How to hire a director of product development

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

Here's a step-by-step director of 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 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 product development
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of product development do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of product 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

   Hiring the perfect director of product development also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of directors of product development and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Director Of Product Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Product Development	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.	$48-94
   Product Management Director	A 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
   Development & Program Manager	The responsibilities of a development and program manager depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, they are in charge of overseeing the operations behind various projects and programs, ensuring everything is running smoothly and efficiently... Show more	$36-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Development
   • Project Management
   • Product Management
   • R
   • Product Strategy
   • Market Research
   • Product Roadmap
   • Business Development
   • Software Development
   • FDA
   • Product Design
   • QA
   • Market Trends
   • Lifecycle Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Organize and manage project meetings between partners, vendors, and associates using both scrum and waterfall methodologies.
   • Manage long-term care, hospital transition, and Medicaid- Medicare expansion initiatives, that includes model of care design and implementation )
   • Manage packaging design and nutritional labeling within QA guidelines.
   • Manage company intellectual portfolio and develop key relationships with vendors and clients including leading global technology companies.
   • Develop using Java, JSP, J2EE, CSS, DHTML, HTML, Plugins and JavaScript.
   • Prepare proposals for new projects, including project feasibility, ROI, expenses and costs.

   More director of product development duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of product development job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A director of product development salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a director of product development in Wyoming may be lower than in California, and an entry-level director of product development usually earns less than a senior-level director of product development. Additionally, a director of product development with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average director of product development salary

   $140,507yearly

   $67.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of product development salary

   $100,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average director of product development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$169,278	$81
   2	Washington	$154,393	$74
   3	Nevada	$145,404	$70
   4	New York	$145,389	$70
   5	New Jersey	$144,230	$69
   6	Texas	$143,016	$69
   7	Virginia	$142,609	$69
   8	Michigan	$142,148	$68
   9	Massachusetts	$137,809	$66
   10	North Carolina	$135,749	$65
   11	Wisconsin	$134,992	$65
   12	Arizona	$134,482	$65
   13	Ohio	$132,252	$64
   14	Pennsylvania	$131,821	$63
   15	Illinois	$131,750	$63
   16	District of Columbia	$129,533	$62
   17	Minnesota	$124,166	$60
   18	Missouri	$124,020	$60
   19	Florida	$120,449	$58
   20	Colorado	$117,454	$56

   Average director of product development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$181,230	$87.13	87
   2	Bed Bath & Beyond	$180,498	$86.78
   3	F5	$179,912	$86.50	18
   4	Genentech	$177,728	$85.45	67
   5	ENERGY RECOVERY, INC.	$177,437	$85.31
   6	BMC Software	$173,362	$83.35	3
   7	Intuit	$170,567	$82.00	184
   8	Foundation Medicine	$169,694	$81.58	6
   9	Walmart	$169,660	$81.57	278
   10	Stand Together	$169,031	$81.26	4
   11	Skillz	$168,124	$80.83	1
   12	Applied Materials	$166,683	$80.14	43
   13	Program for Appropriate Technology In Health	$165,299	$79.47
   14	Citi	$165,128	$79.39	101
   15	Mercy Corps	$165,052	$79.35
   16	RapidRatings	$163,670	$78.69
   17	Sephora	$163,655	$78.68	4
   18	Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors	$163,577	$78.64	1
   19	CME Group	$162,104	$77.93	3
   20	CyberGrants	$161,165	$77.48

4. Writing a director of product development job description

   A director of product development 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 product development job description:

   Director of product development job description example

   Hiring Range: $146,410.00 - $183,010.00
   
   PLEASE NOTE: The hiring range applies to US-based employment and may be higher in certain US geographic locations.
   
   As the Global Director for Donor Product Development, you will lead a team that will be instrumental in developing and managing products that will equip fundraising teams around the world to better meet the needs of our mid and major gift donors. This is a critical role central to advancing Compassion's ministry priority to grow new revenue streams outside of our sponsorship product, and thus opening more doors for donor participation in releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.
   
   You will serve fundraising teams in 15+ countries, enabling them to improve donor experience, grow donor revenue, and increase donor quantity. You will be responsible for understanding and prioritizing donor needs, articulating product strategy, managing product performance, and growing revenue through product innovation, fundraising campaigns, and by enabling local teams to effectively market the products. In addition, you will manage a team of product developers, assisted by a comprehensive set of marketing support teams, and will collaborate across internal functions to meet programmatic priorities.
   
   PLEASE NOTE: This is a remote, US-base position.
   
   What will you do?
   
   Maintain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is a consistent witness for Jesus Christ, maintains a courteous, Christ-like attitude in dealing with people within and outside of Compassion, and faithfully upholds Compassion's ministry in prayer.Act as an advocate for children. Understands and advances Christ's mandate to protect children. Raises awareness of the needs of children and takes active steps to help protect against neglect, abuse, and exploitation of children. Promotes the dignity, respect, positive treatment, potential of children in all circumstances. Encourages the involvement of others in helping children in need. Reports and appropriately supports responses to incidents of harm of children if they occur.Uphold and engage in Compassion's core Cultural Behaviors.Accountable for the performance of a product group with global scope and impact. Lead strategy and tactics to ensure the product group meets ministry expectations as well as supporter and stakeholder expectations.Work cross-functionally and in partnership with marketing teams around the world to advance product management, product development and product marketing efforts as follows:Lead product management efforts for mid/major donors globally to meet donor needs. This includes development and management of product strategy, product definition and messaging, product KPIs, operational service metrics, and pricing strategy.Oversee product development to continuously increase donor relevance and value. This includes articulation of an innovation strategy, development of an innovation roadmap (improvements, new products) and fundraising campaigns, and end-to-end leadership of product initiatives from donor need to in-market introduction.Guide and support the marketing efforts of local country teams. Provide guidance on marketing, channel, pricing, and messaging strategies. Equip local teams with resources, tools, content and frameworks. Promote marketing effectiveness through best practice sharing and fostering a global learning community across local teams.Collaborate with a wide spectrum of leaders across functions (such as Program, IT, Finance, and Operations) to guide product management, development, and marketing efforts.Establish a collaborative and service-oriented partnership with supporter-facing teams across Compassion's global organization, understanding the similarities and differences across geographies and developing an insightful understanding of the diverse group of supporters including individual supporters, major donors, and churches.Contribute to or prepare and administer the annual budget and departmental expenses, ensuring accountability for on-time completion of deliverables based on department objectives.Select, manage and develop staff, establishing goals and objectives, coaching and managing performance, including discipline, motivation, and annual reviews; support continuous learning and development that enhances individual performance and organizational capability.Consult with peer management and senior leaders to successfully align departmental resources and priorities across Compassion.
   
   What will you bring?
   Bachelor's degree10 years' experience working in this or related field Deep understanding of product development, especially as it relates to fundraising Global experience desired Certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization in a related field is a plus.
   
   *Equivalent education, training and/or certification may be substituted for experience and education shown above
   
   Why work here?
   The mission: Join a team that is motivated to release children from poverty in Jesus' name.Our benefits: Receive generous paid time off, 10% contribution to a 403(b) retirement fund, excellent healthcare coverage, and more. Spiritual growth: Participate in regular chapel services, prayer groups, and department devotionals
   
   #LI-SR1

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right director of product development for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of product development job on Zippia to find and attract quality director of product development candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors of product development, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 product development

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of 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 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 product 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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