How to hire a division chief

How to hire a division chief, step by step

Here's a step-by-step division chief hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a division chief job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new division chief
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a division chief do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a division chief, 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 division chief's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, division chiefs 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 division chiefs and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Division Chief	Description	Hourly rate
   Division Chief	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$17-97
   Owner/Manager	Owners/managers are responsible for establishing a business and managing the operations once the business is running. They plan and make sure that the company has adequate financing... Show more	$21-62
   Manager	Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department... Show more	$17-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Rehabilitation
   • Human Resources
   • Professional Development
   • Training Programs
   • Logistical Support
   • DOD
   • Risk Management
   • EMS
   • Technical Assistance
   • Combatant Commands
   • Law Enforcement
   • Program Management
   • Manpower

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Protect valuable banking, insurance and healthcare customer relationships while managing client global communication needs and adhering to regulatory compliance standards.
   • Provide oversight to investigations as required, to include record searches, interviews and automate information retrieval.
   • Re-Envision and realign important strategic relationships among DOD senior leadership to ensure unify communications and decision making.
   • Provide oversight on all policies pertaining to organizational safety, instructor certification program, and special recognition programs.
   • Research and develop country cooperation plan to facilitate partnerships and ensure efforts are synchronized with other DoD agencies.
   • Protect valuable banking, insurance and healthcare customer relationships while managing client global communication needs and adhering to regulatory compliance standards.

   More division chief duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the division chief job description is a good way to get more applicants. A division chief salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a division chief in Iowa may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level division chief. Additionally, a division chief with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average division chief salary

   $86,913yearly

   $41.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level division chief salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average division chief salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$148,039	$71
   2	California	$146,544	$70
   3	New York	$141,958	$68
   4	Massachusetts	$125,630	$60
   5	District of Columbia	$119,734	$58
   6	Oregon	$110,498	$53
   7	Virginia	$105,913	$51
   8	Delaware	$98,914	$48
   9	Maryland	$93,140	$45
   10	Wisconsin	$90,743	$44
   11	Arizona	$87,979	$42
   12	Colorado	$86,708	$42
   13	Pennsylvania	$85,786	$41
   14	Ohio	$85,397	$41
   15	Texas	$82,407	$40
   16	Utah	$78,401	$38
   17	Michigan	$76,407	$37
   18	New Mexico	$73,774	$35
   19	Georgia	$70,705	$34
   20	Nebraska	$65,793	$32

   Average division chief salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	$208,462	$100.22	2
   2	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$200,301	$96.30	3
   3	Baystate Health	$190,069	$91.38
   4	New York University	$188,247	$90.50	4
   5	Inter-American Development Bank	$187,831	$90.30
   6	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	$184,025	$88.47	4
   7	Dayton Children's Hospital	$181,683	$87.35
   8	Stanford University	$180,416	$86.74	23
   9	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$176,138	$84.68	4
   10	National Medical Association	$175,515	$84.38
   11	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$171,041	$82.23	5
   12	UMass Memorial Health	$164,710	$79.19
   13	Mount Sinai Health System	$161,928	$77.85	20
   14	UMiami Health System	$159,547	$76.71	2
   15	Anne Arundel Medical Center	$157,490	$75.72
   16	UT Southwestern Medical Center	$156,888	$75.43	20
   17	Emory University	$154,423	$74.24	8
   18	National Park Foundation	$151,742	$72.95
   19	Berkshire Medical Center	$142,567	$68.54
   20	NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital	$142,105	$68.32

4. Writing a division chief job description

   A good division chief job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a division chief job description:

   Division chief job description example

   The Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine is currently recruiting a Division Chief of Neuro-Oncology at the Associate or Full Professor level in the University Medical Line (UML), University Tenure Line (UTL) or Clinician Educator line (CE). Faculty rank will be determined by the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.
   
   + The predominant criterion for appointment in the **University Tenure Line** is a major commitment to research and teaching.
   
   + The major criteria for appointment for faculty in the **University Medical Line** shall be excellence in the overall mix of clinical care, clinical teaching, scholarly activity that advances clinical medicine, and institutional service appropriate to the programmatic need the individual is expected to fulfill.
   
   + The predominant criterion for appointment in the **Clinician Educator Line** is clinical service and teaching.
   
   The Division Chief provides overall leadership for all academic, clinical and research activities within the department and School of Medicine related to adult Neuro-Oncology.In addition to the administrative responsibilities of this position, the individual will share in the clinical responsibilities with other faculty members, and will be expected to establish a clinical research focus of their own or to continue and advance current research activities now in place.This leader will be responsible for future development and implementation of the clinical, educational, academic, research, and advocacy goals of the institution for adult Neuro-Oncology. The Chief will also be expected to recruit additional faculty to support clinical research within the department and to expand the clinical enterprise.
   
   The Division Chief is responsible for excellence in the overall mix of clinical care, teaching, administration and scholarship appropriate to the programmatic needs of the Division and Department. Successful applicants will be encouraged to interact with the wide range of clinical, translational and basic science programs at Stanford and to advance the development of a nationally recognized adult neuro-oncology clinical research program at Stanford.
   
   Responsibilities will include out-patient and in-patient care of neuro-oncology patients, teaching of medical students, residents and clinical fellows, and clinical research. For qualified candidates, opportunities are available to participate in research, quality improvement, and development of innovative clinical and research programs. Faculty may work in our hospital and clinics at Stanford Health Care, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and outreach sites in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   **Qualifications**
   We are seeking a candidate who combines proven leadership skills with an outstanding record of academic accomplishment, a dedication to excellence in clinical, research, and educational missions, and an understanding of the complexity of academic medicine. Candidates should be an accomplished physician-investigators with national/international reputation. Necessary qualifications include a medical degree or equivalent; Neuro-Oncology fellowship training and/or an established record of excellence in Neuro-Oncology; ABPN board certification or eligibility; UCNS certification or eligibility in Neuro-Oncology; eligibility for a California medical license; and suitable clinical, teaching, and scholarship experience.
   **Application Instructions**
   **Review of applications will begin immediately.**
   Interested candidates should submit a copy of their curriculum vitae, a statement/letter of intent outlining their interests, and names of 3 references.
   **Equal Employment Opportunity Statement**
   _Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Stanford welcomes applications from all who would bring additional dimensions to the University’s research, teaching and clinical missions._
   The Neurology Department, School of Medicine, and Stanford University value faculty who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates may optionally include as part of their research or teaching statement a brief discussion of how their work will further these ideals.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit division chiefs, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 division chief

   Once you've found the division chief 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new division chief. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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