How to hire a director of client relations

How to hire a director of client relations, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of client relations hiring guide:

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

What does a director of client relations do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your director of client relations 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 director of client relations 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a director of client relations to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a director of client relations that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of directors of client relations.

   Type of Director Of Client Relations	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Client Relations	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$39-78
   Catering Manager	Catering managers are responsible for managing the daily catering operations and services in hotels, restaurants, and resorts. They monitor the quality of food and service provided by their outlets as well as make sure they are presented well... Show more	$17-34
   Client Services Director	A client services director is responsible for maintaining healthy business relationships with clients, ensuring that operational teams provide the highest quality services for the clients, following their deliverables and business requirements. Client services directors oversee project management procedures, identifying inconsistencies, and revising business plans to improve outputs and achieve client satisfaction... Show more	$40-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Client Issues
   • Healthcare
   • Account Management
   • Business Development
   • Client Relations
   • Digital Marketing
   • Client Facing
   • Client Satisfaction
   • Market Research
   • PowerPoint
   • HR
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Client Expectations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn to network and gain more exposure to the firm.
   • Develop RFP responses, participate in sales presentations, and manage major existing accounts such as Wal-Mart and Exxon-Mobil.
   • Manage projects for extensive keyword research and develop a comprehensive SEO strategy.
   • Join sales team to help with SaaS transformation.
   • Design and implement sales and marketing strategies that introduce the organization into the national group Medicare market.
   • Develop KPI standards for collectors and sales team base upon clients needs to promote efficiency and collection results.

   More director of client relations duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the director of client relations job description is a good way to get more applicants. A director of client relations 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 director of client relations in Illinois may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level director of client relations. Additionally, a director of client relations with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average director of client relations salary

   $116,480yearly

   $56.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of client relations salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average director of client relations salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$146,121	$70
   2	Washington	$139,054	$67
   3	Arizona	$136,331	$66
   4	New Jersey	$131,504	$63
   5	District of Columbia	$131,282	$63
   6	New York	$127,252	$61
   7	Virginia	$119,303	$57
   8	Texas	$118,448	$57
   9	Ohio	$113,791	$55
   10	Colorado	$108,830	$52
   11	Florida	$108,752	$52
   12	Oregon	$107,614	$52
   13	Georgia	$107,516	$52
   14	Pennsylvania	$102,858	$49
   15	Massachusetts	$100,613	$48
   16	Oklahoma	$100,429	$48
   17	Indiana	$99,216	$48
   18	Montana	$98,675	$47
   19	Minnesota	$98,614	$47
   20	North Carolina	$96,244	$46

   Average director of client relations salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cambridge Associates	$154,035	$74.06	4
   2	McKinsey & Company Inc	$153,096	$73.60	5
   3	First Republic Bank	$150,836	$72.52
   4	ServiceNow	$144,811	$69.62	19
   5	BNY Mellon	$136,644	$65.69	122
   6	Standard Chartered	$136,346	$65.55	32
   7	Blackstone Group	$133,698	$64.28
   8	ViacomCBS	$132,805	$63.85
   9	Black & Veatch	$128,542	$61.80	185
   10	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$127,689	$61.39	38
   11	Bracket	$126,574	$60.85
   12	Xavient Information Systems	$124,640	$59.92
   13	Pwc	$124,450	$59.83	411
   14	NTT Europe Ltd	$124,240	$59.73	95
   15	Chewy	$124,222	$59.72
   16	Arista Networks	$124,001	$59.62	6
   17	VIVA USA	$122,356	$58.83
   18	Gartner	$121,451	$58.39	37
   19	Richemont North America, Inc.	$119,821	$57.61	10
   20	Mastercard	$119,333	$57.37	54

4. Writing a director of client relations job description

   A job description for a director of client relations 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 director of client relations job description:

   Director of client relations job description example

   FICO (NYSE: FICO) is a leading global analytics software company, helping businesses in 90+ countries make better decisions. Join our world-class team today and fulfill your career potential!
   
