How to hire a director of senior programs

How to hire a director of senior programs, step by step

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

What does a director of senior programs do?

Post a director of senior programs job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a director of senior programs, 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 senior programs's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of senior programs 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 shows salaries for various types of directors of senior programs.

   Type of Director Of Senior Programs	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Senior Programs	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.	$25-83
   Corporate Director	A corporate director is a business individual who is an elected or appointed member of the board of directors that directs or manages a corporation. Corporate directors are responsible for making decisions regarding the supervision of the entire enterprise as well as their products and services... Show more	$49-112
   Program Supervisor	A program supervisor is a professional who coordinates and monitors the scheduling and technical performance of company programs. Program supervisors aid in negotiating contracts and are responsible for any contractual changes... Show more	$17-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CRM
   • Lead Generation
   • ROI
   • Project Management
   • SR
   • Product Development
   • Program Development
   • Executive Management
   • Program Management
   • Oversight
   • Business Development
   • Emerging Technologies
   • Professional Development
   • Medicare

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage public file and other FCC documents.
   • Lead the central PMO team for programs, data governance.
   • Manage activity coordinators, CNA's, van drivers, and volunteers.
   • Manage and direct school age childcare, day camp, sports, and teens programs.
   • Work closely with landlords and other community leaders to generate housing leads for homeless veterans.
   • Manage day-to-day operations including oversight of the editorial calendar, $1MM+ budget, and 8-10 staff producers and freelancers.

   More director of senior programs duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors of senior programs' average salary in hawaii is 75% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of senior programs 69% less than senior-level directors of senior programs.
   • Certifications. A director of senior programs 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 senior programs's salary.

   Average director of senior programs salary

   $97,675yearly

   $46.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of senior programs salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average director of senior programs salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$139,938	$67
   2	New York	$137,735	$66
   3	California	$130,966	$63
   4	District of Columbia	$124,872	$60
   5	Maryland	$122,518	$59
   6	New Jersey	$120,243	$58
   7	Massachusetts	$117,801	$57
   8	North Carolina	$108,481	$52
   9	Georgia	$107,858	$52
   10	Virginia	$107,502	$52
   11	Delaware	$107,266	$52
   12	Pennsylvania	$101,365	$49
   13	Washington	$97,218	$47
   14	Kentucky	$87,807	$42
   15	Indiana	$87,494	$42
   16	Illinois	$87,359	$42
   17	Tennessee	$86,517	$42
   18	Alabama	$86,508	$42
   19	Texas	$85,770	$41
   20	New Mexico	$85,473	$41

   Average director of senior programs salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cytokinetics	$212,878	$102.35
   2	CHRISTUS Health	$206,551	$99.30	3
   3	Palo Alto Networks	$203,866	$98.01
   4	GradyHealth	$203,754	$97.96	2
   5	AstraZeneca	$201,411	$96.83
   6	New York University	$199,197	$95.77	6
   7	Boehringer Ingelheim	$198,782	$95.57	9
   8	Citi	$193,641	$93.10	1
   9	Eli Lilly and Company	$186,899	$89.86	4
   10	Stanford University	$184,653	$88.78	19
   11	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$180,776	$86.91	22
   12	Oracle	$179,819	$86.45	189
   13	Microsoft	$178,179	$85.66	3
   14	UBS	$176,656	$84.93
   15	Northern Cochise Community Hospital	$174,939	$84.11
   16	Publicis Sapient	$173,934	$83.62
   17	Abt Associates	$172,949	$83.15
   18	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	$171,407	$82.41
   19	Salesforce	$170,811	$82.12	5
   20	Baylor College of Medicine	$168,900	$81.20

4. Writing a director of senior programs job description

   A director of senior programs 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 senior programs job description:

   Director of senior programs job description example

   REMOTE WORK APPROVED
   
   The Director/ Senior Director, Clinical Program Quality Assurance is responsible for managing and performing critical Clinical Quality Assurance activities in support of FibroGen Clinical Development programs. This position plays an essential role in ensuring that FibroGen's clinical trials are conducted in compliance with Global Health Authority regulations, ICH Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, and internal FibroGen policy, procedures, and processes.
   
