How to hire a director of sales and marketing

How to hire a director of sales and marketing, step by step

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

What does a director of sales and marketing do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the director of sales and marketing you need to hire. Certain director of sales and marketing roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 sales and marketing's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of sales and marketing 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 sales and marketing salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Sales And Marketing	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Sales And Marketing	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$35-90
   National Sales Director	A national sales director is responsible for monitoring the sales targets and performance of the sales force across the country's regions. National sales directors handle the execution and release of goods and services according to market trends and public demands... Show more	$35-64
   Regional Sales Director	A regional sales director is responsible for monitoring sales quotas for a specific area or region, developing sales strategies, and adjusting existing techniques to increase revenues and achieve its profitability goals. Regional sales directors manage marketing campaigns, analyze current market trends to meet consumer demands, plan promotional events, handle employees' sales training programs, and coordinate with multiple sales teams to implement effective sales processes... Show more	$37-85

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Product Development
   • Strategic Sales
   • Lead Management
   • Business Development
   • Sales Process
   • Sales Growth
   • Trade Shows
   • Revenue Management
   • Direct Sales
   • Market Trends
   • Product Line
   • Business Plan
   • Sales Efforts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage business advertising efforts including Google AdWords, Facebook and local print media.
   • Lead company's management functions and legislative initiatives for nationally recognize brand in quality healthcare management.
   • Utilize expertise to select appropriate technologies for target communication; manage messaging/design initiatives focuse on ROI improvement.
   • Achieve operational efficiency by analyzing advertising and promotional spending to identify vehicles, channels and messages that generate target ROI.
   • Provide project management over cloud base hosted solutions design for the SMB market.
   • Create policies and procedures for Medicare department relating to all aspects of the business.

   More director of sales and marketing duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of sales and marketing job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A director of sales and marketing can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, directors of sales and marketing' average salary in kansas is 44% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of sales and marketing 61% less than senior-level directors of sales and marketing.
   • Certifications. A director of sales and marketing with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a director of sales and marketing's salary.

   Average director of sales and marketing salary

   $117,348yearly

   $56.42 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of sales and marketing salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average director of sales and marketing salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$155,525	$75
   2	New York	$142,513	$69
   3	California	$140,751	$68
   4	New Jersey	$135,243	$65
   5	Maine	$129,289	$62
   6	Washington	$128,274	$62
   7	Massachusetts	$117,297	$56
   8	Texas	$113,850	$55
   9	Illinois	$113,835	$55
   10	Rhode Island	$112,621	$54
   11	Pennsylvania	$110,061	$53
   12	Maryland	$108,325	$52
   13	Ohio	$106,140	$51
   14	Arizona	$105,333	$51
   15	North Carolina	$104,567	$50
   16	Oregon	$102,999	$50
   17	Florida	$93,374	$45
   18	Georgia	$91,152	$44
   19	Oklahoma	$89,574	$43
   20	Utah	$89,117	$43

   Average director of sales and marketing salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Quidel	$170,586	$82.01
   2	Allied Motion Technologies	$157,027	$75.49	1
   3	Oshkosh	$154,935	$74.49	10
   4	PCT	$149,367	$71.81
   5	Greenspire	$147,913	$71.11
   6	Solar.com	$147,166	$70.75	16
   7	CalAmp	$144,361	$69.40	3
   8	Condé Nast	$143,969	$69.22	3
   9	REV Holdings LLC	$142,978	$68.74	1
   10	Performance Physical Therapy	$142,474	$68.50
   11	Gucci	$141,818	$68.18
   12	Aetna	$140,645	$67.62
   13	Progress Rail	$139,535	$67.08	4
   14	KS2 Technologies	$138,971	$66.81
   15	CSM Companies	$138,427	$66.55	8
   16	CVS Health	$137,359	$66.04	229
   17	Resorts World Catskills	$135,510	$65.15
   18	Dynamic Manufacturing	$135,412	$65.10
   19	Goldfish Swim School	$134,784	$64.80	4
   20	NewcrestImage	$134,619	$64.72

4. Writing a director of sales and marketing job description

   A director of sales and marketing 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. Below, you can find an example of a director of sales and marketing job description:

   Director of sales and marketing job description example

   Meridian Senior Living believes that “Everyone Deserves a Great Life.”
   
   To us, a great life in our communities starts with great employees. What makes a great employee, you ask?
   
   We believe a great employee is someone that understands that our work is hard yet rewarding, that team work truly makes the dream work, and that at the end of the day there is nothing more satisfying then making a difference in someone's life.
   
   What do we offer to these great employees?
   
   A solid benefits package (with several different plan options for you to choose from) - complete with Medical, Dental, and Vision.
   1800MD - Telemedicine that is available to all employees and their family members at no cost! No enrollment required!
   Flexible Spending Account
   Company paid Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability
   Voluntary benefits that include Short Term Disability, Accident Coverage, Critical Illness, and more!
   Pet Insurance
   Tuition Reimbursement
   401K
   Employee Assistance Program
   Referral Bonus
   Employee Discounts - (Enterprise, Staples, HD Supply, Office Depot, Sherwin Williams, and more!)
   
   What else do we offer?
   
   We equip you with the ability to grow your career - whether it be with us or another employer.
   A company culture that is dedicated to promoting integrity, joy, respect, and excellence!
   Life changing experiences with some of the best Residents an employee can ask for.
   
   Details about the Sales and Marketing Director position we are hiring for:
   
   The Senior Living Sales and Marketing Director will work closely with the Executive Director and the team ensuring that our sales and marketing process is effective. The ideal candidate should have a passion for working with seniors, a high degree of customer service and extensive marketing and sales experience.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Bachelor's degree in Business/Communications or related field preferred
   Minimum of two (2) years' experience in retirement, nursing home, or assisted living industry
   Must have compassion for and desire to work with the elderly
   Sales - inside and outside - experience preferred
   Strong commitment to importance of proactive sales and marketing as it relates to community occupancy
   Strong customer service track record with measurable results
   Strong computer, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills
   Ability to work independently; be self-motivated and goal-directed
   Must be honest, fair, dependable, respect confidentiality and the rights and privacy of others
   Must meet all health requirements and pass background checks
   
   Meridian Senior Living is an Equal Opportunity Employer

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of sales and marketing 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 sales and marketing

   Once you've found the director of sales and marketing 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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