   Partnering with the Vice President of Government Relations and other key stakeholders across the company you will lead the development and execution of FICO's U.S. government relations and advocacy strategy. You will conduct policy analysis and development while serving as a company representative to Congress, select federal agencies as well as a diverse range of third-party stakeholders in the Washington, D.C. policy community. The role will include monitoring state legislative and regulatory developments as well as engaging in occasional state advocacy work. You will also be responsible for the day-to-day management and growth of the FICO PAC. This position has high internal and external visibility and will be based in the Washington D.C. area with a remote/home office location.
   Job Description
   What You'll Contribute
   Build beneficial relationships and engage in advocacy outreach with members of Congress; Congressional staffs; executive and federal agency officials; and, when applicable, state government representatives.Manage the day-to-day operations of the Fair Isaac Corporation Political Action Committee (FICO PAC), including enrollment and disbursement activities, compliance, development of stakeholder engagement programming/communications, and campaign event participation.Serve as company representative and enhance strong partnerships with key third party stakeholders including trade associations, think tanks, nonprofits, and industry groups.Monitor and analyze impacts of proposed legislation and regulation on FICO and its customers. Develop talking points, summaries, testimony, and official comments, when applicable.Coordinate appropriate responses to inquiries from government officials.Collaborate, support, and elevate internal business initiatives that are relevant to and/or include the participation of Washington stakeholders.Manage outside consultants including the development of advocacy strategies, the setting and execution of consultant deliverables as well as weekly meetings.Identify opportunities and provide support for the participation of senior executives and company subject mater experts in Washington stakeholder meetings and/or events.Work with the Vice President of Government Relations in developing and maintaining timely and effective policy updates, communications, and relationships with internal business partners.Assist the Vice President with preparation of annual federal government affairs strategy and budget.
   
   What We're Seeking
   5-8 years of relevant federal advocacy work as part of a corporate (preferred) or trade association government relations team.Master's Degree or Juris Doctor preferred.Demonstrated knowledge of policy issues impacting the financial services industry including: credit reporting and credit scoring, financial inclusion (including use of alternative data to expand credit access), fair lending, student lending, matters related to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, and privacy.Meet requirements to register as a lobbyist at the federal level.Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to deliver effective presentations.A team player who thrives in a high-energy, multi-tasking and collaborative environment. Must have excellent relationship-building skills, be diligent and proactive in problem solving, show excellent judgment, exhibit a high-level of integrity of trust and trust, employ effective strategic and tactical thinking, interact optimally with all levels of the organization from senior executives to staff level, and have the ability to work both collaboratively and independently in a small team environment.Experience with political action committee work at the corporate or trade association level is strongly preferred.Some state legislative policy work (a plus).
   
   Why Make a Move to FICO?
   
   At FICO, you can develop your career with a leading organization in one of the fastest-growing fields in technology today - Big Data analytics. You'll play a part in our commitment to help businesses use data to improve every choice they make, using advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive and prescriptive modeling, and much more.
   FICO makes a real difference in the way businesses operate worldwide:
   Credit Scoring - 150+ billion FICO Scores have been sold to date, making it the most used credit score in the world.Fraud Detection and Security - 2.6+ billion payment cards globally are protected by FICO fraud systems.Lending - 3/4 of US mortgages are approved using the FICO Score.Anti-Money Laundering - our solutions check more than half a billion transactions a day to prevent criminal schemes such as terrorist financing
   
   Global trends toward digital transformation have created tremendous demand for FICO's solutions, placing us among the world's top 100 software companies by revenue. We support many of the world's largest banks, insurers, retailers, telecommunications providers and other firms reach a new level of success.
   
   Our success is dependent on really talented people - just like you - who thrive on the collaboration and innovation that's nurtured by a diverse and inclusive environment. We'll provide the support you need, while ensuring you have the freedom to develop your skills and grow your career. Join FICO and help change the way business thinks!
   
   Learn more about how you can fulfill your potential at www.fico.com/Careers
   
   FICO values the benefit that diversity and a culture of inclusion bring to our workplace. We are an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and we're proud to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

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5. Post your job

   To find directors of client relations 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 directors of client relations they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level directors of client relations 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 director of client relations job on Zippia to find and attract quality director of client relations candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors of client relations, 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 director of client relations

   Once you've selected the best director of client relations 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of client relations. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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