members of the marketing team to ensure the implementation of high-quality marketing strategies within a given time frame. Marketing strategists examine data to find out the best way to administer resources to increase revenue and profits... Show more	$25-57
   Content Manager	A Content Manager is focused on creating, improving, and maintaining content to achieve the business goals. They lead a team of copywriters and content executives.	$24-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • Facebook
   • Instagram
   • Media Planning
   • Video Production
   • Google Analytics
   • Twitter
   • B Testing
   • CRM
   • Digital Strategy
   • Client Facing
   • Digital Content
   • Social Media Marketing
   • Marketing Campaigns

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage company website including photography of all images, update images and information as necessary.
   • Implement KPIs for communication of digital progress.
   • Work with outside agencies to implement double fan-gate sweepstakes with team and sponsors on Facebook.
   • Align all KPIs to track the right metrics to ensure timely plan adjustments and success.
   • Develop ROI models for content investment, white label gaming, digital download and subscription services, etc.
   • Prepare ROI documents and marketing collateral.

   More digital media director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your digital media director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A digital media director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, digital media directors' average salary in hawaii is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level digital media directors earn 55% less than senior-level digital media directors.
   • Certifications. A digital media director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a digital media director's salary.

   Average digital media director salary

   $99,208yearly

   $47.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level digital media director salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average digital media director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$129,519	$62
   2	New York	$113,122	$54
   3	District of Columbia	$110,840	$53
   4	Pennsylvania	$104,900	$50
   5	Washington	$103,401	$50
   6	Maryland	$102,225	$49
   7	Nevada	$97,916	$47
   8	Delaware	$95,251	$46
   9	North Carolina	$91,680	$44
   10	Michigan	$89,555	$43
   11	Illinois	$85,684	$41
   12	Massachusetts	$81,847	$39
   13	Texas	$80,758	$39
   14	New Hampshire	$80,047	$38
   15	Minnesota	$79,919	$38
   16	Utah	$79,187	$38
   17	Colorado	$77,426	$37
   18	Arkansas	$76,805	$37
   19	Georgia	$76,073	$37
   20	Mississippi	$74,519	$36

   Average digital media director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Archdiocese of Chicago	$131,988	$63.46
   2	PerkinElmer	$131,701	$63.32	22
   3	Cox Media Group	$126,121	$60.64	20
   4	Edible Arrangements	$116,424	$55.97
   5	Mastercard	$113,669	$54.65	6
   6	Merkle	$112,833	$54.25
   7	Stein IAS	$112,138	$53.91
   8	Horizon Media	$110,204	$52.98	19
   9	Farm Stores Franchising	$109,387	$52.59
   10	Nobel Biocare	$109,104	$52.45
   11	Peloton Interactive, Inc.	$108,966	$52.39
   12	Social Driver	$98,768	$47.48
   13	Conn's	$96,805	$46.54
   14	DraftKings at Casino Queen	$84,803	$40.77
   15	Playbill	$83,921	$40.35
   16	East Stroudsburg University	$73,989	$35.57
   17	San Jose State University	$68,498	$32.93	1
   18	University of North Carolina School of the Arts	$66,501	$31.97
   19	Kansas State University	$64,507	$31.01	2
   20	Mississippi State University	$58,937	$28.34

4. Writing a digital media director job description

   A good digital media director 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 digital media director job description:

   Digital media director job description example

   Town Hall-a high-growth agency providing digital marketing services to nonprofit and higher education clients-seeks Director, Digital Media & Insights to lead digital media planning and build data-driven insights for higher education and non-profit organizations. This role will report to the Managing Director and will oversee and actively deliver deep, expert analysis of campaign progress and communicate strategic recommendations directly to clients. The selected candidate will demonstrate:
   Analytical skills as they develop strategic media recommendations informed by data
   
   Attention to detail as they build, optimize, and expand our current media planning process and collaborate with internal and external media partners
   
   Ability to develop people as they build, nurture, and grow a team of planners
   
   Strong communication as they communicate sophisticated media concepts and tactics to a variety of stakeholders with varying degrees of media experience and understanding
   
   What You'll Do
   
   You'll build and manage a team of digital media strategists/planners and will actively participate in marketing strategy, media planning, and data-driven insight creation for our clients. You'll build deep bonds with our clients as well as with your cross-discipline internal team.
   
   Our office is located in midtown Manhattan and we are currently working in-office three days per week.
   
   Sample Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
   
   Oversee media planning and analytics services within Town Hall
   
   Manage and mentor a team of media strategists/planners
   
   Lead the development of high-level media strategies that meet client objectives
   
   Manage and collaborate with internal and external media partners and vendors
   
   Build deep bonds with clients by understanding their business and marketing objectives and delivering impactful, cross-platform campaigns
   
   Requirements
   
   7+ years of experience working as a digital media planner/director in an advertising/marketing agency
   
   Excellent presentation skills
   
   Experience managing, building, and growing a team
   
   Working knowledge of the following platforms: The full suite of products in the Google Ads interface including Search, Video, and Display
   
   Google Analytics
   
   Paid social platforms (Meta, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat)
   
   BI tools (DOMO experience a plus)
   
   Experience with higher education or nonprofit organizations is a major plus
   
   Benefits
   
   We offer a competitive base salary and a range of benefits and perks:
   
   Health care plan (medical, dental and vision)
   
   Retirement plan with employer match
   
   Life and disability insurance
   
   Generous paid time off package that includes vacation, sick, “life happens” days, birthdays, summer Fridays and public holidays
   
   Paid family leave
   
   Cold brew coffee, snacks and fresh fruit
   
   Wellness resources
   
   Special access to New York City's arts and entertainment scene
   
   We have been honored for our commitment to our team with workplace awards from Crain's, Best Companies Group, Cynopsis, Digiday, and Fortune.
   
   Our Company
   
   We are Town Hall, a mission-driven agency that harnesses the power of digital to do good. We partner with nonprofit and higher education organizations like Meals on Wheels America, No Kid Hungry, Girls Scouts of America, ADL, Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia.
   
   Town Hall is part of Situation Group, a digital-first collective of award-winning advertising agencies.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find digital media directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any digital media directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level digital media directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your digital media director job on Zippia to find and attract quality digital media director candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit digital media 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 digital media director

   Once you've selected the best digital media director 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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