How to hire a director of operations and development

How to hire a director of operations and development, step by step

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

What does a director of operations and development do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of operations and development 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 operations and development's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of operations and development 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 operations and development salaries for various roles:

   Type of Director Of Operations And Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Operations And Development	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$36-74
   Division Director	A division director is a professional who is responsible for managing team members and business operations that are assigned in his/her or her division to achieve the goals of a company. Division directors are required to evaluate division performance and ensure that the team's work complies with the company policies and procedures... Show more	$32-102
   Managing Director	A Managing Director oversees workflow and progress, making sure that all operations align within the company or organization's mission or set of goals. They are responsible for crafting strategies, devising effective business plans, and executing guidelines that would nurture a company's growth, and as well as to be the driving force that would direct employees to the company's objectives... Show more	$34-112

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Product Development
   • R
   • Business Development
   • Financial Management
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Direct Reports
   • Strategic Plan
   • Oversight
   • Human Resources
   • Logistics
   • Business Operations
   • Business Plan
   • KPI

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve a high GPO compliance, standardization for ROI purchases & services for all of the managed centers.
   • Cultivate transparent communication among patients, physicians, hospital personnel, and internal customers to achieve peak levels of client satisfaction.
   • Maintain oversight of all property development relate tasks.
   • Conduct monthly account audits and herald for exceptional operational improvements in reverse logistics and lean inventory management practices.
   • Direct financial oversight and implement new fiscal management policies, resulting in improve profitability and cash flow reporting accuracy.
   • Coordinate and disseminate the master festival production schedule which includes personnel action, equipment rentals/returns, tech set-up/strike and venue logistics.

   More director of operations and development duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average director of operations and development salary

   $108,641yearly

   $52.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of operations and development salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average director of operations and development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$136,801	$66
   2	District of Columbia	$125,862	$61
   3	New York	$123,806	$60
   4	Washington	$122,001	$59
   5	Maryland	$109,801	$53
   6	Virginia	$105,420	$51
   7	Massachusetts	$104,563	$50
   8	Illinois	$102,177	$49
   9	Michigan	$99,842	$48
   10	Arizona	$99,209	$48
   11	Georgia	$97,427	$47
   12	Texas	$95,610	$46
   13	Missouri	$93,801	$45
   14	Kansas	$81,594	$39
   15	Florida	$78,777	$38
   16	Oregon	$77,269	$37
   17	Oklahoma	$74,729	$36

   Average director of operations and development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$179,098	$86.10	94
   2	Vox Media	$142,646	$68.58
   3	Riot Games	$136,609	$65.68	1
   4	Neurocrine Biosciences	$129,675	$62.34	4
   5	SiriusXM	$121,637	$58.48	2
   6	Accenture Federal Services LLC	$120,327	$57.85	3
   7	Wnet	$119,330	$57.37	2
   8	Accenture	$113,675	$54.65	402
   9	Boston Medical Center	$112,084	$53.89	10
   10	The Restaurant	$110,416	$53.08	14
   11	Change Healthcare	$105,189	$50.57
   12	American Commercial Lines	$104,634	$50.30
   13	BeiGene	$104,448	$50.22	22
   14	MakeCents	$103,215	$49.62
   15	9 Logic Technologies	$103,214	$49.62
   16	Tachyon Technologies	$103,134	$49.58
   17	Ventus	$102,510	$49.28
   18	MedExcel USA	$101,407	$48.75
   19	Dynamic Workforce Solutions	$100,309	$48.23
   20	DaVita Kidney Care	$99,882	$48.02	152

4. Writing a director of operations and development job description

   A good director of operations and development job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a director of operations and development job description:

   Director of operations and development job description example

   Applications will be accepted through October 20, 2022.
   
   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience
   
   + 15 years of experience, or 13 years with advanced degree, including 10 years in management consulting, product management, engineering, general management and/or operations roles, building relationships and leading operational initiatives
   
   + Experience growing and leading a team
   
   + Experience working with engineering and/or product teams
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + 20 years of experience in business operations, strategy, operations, chief of staff, or other relevant roles
   
   + Experience inspiring others by creating a shared sense of direction while developing and fostering a high performance culture
   
   + Experience working in a customer-facing organization and with technology changes across a company
   
   + Ability to get things done and to show courage by admitting failure, making tough calls, and moving forward despite complexity and ambiguity
   
   + Ability to create a compelling outlook for the future, and communicate clearly
   
   + Ability to lead and manage an inclusive workplace to achieve the outlook and mission of the organization
   
   As Director of Product Strategy and Operations, you will define and create an organization that includes strategy and operations and business operations, including processes, frameworks, and tools for running Developer Productivity's (DevProd) day-to-day planning cycles, annual and quarterly objectives and key results, review cycles, headcount planning, and more.
   
   In this role, you will support the development of strategic and operational plans to deliver to DevProd customers by working across the Core Developer pillar. This role will provide insight and translate strategy into action for an organization which serves internal developers across multiple ecosystems.
   
   + Architect the Developer Productivity strategy with the DevProd leads that connects with Developer and Core.
   
   + Serve as a proxy for Vice President, Developer Productivity when needed to represent the strategy across Google.
   
   + Manage business planning and core operations, metrics, budget, headcount, space planning, location strategy, DEI ( Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) activities, and more.
   
   + Drive change in core business operations for the global organization including decision making effectiveness, streamlining product and engineering reviews, and resource planning and allocation.
   
   + Manage a Strategy and Operations team and influence across peer Strategy and Operations teams within Developer, Core, and Google.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right director of operations and 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 operations and development they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of operations and 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 operations and development job on Zippia to find and recruit director of operations and development candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of operations and development 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 operations and development

   Once you've decided on a perfect director of operations and development 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.

   To prepare for the new director of operations and development 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 operations and development?