How to hire a director of ecommerce

How to hire a director of ecommerce, step by step

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

What does a director of ecommerce do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Type of Director Of Ecommerce	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Ecommerce	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.	$45-112
   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
   Online Marketing Manager	Online marketing managers are professionals in charge of creating marketing campaigns for social media and internet platforms. Marketing managers take responsibility for the development, implementation, and management of marketing campaigns for a company... Show more	$33-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • E-Commerce
   • Google Analytics
   • Website Design
   • Strong Analytical
   • B2C
   • Ecommerce Business
   • Project Management
   • Email Marketing
   • User Experience
   • B Testing
   • ROI
   • CRM
   • Customer Acquisition

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage internet advertising with PPC and banner advertising with the internet search engines.
   • Configure and manage technical infrastructure using Plesk, SQL and coordinate with development firms.
   • Manage new responsive website development project power by WordPress and integration with external systems.
   • Lead re-platform of ecommerce properties to Magento and redesign efforts including mobile optimization through a responsive site.
   • Provide strategic oversight and a strong business approach to managing existing systems and developing enhance models for future events.
   • Implement multiple online contests to drive customer acquisition meeting or exceeding the number of new to file require for ROI.

   More director of ecommerce duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of ecommerce' average salary in hawaii is 40% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of ecommerce earn 59% less than senior-level directors of ecommerce.
   • Certifications. A director of ecommerce 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 ecommerce's salary.

   Average director of ecommerce salary

   $149,552yearly

   $71.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of ecommerce salary

   $95,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average director of ecommerce salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$161,010	$77
   2	Ohio	$154,452	$74
   3	North Carolina	$150,302	$72
   4	Pennsylvania	$145,521	$70
   5	Virginia	$144,583	$70
   6	Texas	$140,443	$68
   7	Connecticut	$135,052	$65
   8	Washington	$132,444	$64
   9	Massachusetts	$132,427	$64
   10	District of Columbia	$131,697	$63
   11	Michigan	$130,816	$63
   12	Maryland	$130,421	$63
   13	New York	$129,472	$62
   14	Arizona	$129,376	$62
   15	Oregon	$126,290	$61
   16	Illinois	$125,981	$61
   17	Colorado	$121,939	$59
   18	Minnesota	$121,530	$58
   19	Florida	$120,879	$58
   20	Missouri	$116,092	$56

   Average director of ecommerce salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JUUL	$221,557	$106.52	1
   2	BJ's Wholesale Club	$211,864	$101.86	1
   3	Universal Music Group	$204,249	$98.20	26
   4	Safeway	$202,010	$97.12
   5	Five Below	$200,291	$96.29	9
   6	99 Cents Only Stores	$198,414	$95.39
   7	Radial	$197,871	$95.13
   8	Vineyard Vines	$191,230	$91.94
   9	Klein Tools	$190,985	$91.82
   10	Williams Sonoma	$190,636	$91.65	4
   11	Under Armour	$187,595	$90.19	2
   12	L'Oréal	$186,216	$89.53
   13	VF	$186,141	$89.49	7
   14	Harley-Davidson	$184,830	$88.86	1
   15	Neato Robotics	$184,765	$88.83
   16	K-Swiss	$183,539	$88.24
   17	Albertsons	$181,696	$87.35
   18	Estée Lauder	$177,272	$85.23	16
   19	NRG Energy	$175,340	$84.30
   20	The Freeman Company LLC	$173,329	$83.33	21

4. Writing a director of ecommerce job description

   A director of ecommerce 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a director of ecommerce job description:

   Director of ecommerce job description example

   Duties ▪ Lead and manage an internal DTC team and third-party agencies, including offshore. ▪ Drive website architecture and optimization for the eCommerce site, prioritizing sales and conversions while embracing the brand vision. ▪ Oversee all site merchandising including navigation, categories, visual merchandising, video content, internal search and product setup and activation. ▪ Capture daily DTC site analytics, overseeing key performance indicators (e.g., traffic, conversion, AOV, CAC, LTV, etc.), interpreting data into trends and strategy, and optimizing P monitor and provide tracking/reports on a regular basis. ▪ Manage site inventory/forecasting while partnering with our 3PL and internal operations team to improve fulfillment capabilities, minimize costs, and manage the intersection between our Shopify site and fulfillment. ▪ Maintain up-to-date site content including pricing, assortment, overall category, and product page design/content, and purchase journey. ▪ Develop new features/enhancements, online promotions, and merchandising improvements (e.g. A/B testing, personalization) to maximize conversions. ▪ Partner with the brand marketing and creative teams to develop targeted content and campaigns that influence consumers on their journey. ▪ Directly responsible for achieving budgeted sales goals and P&L including achieving top-line sales/bottom-line targets, site pricing, assortment, promotions, costs, and penetration/expansion for new sites.
   ▪ Ability to understand industry, marketplace, competition, consumer behavior/demands and demographics
   ▪ Grow E-Mail Opt-in lists, create segmentation and engagement strategy and drive email campaigns.
   ▪ Explore growth initiatives including, but not limited to, establishing a brand/company loyalty program.

   Qualifications
   ▪ 10+ years’ experience in e-commerce and 5-10 years’ experience managing a team and agencies ▪ Experience with E-Commerce platform e.g. Shopify required; experience with a Microsoft ERP preferred ▪ Experience with Google Analytics and SEO tools ▪ Experience in creating robust email marketing campaigns (Klaviyo experience a plus)
   ▪ Experience with Reviews & Ratings platforms
   ▪ Experience with Asan helpful
   ▪ Strong presentation skills and proficiency with Microsoft office suite of products ▪ Management skills including agency management, research, marketing analysis and strategy ▪ Financial understanding and ability to digest and understand P&L and other budget documents
   ▪ Experience in retail, DTC, consumer products or sporting goods industries preferred ▪ Strong leadership, influencing and communication skills with ability to interact, influence and align with all levels of the organization, both internal and external
   ▪ Anticipate the needs of external and internal customer

   Note: Candidates should be legally authorized to work in United States without visa sponsorship

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find directors of ecommerce for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of ecommerce job on Zippia to find and recruit director of ecommerce 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

   Your first interview with director of ecommerce candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 ecommerce

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of ecommerce position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new director of ecommerce first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a director of ecommerce?