   Note: FibroGen Quality reports directly to the CEO. As such, all Quality functions, including Clinical Quality Assurance, are independent Quality units.
   
   Specific Duties
   Provide GCP compliance and risk identification/mitigation guidance to clinical Study Operational Teams.Manage the root cause analysis, impact assessment, and development of the relevant CAPAs for significant GCP events in accordance with Health Authority Expectations. Review/assess Clinical Study Protocols/Amendments, Risk Management Plans, Investigator Oversight/Monitoring plans, Informed Consent Form Master Templates, Case Report Forms, and other essential Clinical Study documents prior to final approval and issuance.Partner with Clinical Study Operations Teams in developing study-specific assessments/audit plans (SSAPs), which detail how/when Investigator Sites and Vendors are audited.Perform QA reviews/assessments of in-process clinical trial documentation and associated documents (e.g., Informed Consent Documents, CRFs, Clinical Study Reports, Trial Master File documents, etc.), as appropriate, to ensure compliance with relevant procedures, standards, and regulations.Perform for-cause and directed assessments/audits as needed to support the effective management and execution of Fibrogen's Clinical ProgramsServe as the Clinical Quality Assurance Study Operations Team representative in the Vendor selection and qualification process.Collect and analyze CQA's site and vendor assessment/audit risks with the relevant Study Operations Teams to ensure FibroGen's compliance with ICH E6 (R2)'s expectations for sponsor oversight.Provide training on GCP quality and compliance topics internally (i.e., Clinical Development/Operations, Quality) and externally (i.e., Clinical Investigators, Industry Conferences) Support inspection readiness efforts and revise existing processes (as needed) to incorporate changes to the regulatory landscape and inspection modalities (i.e., remote/hybrid models) Assist/Lead in hosting Sponsor GCP Health Authority inspections and FibroGen partner audits Assist/Lead in the development of Clinical QMS policies and procedures
   
   Requirements:
   Minimum of 10 years of GCP Quality/GCP Compliance experience. Additional experience in a Clinical Operations function is preferred. B.S. or M.S. in a life sciences field.Current and strong working knowledge in the interpretation/implementation of Global Health Authority GCP Regulations, ICH/ISO Guidance Documents, and other standards governing Clinical Trials activities.Excellent verbal and written communication skills,Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, independently prioritize work, and manage multiple projects while maintaining qualityA highly diplomatic, tactful, and detail-oriented approach with exceptional critical reasoning skills Ability to deal with ambiguity, and to develop creative and pragmatic solutions to GCP compliance risk areas Experience supporting regulatory authority inspections is desired.Ideal candidate may work remotely but may be expected to travel up to 20% of the time (post-pandemic) RQAP-GCP certification is a plus.
   
   FibroGen is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender identity/expression, creed, national origin/ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship, status, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.FibroGen will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
   
   E-Verify: Notice to all Prospective Employees
   
   Notice to Recruiters and Search Firms
   FibroGen makes every effort to source and hire its staff through direct recruitment methods. Employment opportunities at FibroGen are managed by our internal human resources team. Please do not contact hiring managers or other FibroGen employees.
   
   FibroGen does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than from the candidates themselves. FibroGen does not accept unsolicited communications from external recruiters. If there is a specific business need, a human resources team member will contact external recruiters directly.
   
   An agency or independent recruiter must have a current, signed agreement and a work order for a specific position with FibroGen before presenting candidates and must be presented to human resources. Submission of unsolicited resumes without a signed agreement and an applicable work order will not create an obligation on the part of FibroGen to pay a fee of any kind.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors of senior programs, 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 senior programs

   Once you've decided on a perfect director of senior programs candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of senior programs. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a director of senior programs?