How to hire an emergency services director

How to hire an emergency services director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step emergency services director hiring guide:

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

What does an emergency services director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an emergency services director, 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

   An emergency services director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, emergency services directors 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 emergency services directors.

   Type of Emergency Services Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Emergency Services Director	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$38-109
   Patient Care Manager	Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization... Show more	$17-56
   Clinical Manager	A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity... Show more	$26-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patient Care
   • Patients
   • Emergency Services
   • Acls
   • Employee Engagement
   • Acute Care
   • Oversight
   • Emergency Medicine
   • Patient Safety
   • EMS
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Infection Control
   • CPR
   • Medical Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a team of 33 FTE's and 20 per diem staff members
   • Activate and manage the EOC for emergencies relate to weather, flooding, hurricanes, national security events, etc.
   • Manage the strategic oversight and operational performance for the department.
   • Manage PPS details efficiently to ensure high quality clinical care while maximizing reimbursement for the facility.
   • Facilitate QA and peer review activities.
   • Partner with manager to develop off-site pulmonary rehabilitation services at a newly construct outpatient facility; emphasis on individualize customer care.

   More emergency services director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the emergency services director job description is a good way to get more applicants. An emergency services director 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 an emergency services director in Arizona may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level emergency services director. Additionally, an emergency services director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average emergency services director salary

   $135,799yearly

   $65.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level emergency services director salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average emergency services director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Hampshire	$185,524	$89
   2	Connecticut	$178,051	$86
   3	New York	$176,905	$85
   4	New Jersey	$176,880	$85
   5	Massachusetts	$168,389	$81
   6	California	$161,049	$77
   7	Maryland	$160,498	$77
   8	North Carolina	$158,404	$76
   9	Virginia	$155,596	$75
   10	Minnesota	$149,468	$72
   11	Ohio	$148,159	$71
   12	Nevada	$146,449	$70
   13	Missouri	$145,406	$70
   14	Michigan	$135,753	$65
   15	Alabama	$134,423	$65
   16	Kentucky	$127,745	$61
   17	Illinois	$126,039	$61
   18	New Mexico	$124,189	$60
   19	Texas	$120,840	$58
   20	Louisiana	$119,894	$58

   Average emergency services director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Baltimore City Community College	$262,640	$126.27
   2	Community Health Systems	$184,530	$88.72	181
   3	Pacific Gas and Electric	$183,085	$88.02
   4	SACH S.A.	$176,726	$84.96	2
   5	University Health	$176,499	$84.86	7
   6	Ethos Veterinary Health	$168,920	$81.21	41
   7	Barclays	$168,353	$80.94
   8	The Hartford	$165,040	$79.35
   9	West Virginia University	$162,999	$78.36
   10	Workiva	$161,035	$77.42
   11	Piedmont Healthcare	$159,365	$76.62	18
   12	All Medical Personnel	$158,134	$76.03	7
   13	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$156,644	$75.31	9
   14	Wood County Hospital	$154,824	$74.43
   15	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	$154,448	$74.25	4
   16	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$154,215	$74.14	15
   17	Tift Regional Medical Center	$153,644	$73.87
   18	PSEG	$152,580	$73.36	1
   19	CHRISTUS Health	$149,552	$71.90	35
   20	Emory University	$148,714	$71.50	28

4. Writing an emergency services director job description

   An emergency services director 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 an emergency services director job description:

   Emergency services director job description example

   As EMS Program Medical Director the incumbent shall provide medical oversight of the Emergency Medical Services Program including review and approval of the educational content of the program and the evaluation of student's progress through the program; ensuring the competency of each graduate; and engaging in cooperative involvement with the program director.
   Responsibilities/Duties
   
   Responsibilities: The medical director must be responsible for medical oversight of the program, and must:
   
   1) review and approve the educational content of the program curriculum for appropriateness, medical accuracy, and reflection of current evidence-informed prehospital or emergency care practice.
   
   2) review and approve the required minimum numbers for each of the required patient contacts and procedures listed in these Standards.
   
   3) review and approve the instruments and processes used to evaluate students in didactic, laboratory, clinical, and field internship,
   
   4) review the progress of each student throughout the program, and assist in the determination of appropriate corrective measures, when necessary. Corrective measures should occur in the cases of adverse outcomes, failing academic performance, and disciplinary action.
   
   5) ensure the competence of each graduate of the program in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains,
   
   6) engage in cooperative involvement with the program director,
   
   7) ensure the effectiveness and quality of any Medical Director responsibilities delegated to another qualified physician.
   
   8) ensure educational interaction of physicians with students.
   
   The Medical Director interaction should be in a variety of settings, such as lecture, laboratory, clinical, field internship. Interaction may be by synchronous electronic methods.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   Qualifications: The Medical Director must:
   
   1) be a physician currently licensed and authorized to practice in the State of Maryland, with experience and current knowledge of emergency care of acutely ill and injured patients,
   
   2) have adequate training or experience in the delivery of out-of-hospital emergency care, including the proper care and transport of patients, medical direction, and quality improvement in out-of-hospital care,
   
   3) be an active member of the local medical community and participate in professional activities related to out-of-hospital care,
   
   4) be knowledgeable about the education of the Emergency Medical Services Professions, including professional, legislative and regulatory issues regarding the education of the Emergency Medical Services Professions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with emergency services director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 emergency services director

   Once you've decided on a perfect emergency services director 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 emergency services director. 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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How much does it cost to hire an emergency services director?