How to hire a director of program services

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

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

What does a director of program services do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Type of Director Of Program Services	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Program Services	Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage staff who provide social services to the public.	$22-54
   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
   Clinical Director	A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports... Show more	$30-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Program Development
   • Business Development
   • Strategic Direction
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Social Work
   • Program Directors
   • Patients
   • Program Management
   • Human Resources
   • Cloud Computing
   • Professional Development
   • Direct Supervision
   • Coordinators
   • Foster Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 27 full-time employees (FTE's) which are fully cross-train and rotational in all functional service areas.
   • Develop and manage a capital budget of $200K, an operational budget of $100K and 50 FTE's.
   • Manage day-to-day oversight and management involving planning, programming, execution, distribution, and analysis for assign organizations budgets.
   • Hire and train ESL teachers.
   • Develop and implement IEP which include transition and goal planning.
   • Work with NYS survey team to ensure follow-up of all program recommendations.

   More director of program services duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of program services' average salary in alaska is 37% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of program services earn 58% less than senior-level directors of program services.
   • Certifications. A director of program services 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 services's salary.

   Average director of program services salary

   $73,301yearly

   $35.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of program services salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average director of program services salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$90,799	$44
   2	Maryland	$90,116	$43
   3	District of Columbia	$89,369	$43
   4	California	$89,033	$43
   5	Michigan	$87,075	$42
   6	Massachusetts	$82,306	$40
   7	Washington	$81,314	$39
   8	Illinois	$80,919	$39
   9	Oregon	$79,406	$38
   10	Texas	$76,235	$37
   11	Georgia	$74,952	$36
   12	Pennsylvania	$73,603	$35
   13	Virginia	$73,529	$35
   14	Indiana	$73,022	$35
   15	Colorado	$71,385	$34
   16	Connecticut	$70,836	$34
   17	Iowa	$66,842	$32
   18	South Carolina	$65,713	$32
   19	Florida	$64,096	$31
   20	Missouri	$63,335	$30

   Average director of program services salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Kaiser Permanente	$152,959	$73.54	52
   2	Microsoft	$127,636	$61.36	51
   3	Ohlone College	$125,419	$60.30
   4	Kern Community College District	$123,617	$59.43	4
   5	Halliburton	$116,281	$55.90
   6	UMiami Health System	$115,469	$55.51
   7	LifeWorks NW	$110,021	$52.89
   8	Griffin Hospital	$105,742	$50.84
   9	CHRISTUS Health	$99,884	$48.02	37
   10	New York State Restaurant Association	$99,171	$47.68
   11	Georgetown University	$97,340	$46.80	6
   12	Dassault Systèmes	$96,344	$46.32
   13	Spectrum Health	$95,544	$45.93
   14	Carnegie Mellon University	$92,221	$44.34	9
   15	State of Connecticut	$91,209	$43.85	15
   16	LifeStream Behavioral Center	$90,977	$43.74	1
   17	Monroe County	$81,382	$39.13	2
   18	Houston Methodist	$80,673	$38.79	36
   19	Highland Capital Holding Corporation	$79,798	$38.36
   20	Dartmouth-Hitchcock	$78,677	$37.83	8

4. Writing a director of program services job description

   A job description for a director of program services 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 program services job description:

   Director of program services job description example

   Under the general direction of the Deputy Director for the Human Services Agency- Family and Children's Services (FCS), the Program Director is responsible for the management of all activities and functions of major programs within the FCS Division. This position develops, implements, and maintains policies and procedures that have a significant impact on division outcomes, policies, and processes.
   The major essential duties include but are not limited to:
   
   Plan, monitor, evaluate, and manage all operational activities for the assigned program including being on call for the FCS afterhours program.
   
   Manage transition of cases to ensure continuity and appropriate assessment of safety; manage early intervention and differential response strategies; develop and implement a system to improve outcomes for families; monitor court process for Family Maintenance (FM), Family Reunification (FR), Emergency Response (ER), hotline, and Successful Transitions Unit (STU) cases; track FM, FR, ER, and STU cases to ensure that they meet federal outcomes for permanency (adoption, reunification, guardianship) and reentries.
   
   Direct and participate in workgroups, committees, and initiatives related to permanency, reunification, visitation, incarcerated parents, and concurrent planning. Facilitate and participate in Administrative Reviews, Teaming Meetings, Teaming Appeals, MDTs, Emancipation Goals Project meetings.
   
   Direct and review the work plan for the assigned program by meeting with staff to identify and resolve problems; assign work activities and projects; review and evaluate work products, methods, and procedures and develop mechanisms to generate feedback from clients regarding the quality of customer service.
   
   Participate in the development and administration of the assigned program budget; forecast additional funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies; direct the monitoring of approved expenditures and recommend adjustments as necessary to ensure compliance with fiscal expenditures.
   
   Implement and direct best practices, policies, and procedures, including Safety Organized Practice and Katie A, Family First Preservation Services Act (FFPSA); review and analyze data for compliance and best practices; determine and direct appropriate methodologies that will actively promote strength-based approaches to working with youth and families; monitor staff compliance with improved federal outcomes; provide on-going training on best practices, policies, and procedures; direct allocation and distribution of resources.
   
   Build collaborative relationships with community partners, internal and external stakeholders, federal, state, county, and local agencies.
   
   May provide on-call rotation with other managers after-hours and on weekends as needed.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find directors of program services for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of program services job on Zippia to find and recruit director of program services 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 services, 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.

   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 program services

   Once you've found the director of program services 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 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 program services 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 program services?