How to hire a director, program and project management

How to hire a director, program and project management, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director, program and project management 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, program and project management's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors, program and project management 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of directors, program and project management and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Director, Program And Project Management	Description	Hourly rate
   Director, Program And Project Management		$40-92
   Project Director	A project director is a professional responsible for supervising workers from various departments given specific tasks to complete a given project. They create a budget to complete a job while monitoring the amount of money spent to ensure that overspending is avoided... Show more	$33-77
   Management Consultant	A management consultant's responsibility focuses on conducting an in-depth analysis of a company or business, including its target market. Through their findings, they can devise strategies that will help the business grow and attain a significant profit... Show more	$34-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Azure
   • Risk Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Cloud
   • PMI
   • RFP
   • Program Management
   • Business Development
   • PMP
   • Governance
   • Infrastructure
   • PMO
   • Status Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage legacy PeopleSoft enterprise resource planning (ERP) transition to new platform.
   • Develop full SDLC project plans, schedules, project estimates, and manage project budgets and schedules.
   • Manage and maintain all documentation utilizing SharePoint.
   • Manage PMO staff activities to ensure operational consistency.
   • Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
   • Collaborate with enterprise team in RFP creation and review with resource and product vendors.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, directors, program and project management' average salary in nebraska is 37% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors, program and project management earn 56% less than senior-level directors, program and project management.
   • Certifications. A director, program and project management 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, program and project management's salary.

   Average director, program and project management salary

   $127,842yearly

   $61.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director, program and project management salary

   $84,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a director, program and project management job description

   A director, program and project management 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a director, program and project management job description:

   Director, program and project management job description example

   Are you interested in working for a purpose-driven organization that is owned by, and accountable to, its members-not its shareholders? Where you can collaborate with teams that help deliver products and services to over 1.3 million members? Then read on-BECU might just be the right fit for you.
   
   BECU is a national leader among financial institutions. With over $29 billion in assets, we're among the largest credit unions in the nation. We've been in business for over 86 years, serving the financial well-being of our community and helping our members achieve life-long financial goals.
   Here's what else sets us apart:
   
   Our members-first ethos.Unique benefits, perks and workplace culture.Philanthropy and community involvement.Remote, flexible and hybrid work opportunities.
   
   To learn more visit becu.org/careers.
   
   SUMMARY
   
   The Director Enterprise Program and Project Management (EPMO) will lead program and project management portfolio teams at BECU. This role is accountable for brokering the alignment of people, process, and tools necessary to successfully deliver on initiatives by applying the use of project management methodologies, tools, and processes to effectively manage the Project delivery lifecycle. In conjunction with senior leadership, this role will proactively identify project interdependencies across initiatives and business units and manage and influence issue resolution.
   
   RESPONSIBILITIES
   Perform all responsibilities in accordance with BECU Competencies, compliance, regulatory and Information Protection requirements.Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and training to develop and encourage employee performance. Meet with staff on a timely basis for the purpose of conducting performance reviews.Oversee and direct Project Managers for the delivery of complex projects/programs, that span multiple lines of businesses or departments, are on time, within scope and on budget.Oversee the management of the program and project teams' budget tracking and financial reconciliation for all program and projects.Partner with Business Solutions and Engineering to ensure projects are clearly scoped, requirements are gathered, and project, budget and resource plans are defined.Manage risk, issues and change resolution process, and provide expert advice and recommendations in collaboration with other leaders to take corrective action as needed.Lead progression of program, project and product development and delivery frameworks (e.g., Waterfall, Agile) with focus on continuous improvement and communicate and partner with all applicable stakeholders. Provide executive leaders with the information needed to assess which proposals have the highest potential value, impact, and strategic alignment, define project priorities and implementation opportunities and challenges to keep them up to date with project risks and opportunities.Produce regular and ad-hoc reports on project performance and status as requested.Partner with Enterprise Agility team to lead the continual progression of Agile frameworks at BECU, maintaining a focus on continuous improvement.Partner with the Enterprise Strategic Services (ESS) portfolio management team to advance portfolio management practices and reporting across the EPMO and BECU.Lead organizational change management efforts around changes to EPMO initiatives, processes, policies, and standards.Identify key drivers of success and keep teams focused on critical path items to achieve results.Act as an escalation point for the EPMO and support removal of organizational impediments.Perform additional duties as assigned.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS
   Bachelor's degree computer science, business administration or other related discipline, or equivalent education or work experience required. Advanced degree preferred.Minimum 7 years of management experience required.Minimum 8 years of functional experience required. Previous experience managing projects, programs or portfolios required.Demonstrated experience effectively communicating with senior leadership and executive levels required. Effective servant leadership and negotiation skills required.Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.Demonstrated experience in short range (one year) and long range (three to five years) planning required.Demonstrated expertise with Agile principles required.Effective communicator at all levels, in both structured and non-hierarchical informal structures.Proven ability to work independently and as a team member while using discretion in decision making and sound judgement in problem solving required.Proven ability to solve complex problems or issues in creative and effective ways required.Excellent analytical skills required.Full-time hours required, with additional hours as necessary.
   
   EEO Statement:
   BECU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status.

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5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors, program and project management 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.

   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, program and project management

   Once you've selected the best director, program and project management 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 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director, program and project management. 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.)

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