How to hire a director of user experience

How to hire a director of user experience, step by step

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

What does a director of user experience do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of user experience 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

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

   Here's a comparison of director of user experience salaries for various roles:

   Type of Director Of User Experience	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of User Experience	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.	$42-96
   Sales And Marketing Manager	Marketing managers are experts in marketing a product or business. They take charge of a lot of responsibilities in the business... Show more	$20-74
   Marketing Manager	Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities... Show more	$34-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • User Experience
   • Sketch
   • Human Centered Design
   • UI
   • User Research
   • Customer Service
   • Visual Design
   • Interaction Design
   • Digital Transformation
   • Product Management
   • Product Design
   • Invision
   • Prototyping
   • Digital Marketing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage front-end developers as UI design is implemented; rework and refine usability throughout product development.
   • Design and develop custom WordPress themes for clients using PHP, MySQL, HTML, and CSS.
   • Use HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript knowledge to fine tune layout, functionality, micro-interactions and development.
   • Supervise social media campaigns to grow Facebook fan base.
   • Launch the CFO's performance dashboard - inclusive of critical-to-quality KPIs.
   • Support the business development team's efforts by quickly prototyping product concepts.

   More director of user experience duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of user experience job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A director of user experience 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 user experience in Kentucky may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level director of user experience usually earns less than a senior-level director of user experience. Additionally, a director of user experience 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 user experience salary

   $133,732yearly

   $64.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of user experience salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average director of user experience salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$165,624	$80
   2	Rhode Island	$159,562	$77
   3	New Jersey	$153,638	$74
   4	New York	$140,743	$68
   5	Massachusetts	$134,400	$65
   6	Connecticut	$132,398	$64
   7	South Carolina	$130,783	$63
   8	Pennsylvania	$129,512	$62
   9	Delaware	$128,758	$62
   10	Washington	$128,637	$62
   11	Virginia	$128,029	$62
   12	District of Columbia	$126,480	$61
   13	Michigan	$125,335	$60
   14	Maryland	$125,208	$60
   15	Texas	$125,083	$60
   16	Georgia	$123,948	$60
   17	North Carolina	$121,619	$58
   18	Arizona	$118,531	$57
   19	Illinois	$115,875	$56
   20	Utah	$111,967	$54

   Average director of user experience salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Roku	$205,890	$98.99	5
   2	PayPal	$189,494	$91.10	27
   3	Meta	$179,372	$86.24	188
   4	Eventbrite	$174,073	$83.69
   5	Google	$173,189	$83.26	152
   6	Nike	$173,004	$83.17	10
   7	Squarespace	$171,610	$82.50	2
   8	Palo Alto Networks	$168,821	$81.16	39
   9	University of Maryland Medical System	$165,502	$79.57
   10	ZS	$164,828	$79.24	4
   11	F5	$164,713	$79.19	1
   12	Databricks	$162,993	$78.36	8
   13	The Walt Disney Company	$162,835	$78.29	29
   14	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$159,922	$76.89
   15	Unity Technologies	$159,903	$76.88
   16	Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurants	$159,304	$76.59	1
   17	Shapeways	$158,668	$76.28
   18	Power Home Remodeling	$158,024	$75.97
   19	Parkland Hospital	$157,389	$75.67
   20	PlayStation	$157,043	$75.50	1

4. Writing a director of user experience job description

   A director of user experience 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 user experience job description:

   Director of user experience job description example

   WW is looking for candidates to help change people's lives. We are a global wellness technology company inspiring millions of people to adopt healthy habits for real life. We do this through engaging digital experiences, face-to-face workshops and sustainable programs that encourage people to move more, shift their mindset and eat healthier while enjoying the foods they love. By drawing on over five decades of experience and expertise in behavioral science, we build communities in order to deliver wellness for all.
   
   We are looking for a Head of UX Research to lead and grow our team of UX Researchers on a quest to understand and advocate for what people need and why throughout their health and wellness journey. We use qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide actionable information to our design, product, tech and business partners in a test and learn oriented organization. This is your opportunity to lead a team working to make the world a healthier place.
   Key Responsibilities:
   Lead the team through projects spanning from ambiguous and strategic to tactical and evaluative.Take a human centered approach to understand unmet needs, pain points, mental models, test and iterate potential directions, and evaluate solutions. Partner with design, product, engineering, and business partners / SME's to frame and prioritize problems. Collaborate with other teams (e.g., Analytics, Behavioral Science, etc.) to triangulate quantitative and qualitative data to better understand and describe customer behavior Demonstrate passion for the customer and the ability to empathize with those seeking support for health and weight management /wellness-related issues Effectively communicate at all levels of the organization; applying storytelling techniques to findings that are easy to grasp and action Motivate, guide, and inspire your direct reports helping them hone their craft and maximize their effectiveness/impact Grow the team to support priority product areas and an organizational culture of testing and learning Demonstrate leadership as a practitioner project with cross-functional partners on strategic priorities Build maintain and leverage strategic insight frameworks that help to uncover and understand opportunities, gaps and pain points in our experiences and collaborate with cross functional partners to address Evolve research processes and best practices to provide both efficiency and effectiveness across WW's many initiatives Prioritize competing needs, manage team resourcing, and general UXR project management Create fun and engaging ways to bring the team together
   
   Requirements:
   BA/BS degree in Human Factors, HCI, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Anthropology, a related field or equivalent practical experience8+ years experience conducting user research through methods such as semi-structured interviews, field research, in-person or remote usability tests An established leader, with 3+ years experience managing people. Bonus points for previously working at a mission-driven organization.Expert at asking questions and actively listening; able to hear/uncover what's not being said Strong communicator, expressing findings and insights through whatever means necessary to tell the story Passionate learner, dedicated to the craft of research and its various methodologies Strong leader and coach who fosters independence Skilled in providing, and loves receiving, actionable feedback (positive and constructive) Strong understanding of, and ability to articulate, the advantages and disadvantages of different research methods, and are able to effectively apply methods appropriately during the product development process.Value collaboration, communication, diversity, and inclusivity; recognize that experience comes in many forms Proven ability to build, manage, and mentor high-performing teams
   
   Please be prepared to share 2-3 examples of projects you've worked on in a research and/or management capacity
   
   #LI-remote
   
   At WW, it is our priority to cultivate a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are committed as individuals, as an organization, and as fellow humans, to advocate for and support our employees, our members, and our communities. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, marital status, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right director of user experience 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.

   To find director of user experience candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of user experience 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. 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 user experience

   Once you've selected the best director of user experience candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   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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