How to hire a director of program development

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

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

What does a director of program development do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a director of program development, 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

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

   This list presents director of program development salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Program Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Program Development	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$17-61
   Chief Of Staff	A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive... Show more	$40-96
   Sports Director	Sports directors update the management about anything relating to sports. They participate in strategic planning and policy-making as needed by the management... Show more	$15-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Program Management
   • Project Management
   • Oversight
   • Business Development
   • Professional Development
   • Strategic Partnerships
   • Strategic Plan
   • Curriculum Development
   • Educational Programs
   • Community Outreach
   • Service Delivery
   • Program Policies
   • Mental Health
   • Technical Assistance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage personnel performing SAS programming, technical document preparation and quality assurance.
   • Perform consulting services and program/project oversight.
   • Direct oversight of membership development and marketing of membership and programs.
   • Develop and coordinate program operations compliant with federal TANF and local program requirements.
   • Tackle strategic challenge to bolster state chapters wrought with leadership inconstancy and often, first-time delegates, unprepare for national-level participation.
   • Apply and obtain approved Medicaid reimbursement for CFS.

   More director of program development duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of program development' average salary in hawaii is 79% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of program development earn 72% less than senior-level directors of program development.
   • Certifications. A director of program development 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 program development's salary.

   Average director of program development salary

   $69,014yearly

   $33.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of program development salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average director of program development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$115,658	$56
   2	Massachusetts	$103,703	$50
   3	District of Columbia	$85,473	$41
   4	New Hampshire	$85,354	$41
   5	New Jersey	$83,930	$40
   6	Virginia	$82,460	$40
   7	Georgia	$80,451	$39
   8	California	$75,706	$36
   9	Ohio	$66,093	$32
   10	Colorado	$64,206	$31
   11	Indiana	$60,104	$29
   12	Missouri	$59,635	$29
   13	Michigan	$59,483	$29
   14	Minnesota	$59,023	$28
   15	Illinois	$57,435	$28
   16	North Carolina	$57,130	$27
   17	Iowa	$54,661	$26
   18	Utah	$51,033	$25
   19	South Carolina	$49,415	$24
   20	Texas	$48,930	$24

   Average director of program development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	National Grid plc	$185,859	$89.36
   2	Stanford University	$182,158	$87.58	34
   3	Apple	$181,700	$87.36	35
   4	Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation	$180,801	$86.92
   5	Wentworth-Douglass Hospital	$165,000	$79.33
   6	UBS	$163,645	$78.68
   7	Intel	$159,512	$76.69	11
   8	AMC Networks	$142,988	$68.74
   9	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$130,569	$62.77	19
   10	Emory Healthcare	$126,387	$60.76	38
   11	Emory University	$122,214	$58.76	26
   12	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$120,678	$58.02	26
   13	Elevance Health	$118,479	$56.96
   14	Blue Origin	$115,037	$55.31	29
   15	The James Irvine Foundation	$107,807	$51.83
   16	DaVita Kidney Care	$102,115	$49.09	11
   17	AMI International	$100,700	$48.41
   18	IES Abroad	$91,267	$43.88
   19	Adagio Health	$87,326	$41.98
   20	Acadia Healthcare	$74,399	$35.77	33

4. Writing a director of program development job description

   A good director of program 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 program development job description:

   Director of program development job description example

   Are you inspired by "what's next"? So are we.
   
   When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.
   
   Job Description
   
   New Product Development Program Director
   
   Job Description
   
   Albemarle Corporation is currently seeking a New Product Development Program Director to lead innovation programs in the Research and Technology team within the Bromine Global Business Unit (GBU). The New Product Development (NPD) Program Director leads a team of chemists, engineers, and material scientists to deliver product innovation to enable the Bromine GBU to achieve transformational business growth. In this role, you will collaborate heavily with NPD, New Business Development (NBD), Applications and Customer Technical Service (ACTS) team members, to set innovation strategy for several current and new growth programs. This is a fantastic growth opportunity for an individual passionate about innovation, collaboration as well as leading and growing people. This role provides an opportunity to identify and prioritize new project ideas, set strategy for technical product development, intellectual property and external collaborations to commercialize products in new and growing markets and application areas.
   
   This is a high impact and high visibility position directly aligned with our GBU growth strategy. The position will be based at our Process Development Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and will report to the Senior Director, New Product Development in the Bromine GBU.
   
   Key responsibilities:
   
   * Set a holistic innovation strategy for assigned programs or program platform in collaboration with NBD, ACTS, Marketing and Business teams, identifying new growth areas and championing current programs to completion.
   * Drive technical delivery on innovation programs with a sense of urgency to enable timely product commercialization using Project Management methodologies.
   * Determine resourcing needs for programs identifying critical skill sets, equipment and technology capabilities and contribute to the overall NPD recruitment efforts, capital planning and external collaborations.
   * Build external partnerships with academia, national labs and industry to accelerate new material and process developments to commercialization.
   * Possess a long-term innovation mindset to develop multi-generation product plans (MGPP) for programs to enable continued innovation leadership in the industry.
   * Drive the overall Intellectual Property (IP) strategy for the programs and ensure timely IP filings in line with technical deliverables and competitive landscape to ensure long term business viability.
   * Ensure clear communication of results in different settings, including internal stakeholder presentations, external collaborations, customer engagements, and technical conferences.
   * Collaborate with Product Stewards and the Legal team to ensure that our products exceed regulatory requirements, and we are industry leaders in product safety and sustainability.
   * Partner with internal and external manufacturing and supply chain teams to enable product manufacturing and commercialization.
   * Be a thought leader on lab safety and lead by example, in alignment with site and company HSE policies.
   
   Required Experience:
   
   * Proven track record of leading innovation programs in the materials industry.
   * More than 7 years of experience in new product development and innovation.
   * At least 2 years of experience leading diverse teams of scientists and engineers, attracting, recruiting and retaining talent.
   * Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and external partners to help set innovation strategy.
   * Proven experience leading by influence.
   * Proven track record and passion for commercializing products and financial delivery from new products.
   * Passionate communicator that inspires others, conveying clarity on programs to teammates and stakeholders alike.
   * At least 2 years of experience managing laboratories and ensuring compliance with EHS policies and procedures.
   * BS Degree in Chemistry, Engineering, or a related discipline.
   
   Preferred Experience:
   
   * Experience leading innovation programs from conception to commercialization and demonstrated financial impact to the corporation.
   * Track record of nurturing talent and developing people.
   * Proven ability to develop and apply deep technical knowledge in wide ranging chemistries and application areas.
   * Ability to drive organizational change.
   * Demonstrated ability to develop New Product Introduction process and provide continuous improvement.
   * Out of the box thinking and transformational innovation mindset.
   * Experience negotiating intellectual property terms and external research and development contracts.
   * Ph.D. in Chemistry, Engineering, or a related discipline.
   
   Choose to unlock your full POTENTIAL. Apply today.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors of program 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.

   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 program development

   Once you've found the director of program development candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   To prepare for the new director of program 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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