How to hire a director of clinical operations

How to hire a director of clinical operations, step by step

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

What does a director of clinical operations do?

Post a director of clinical operations job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your director of clinical operations 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 clinical operations 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 director of clinical operations's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of clinical operations 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 director of clinical operations salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Clinical Operations	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Clinical Operations	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$40-95
   Processing Manager	A processing manager or business process manager is an executive who assesses and improves business processes. Processing managers collaboratively work across different departments of the enterprise... Show more	$29-64
   Laboratory Director	A Laboratory Director is responsible for the overall operation and administration of the laboratory. They examine data, create reports, manage the staff, and ensure that the lab facility operates in accordance with the regulatory provisions of the government and the organization.	$26-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Clinical Operations
   • Patients
   • Healthcare
   • Patient Care
   • GCP
   • Project Management
   • Clinical Trials
   • ICH
   • Clinical Research
   • Home Health
   • Oncology
   • FDA
   • CRO
   • Customer Service

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create, QA, and manage universal test codes to all commercial, regional and hospital laboratory dictionaries.
   • Manage all clinical aspects of billing and collections, including appeals of denials by Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies.
   • Achieve employee performance and satisfaction providing supervision supporting excellence in documentation, a collaborative approach with providers and compassion for members.
   • Work with the development teams and CRO partners to drive and accelerate the execution of clinical studies for assign assets.
   • Conduct in depth account analysis on ROI, efficiency, and profitability.
   • Ensure all centers are Medicare compliant and follow Medicare rules for IDTF's centers.

   More director of clinical operations duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average director of clinical operations salary

   $130,421yearly

   $62.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of clinical operations salary

   $85,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average director of clinical operations salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$176,292	$85
   2	New Jersey	$139,636	$67
   3	Massachusetts	$138,847	$67
   4	Arizona	$138,287	$66
   5	Connecticut	$135,076	$65
   6	Oregon	$133,936	$64
   7	New York	$129,882	$62
   8	District of Columbia	$124,999	$60
   9	Hawaii	$118,189	$57
   10	Illinois	$115,069	$55
   11	Maryland	$114,081	$55
   12	Utah	$113,381	$55
   13	Georgia	$111,497	$54
   14	Missouri	$106,979	$51
   15	Pennsylvania	$104,717	$50
   16	Ohio	$104,137	$50
   17	North Carolina	$101,408	$49
   18	Texas	$96,474	$46
   19	Louisiana	$96,123	$46
   20	South Carolina	$95,371	$46

   Average director of clinical operations salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	North Kansas City Hospital	$188,086	$90.43	7
   2	Community Health Systems	$186,734	$89.78	207
   3	HealthRIGHT 360	$186,034	$89.44	44
   4	Sharecare	$180,187	$86.63
   5	Rio Grande Hospital	$165,626	$79.63
   6	TMS Health	$165,058	$79.35
   7	Veeva Systems	$164,637	$79.15	15
   8	Precigen	$164,378	$79.03	2
   9	The Evergreens	$164,031	$78.86	3
   10	Sanofi US	$161,500	$77.64	65
   11	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$160,690	$77.25	70
   12	Daiichi Sankyo	$159,413	$76.64	5
   13	St Joseph Medical Group	$159,051	$76.47	80
   14	Hawaii Pacific Health	$158,831	$76.36	46
   15	Community Medical Center	$158,620	$76.26	2
   16	Corcept Therapeutics	$158,610	$76.25	18
   17	Scripps Health	$158,286	$76.10	18
   18	MemorialCare	$158,186	$76.05	17
   19	Biogen	$158,097	$76.01	13
   20	Allergan plc	$157,398	$75.67	7

4. Writing a director of clinical operations job description

   A director of clinical operations 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 director of clinical operations job description:

   Director of clinical operations job description example

   Idaho Home and Hospice is Hiring for a Full Time Director of Clinical Operations,
   Registered Nurse (RN) in Twin Falls, ID
   Excellent Pay +Benefits 1:1 Patient Care Tuition Reimbursement 401(K) Career Advancement Opportunities Great Culture - join our family!
   At Idaho Home and Hospice , you will have a career, not just a job. Our mission driven culture is evident by our current employees and the impact made on patients and families. Idaho Home and Hospice , a part of LHC Group, is the preferred post-acute care partner for hospitals, physicians and families nationwide. From home health and hospice care to long-term acute care and community-based services, we deliver high-quality, cost-effective care that empowers patients to manage their health at home.
   
   Essential Functions
   
   The Director of Clinical Operations (RN, Registered Nurse) assists the Executive Director in all functions of clinical oversight of the Hospice provider. This includes oversight of the eligibility of patients referred to hospice services and services provided to patients and supervising their care; maintaining administrative practices, agency philosophy, goals, and policies which assure compliance with applicable state and federal regulations; enhancing the profitability of the agency while maintaining quality of care; and providing motivation and retention of qualified staff.
   Responsible for continual compliance with all federal and state regulations, laws, and policies and procedures applicable to hospice services. Maintains personal knowledge of up-to-date federal, state, and Joint Commission regulations. Provides guidance and direction to Patient Care Managers and other clinical staff regarding all aspects of hospice care services. Provides education and oversight for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient and family/caregiver services for clinical staff. Responsible for directing day to day operations of the provider. Supervises all patient care activities to ensure the delivery of safe, economical, and efficient patient care, which adheres to relevant standards of accepted nursing and medical practice, to include federal and state regulations, and Joint Commission standards, as well as to ensure compliance with payer source criteria. Assists in policy review and revisions as requested to establish and support the highest possible quality of patient care, cost controls, quality assurance, and staff performance. Ensures that established policies are enforced. Provides and/or ensures patient care according to the plan of care as ordered by the physician. Provides oversight in the interdisciplinary care processes to ensure effectiveness.
   Education & Experience
   
   Registered nurse in state of practice with at least 2 years supervisory or administrative experience in a hospice or a related field. Hospice and Palliative Care certification preferred. Current CPR certification required. Current Driver's License and vehicle insurance, and access to a dependable vehicle, or public transportation.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer - vets, disability.
   
   Must be fully vaccinated or be willing to complete full vaccination by date of hire and proof of vaccination will be required. If permitted by state law, the company will consider requests for religious or medical exemptions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right director of clinical operations for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with directors of clinical operations they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of clinical operations who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of clinical operations job on Zippia to find and recruit director of clinical operations candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of clinical operations requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 director of clinical operations

   Once you've decided on a perfect director of clinical operations 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new director of clinical operations. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a director of clinical operations?