How to hire a director of operations and finance

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

Here's a step-by-step director of operations and finance 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 finance 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 finance
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of operations and finance do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a director of operations and finance, 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 operations and finance'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 finance 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 operations and finance salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Operations And Finance	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Operations And Finance	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.	$37-87
   Finance Vice President	The vice president of finance is one of the highest-ranking executives in a company. He/She or she works under the chief financial officer, and both have similar duties that are often interchangeable... Show more	$47-106
   Finance Manager	A finance manager is responsible for monitoring the financial system of a company. Their tasks include handling their organization's financial status, generating cost estimates and budget goals, identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability, improving financial strategies, reducing costs, analyzing account statements, processing invoice as needed, analyzing market trends, searching potential partnerships, and presenting reports... Show more	$34-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Financial Operations
   • Payroll
   • Human Resources
   • CPA
   • Financial Management
   • Project Management
   • Financial Analysis
   • Financial Performance
   • Financial Reports
   • Process Improvement
   • Financial Data
   • Internal Controls
   • GAAP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve record revenue and EBITDA by Q3.
   • Guide the company to utilize ERP to manage the business versus spreadsheets.
   • Oversee SOX and financial controls, managing SOX compliance and reviewing and refining the existing processes.
   • Achieve Medicare certification and JCAHO accreditation without any deficiencies.
   • Manage financial and operational functions of SaaS and hosting provider for deregulate energy markets.
   • Lead firm through a significant build in talent while simultaneously introducing numerous improvements to the process of financial management and oversight.

   More director of operations and finance duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of operations and finance' average salary in kentucky is 54% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of operations and finance earn 57% less than senior-level directors of operations and finance.
   • Certifications. A director of operations and finance 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 operations and finance's salary.

   Average director of operations and finance salary

   $118,503yearly

   $56.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of operations and finance salary

   $77,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average director of operations and finance salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$152,220	$73
   2	New Jersey	$146,943	$71
   3	Connecticut	$142,982	$69
   4	New York	$136,510	$66
   5	District of Columbia	$136,477	$66
   6	Arizona	$115,322	$55
   7	Maryland	$115,156	$55
   8	North Carolina	$111,698	$54
   9	Washington	$111,008	$53
   10	Colorado	$103,893	$50
   11	Minnesota	$103,859	$50
   12	Tennessee	$100,347	$48
   13	Massachusetts	$100,200	$48
   14	Maine	$99,621	$48
   15	Missouri	$98,499	$47
   16	Georgia	$96,850	$47
   17	Illinois	$93,560	$45
   18	Florida	$93,059	$45
   19	Texas	$92,525	$44
   20	Pennsylvania	$91,805	$44

   Average director of operations and finance salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pure Storage	$179,466	$86.28	8
   2	JUUL	$174,284	$83.79	1
   3	Netflix	$168,872	$81.19	15
   4	Twitter	$168,432	$80.98	8
   5	Walmart	$164,414	$79.05	487
   6	Hubbell	$160,874	$77.34	16
   7	Hebrew SeniorLife	$148,655	$71.47	4
   8	KAYAK	$147,830	$71.07
   9	CTB	$147,301	$70.82	2
   10	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$147,260	$70.80
   11	Activision Blizzard	$146,260	$70.32	1
   12	Firstservice Residential California, Inc.	$144,815	$69.62
   13	BMO Capital Markets	$144,027	$69.24	51
   14	NICE Systems	$141,331	$67.95	9
   15	Novavax	$140,825	$67.70
   16	Pwc	$137,282	$66.00	1,637
   17	Connor Group	$134,273	$64.55	8
   18	Regal Beloit	$134,192	$64.52
   19	Randstad North America, Inc.	$133,234	$64.05	16
   20	SunPower	$132,552	$63.73

4. Writing a director of operations and finance job description

   A director of operations and finance 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 operations and finance job description:

   Director of operations and finance job description example

   Finance Co-Op - Galesburg, MI - (128395) Description The Vehicle Group in Galesburg, MI has an opening for a Corporate Finance Co-Op. This position is part-time during the school semester and full-time during the summer.
   Summary of Responsibilities
   The Finance Co-Op will be involved in challenging, engaging, and current business processes at the Vehicle Group's Global Headquarters in Galesburg, Michigan. This Corporate Accounting Co-Op experience will be a hands-on environment where you will have the opportunity to take on actual day-to-day responsibilities relating to accounting, reporting, and compliance in a large global corporation. The co-op experience is further enhanced through social and professional networking opportunities which include interacting with senior management and collaborating with team members within the department and across other functions. We encourage students to question why we do things the way we do, provide fresh ideas, and improve processes. You will be part of the action and working from day 1.
   Essential Functions
   
   Corporate Accounting: Assist the accounting team by closing the books, analyzing spend, calculating accruals, investigating variances, and preparing financial reports. Gain familiarity with the general ledger by performing account inquiries, posting journal entries, and running a variety of system reports.
   Internal Controls & Compliance: Prepare balance sheet account reconciliations. Follow-up and investigate aged balances and help implement corrective actions. Assist the accounting team with capital and fixed asset management.
   Accounts Payable: Manage cash disbursement processes by helping set up suppliers, input check requests, and oversee payment systems. Partner with Supply Chain and Corporate Shared Services to investigate and resolve payment issues, aged receipts, and missing invoices. Assist the team to investigate and resolve inter-company payment issues.
   Accounts Receivable: Analyze customer aging, deduction, and top account past due reports to find the root cause of issues that delay payments and cause deductions. Interface with internal and external customers to resolve any deduction-related issues & improve processes to prevent reoccurrence. Work collaboratively with the Corporate AR team on cash application issues.
   Process Improvement: Research various accounting and process improvement topics and provide recommendations.
   Accounting Systems: Gain a working knowledge of both Oracle GL and the Oracle Manufacturing ERP systems. Develop Excel based analysis using pivot table reports and advanced formulas.
   Environment: Work in a collaborative team environment to drive improvements to financial processes through tools/systems, automation, and standardization.
   
   Qualifications Basic Qualifications:
   
   Actively enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in Finance or Accounting.
   Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above (please do not round).
   Legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship now or in the future.
   Relocation is not provided for this role, the candidate must be located within 50 miles of Galesburg, MI.
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   
   Previous co-op or internship experience in Finance or Accounting.
   
   We make what matters work. Everywhere you look-from the technology and machinery that surrounds us, to the critical services and infrastructure that we depend on every day-you'll find one thing in common. It all relies on power. That's why Eaton is dedicated to improving people's lives and the environment with power management technologies that are more reliable, efficient, safe and sustainable. Because this is what matters.
   We are confident we can deliver on this promise because of the attributes that our employees embody. We're ethical, passionate, accountable, efficient, transparent and we're committed to learning. These values enable us to tackle some of the toughest challenges on the planet, never losing sight of what matters. Job: Finance/Accounting Region: North America - US/Puerto RicoPrimary Location: United States-Michigan-GalesburgOrganization: VEH Vehicle Group Job Level: Entry LevelSchedule: Full-time Is remote work (i.e. working from home or another Eaton facility) allowed for this position?: NoDoes this position offer relocation?: NoTravel: Yes, 10 % of the Time

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of operations and finance 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 finance

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of operations and finance 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.

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