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How to hire a director of new product development

Director of new product development hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring directors of new product development in the United States:

  • There are a total of 23,204 directors of new product development in the US, and there are currently 185,369 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a director of new product development is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per director of new product development on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Irvine, CA, has the highest demand for directors of new product development, with 4 job openings.

How to hire a director of new product development, step by step

To hire a director of new product development, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a director of new product development:

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

What does a director of new product development do?

A director of new product development spearheads and oversees a company's product development operations, from planning to production. They primarily take the lead in conducting research and analyses, coordinating engineers and other experts, evaluating product development plans and guidelines, and liaising with internal and external parties. They also have the authority to approve projects, make significant decisions, negotiate contracts, select concepts, and monitor all procedures, implementing solutions and strategies to optimize operations. Moreover, a director of new product development empowers employees while enforcing company standards and policies.

Learn more about the specifics of what a director of new product development does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your director of new product development 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 new product development 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?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a director of new product development 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 new product development that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of directors of new product development.

    Type of Director Of New Product DevelopmentDescriptionHourly rate
    Director Of New Product DevelopmentAdvertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.$45-98
    Product Management DirectorA Product Management Director is responsible for a business product planning as well as execution throughout the life cycle of the business. They create the product strategy and requirements, develop and execute tactical plans, and maintain product and market knowledge.$53-105
    Global DirectorThe duties of a global director will vary on one's line of work or company of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing and leading a diverse range of employees or departments, developing new strategies and programs for global markets, and ensuring that all products and services are inclusive and public friendly... Show more$51-110
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Product Development
    • R
    • Business Development
    • Project Management
    • Market Research
    • Medical Devices
    • Prototyping
    • Product Design
    • Lifecycle Management
    • Business Cases
    • Product Management
    • Competitive Intelligence
    • Development Efforts
    • Sigma
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage the design development process from designer sketch handover to bulk production delivery.
    • Review estimated demand levels and spearhead logistics operations to prevent shortage or excess liabilities due to limitations of supplier capacities.
    • Engage with new strategic sales partners and OEM partnerships, while growing partner revenue production by improving abilities and production.
    • Manage implementation teams on new system installations and retrofit projects.
    More director of new product development duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your director of new product development job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A director of new product development can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, directors of new product development' average salary in nebraska is 37% less than in rhode island.
    • Seniority. Entry-level directors of new product development 54% less than senior-level directors of new product development.
    • Certifications. A director of new product development with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a director of new product development's salary.

    Average director of new product development salary

    $139,162yearly

    $66.90 hourly rate

    Entry-level director of new product development salary
    $94,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 21, 2026

    Average director of new product development salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$155,016$75
    2New Jersey$152,907$74
    3New York$142,070$68
    4Pennsylvania$140,388$67
    5Virginia$138,418$67
    6Washington$137,960$66
    7Massachusetts$131,568$63
    8North Carolina$129,386$62
    9Georgia$125,123$60
    10Michigan$122,173$59
    11District of Columbia$121,959$59
    12Ohio$121,259$58
    13Florida$118,849$57
    14Utah$117,556$57
    15Minnesota$99,985$48

    Average director of new product development salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1DoorDash$179,280$86.1986
    2Myriad Genetics$169,460$81.477
    3Novo Nordisk$164,437$79.067
    4Tapad$162,316$78.04
    5Microsoft$159,777$76.82262
    6Edwards Lifesciences$159,508$76.6947
    7Sanofi US$159,272$76.5749
    8JUUL$157,745$75.842
    9IPSCO Tubulars Inc$157,463$75.70
    10Williams Sonoma$156,584$75.287
    11Abbott$144,921$69.6775
    12Cytokinetics$143,874$69.173
    13AT&T$140,530$67.5629
    14Battelle$139,699$67.164
    15Techtronic Industries TTI$138,381$66.537
    16OUC$135,244$65.02
    17B. Braun Medical$134,561$64.69
    18American Express$134,138$64.49146
    19Alere$133,325$64.10
    20Avo Photonics$131,793$63.36
  4. Writing a director of new product development job description

    A job description for a director of new product development 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 new product development job description:

    Director of new product development job description example

    Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 113,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.
    Employee Value Proposition:

    Lead the team developing Abbott Electrophysiology's Next Generation platform projects. These are top priority programs with high visibility in a high growth business that will play a major role in shaping our future portfolio. Key performance measures include:

    * Lead cross-functional core teams and development activities to meet program objectives including scope, quality, budget, and schedule. Core responsibilities include:
    * Project planning and contracting
    * Budget planning
    * Resource planning
    * Regular executive status updates
    * Project financial metrics such as ROI, budget, COGS, and capital
    * Creating and maintaining schedules

    * Devise and execute against a system-level plan that incorporates cross-functional dependencies including those between sub-functions within R&D.
    * Adhere to the business process governance and complete phase deliverables to drive project progression.
    * Communicate and drive alignment with all levels of the organization on the objectives, risks, and needs for the program.
    * Identify opportunities for improving overall business performance of the program.
    * Develop plans with core members to eliminate and/or mitigate risk. If risks cannot be mitigated within the core team, determine appropriate means to communicate and elevate issues to appropriate individuals within the organization.
    * Manage/mentor associate project managers directly involved with the same project.
    * Maintain positive and cooperative communications and collaboration with all levels of employees, customers, contractors, and vendors.
    * Maintain a safe and professional work environment.
    * Establish and maintain the program and product Design History File.
    * Comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, other regulatory requirements, Company policies, operating procedures, processes, and task assignments.

    EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU'LL BRING

    Required

    * Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related
    * 12+ years of leadership experience in Engineering, R&D, and/or Quality within a medical device/biomedical, high technology, and/or regulated industry
    * Demonstrated success bringing a complex medical device through development to commercial launch
    * 5+ years project management of electro-mechanical systems (electrical, mechanical and firmware/software)

    Preferred

    * Advanced level degree(s) in Engineering, Sciences, Business Administration, or a related discipline
    * Extensive medical device industry experience
    * PMP Certification

    WHAT WE OFFER

    At Abbott, you can have a good job that can grow into a great career. We offer:

    * Training and career development, with onboarding programs for new employees and tuition assistance
    * Student Loan Repayment Assistance
    * Financial security through competitive compensation, incentives and retirement plans
    * Health care and well-being programs including medical, dental, vision, wellness and occupational health programs
    * Paid time off
    * 401(k) retirement savings with a generous company match
    * The stability of a company with a record of strong financial performance and history of being actively involved in local communities

    Learn more about our benefits that add real value to your life to help you live fully: www.abbottbenefits.com

    Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that provides the growth and strength to build your future. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

    Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.
  5. Post your job

    To find the right director of new product development 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 new product development they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of new product development 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 new product development job on Zippia to find and recruit director of new product development 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 new product development 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.

    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 new product development

    Once you have selected a candidate for the director of new product development 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of new product development. 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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How much does it cost to hire a director of new product development?

Recruiting directors of new product development involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $139,162 per year for a director of new product development, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for directors of new product development in the US typically range between $45 and $98 an hour.

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