How to hire a director of digital strategy

How to hire a director of digital strategy, step by step

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

What does a director of digital strategy do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of digital strategy hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 digital strategy's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of digital strategy 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.

   Here's a comparison of director of digital strategy salaries for various roles:

   Type of Director Of Digital Strategy	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Digital Strategy	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.	$41-83
   Marketing Vice President	Marketing vice presidents (VPs) are responsible for a company's overall marketing efforts and strategies. They plan and develop marketing strategies to bolster their company's market positioning and attain business goals... Show more	$58-124
   Consultant/Marketing Director	A consultant/marketing director is responsible for conducting data and statistical analysis of the current market trends to identify opportunities that would strengthen the company's brand image on the market. Consultant/marketing directors evaluate the company's marketing techniques and determine methods to improve promotional campaigns and media presence... Show more	$37-76

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • Digital Transformation
   • Digital Strategy
   • Project Management
   • KPIs
   • CRM
   • Content Strategy
   • Digital Channels
   • User Experience
   • Market Research
   • Email Marketing
   • Emerging Technologies
   • ROI
   • Integrated Marketing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead re-platform of ecommerce properties to Magento and redesign efforts including mobile optimization through a responsive site.
   • Implement Salesforce CRM, which allow a global customer view for the first time in company history.
   • Apply SEO techniques that improve both organic and paid search results.
   • Direct DBA, CRM, targeting, segmentation, marketing, and analytics.
   • Provide analytic and strategic support including SEO and campaign optimization for several clients.
   • Complete due diligence on mergers and acquisitions expanding healthcare services throughout Oklahoma including service expansion into behavioral health and occupational health.

   More director of digital strategy duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of digital strategy' average salary in montana is 38% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of digital strategy earn 50% less than senior-level directors of digital strategy.
   • Certifications. A director of digital strategy 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 director of digital strategy's salary.

   Average director of digital strategy salary

   $122,877yearly

   $59.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of digital strategy salary

   $86,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average director of digital strategy salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$138,889	$67
   2	New York	$137,096	$66
   3	New Jersey	$136,072	$65
   4	Michigan	$135,026	$65
   5	North Carolina	$125,035	$60
   6	Illinois	$118,490	$57
   7	Arizona	$118,037	$57
   8	Utah	$116,999	$56
   9	Washington	$116,576	$56
   10	Massachusetts	$116,010	$56
   11	District of Columbia	$114,489	$55
   12	Texas	$113,290	$54
   13	Wisconsin	$112,738	$54
   14	Florida	$112,438	$54
   15	Missouri	$111,656	$54
   16	Indiana	$108,321	$52
   17	Oregon	$107,959	$52
   18	Pennsylvania	$105,556	$51
   19	Minnesota	$104,630	$50
   20	South Carolina	$104,524	$50

   Average director of digital strategy salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ernst & Young	$162,665	$78.20	128
   2	World Council of Credit Unions	$161,757	$77.77
   3	Nike	$155,675	$74.84	24
   4	TBWA Worldwide	$152,677	$73.40
   5	The Art Institute of Chicago	$150,222	$72.22
   6	Exact Sciences	$149,502	$71.88	2
   7	Adobe	$145,835	$70.11	38
   8	RingCentral	$145,818	$70.10	1
   9	VanEck	$144,982	$69.70
   10	Epsilon	$144,908	$69.67
   11	Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.	$144,333	$69.39
   12	Hitachi Vantara	$143,508	$68.99
   13	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$142,614	$68.56	51
   14	VitalChek	$141,939	$68.24	8
   15	Amgen	$140,794	$67.69	13
   16	Discovery	$139,548	$67.09
   17	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$138,595	$66.63	82
   18	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$138,545	$66.61	18
   19	Nathan Associates Inc.	$137,392	$66.05
   20	Genesys	$136,669	$65.71	2

4. Writing a director of digital strategy job description

   A director of digital strategy 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 digital strategy job description:

   Director of digital strategy job description example

   • Minimum of 3 years of experience working with content across digital channels required. Background in communications, content/digital strategy.
   • Self starter/entrepreneurial attitude.
   • Nice to have experience with tagging/taxonomy.
   • Experience with Adobe Experience Manager.
     
     

   Responsibilities:

   This role will work closely with product managers, technologists, user experience designers, and a variety of internal stakeholders to deliver a differentiated digital experience that evolves company digital content and personalization strategies across audience-centric touchpoints.

   
   *Proven experience mapping content and organizational goals to audience intent across the client/audience lifecycle.
   * Expertise in content development and analytics, combined with an obsession with storytelling and user experience, are critical as they drive enterprise content strategy across company on and

   off platform digital channel

   touchpoints (paid, earned, and owned.
   * Knowledge of the products, systems, and technologies used to ideate, create, publish, deliver, and measure content
   * A successful candidate will be a consensus-builder working across functional teams and geographies to solve content problems from all angles: strategically, creatively, technically and philosophically.

   
   
   Experience:
   
   * Help drive the company towards a differentiated digital client experience, connecting enterprise content goals with a personalized, hyper-relevant ecosystem of digital channels
   * Advance our logged-in experience, increasing the value proposition for both the end user and enterprise
   * Create content hierarchies, site maps and navigational models that are aligned with the defines and/or expected user experience and business requirements
   * Guide designers and technologists in delivering a digital experience indicative of an iconic brand
   
   Strategy:
   
   * Contribute and maintain content requirements, guidelines voice & tone, and site information architecture
   * Lead efforts to optimize the ideation, production, distribution, and analysis of enterprise content
   * Work with product teams to identify business requirements for an enterprise content technology platform
   * Ensure global content strategy is aligned with brand standards and organizational goals
   * Drive consensus and local alignment across the company network
   * Inform how privacy regulations impact digital experience, pivoting content strategy to drive desired user behaviors while protecting the organization from risk

   Qualifications:

   
   * Minimum of 3 years working with content across digital channels
   * Understanding of user experience principles and product experience, with a high level of comfort working side-by-side with experience designers, from UX to UI, to service design
   * Passion for content and storytelling, helping to make the intangible tangible
   * Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and influence a myriad of cross-functional teams
   * Understanding of content taxonomies and user personas
   * Strong persuasive written and verbal communication skills - able to expertly position and tell compelling stories around our offerings and influence both internal and external audiences
   * Experience in B2B marketing, professional services industry is a plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find directors of digital strategy 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 digital strategy they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level directors of digital strategy 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 digital strategy job on Zippia to find and recruit director of digital strategy candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit directors of digital strategy, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 digital strategy

   Once you've selected the best director of digital strategy 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 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 digital strategy. 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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