How to hire an energy director

How to hire an energy director, step by step

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

What does an energy director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the energy director you need to hire. Certain energy director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

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

   The following list breaks down different types of energy directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Energy Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Energy Director	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.	$36-82
   Board Member	Board members are fiduciaries of an organization leading it to its sustainable development. They are elected by its board of directors or its supervisory committee... Show more	$12-95
   Chief Finance Officer	A chief financial officer is responsible for managing and reviewing the financial status of a company. Chief financial officers' duties include ensuring the accuracy of financial reports, monitoring the company's expenses and budget goals, providing recommendations to prevent financial loss and increase revenues, processing the company's tax obligations, and resolving financial disputes... Show more	$38-123

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Renewable Energy
   • Project Management
   • Market Research
   • Energy Efficiency
   • Business Development
   • Sustainability
   • Direct Reports
   • Contract Negotiations
   • Risk Management
   • HVAC
   • Financial Analysis
   • NYSE
   • Product Development
   • CRM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all financial functions including controlling/accounting, board and regulatory reporting, treasury and cash management, and asset/liability management.
   • Invent and commercialize next generation disinfecting/antibacterial wipes for the healthcare industry which incorporate novel antimicrobial technology, delivers longer bacteria kill-time.
   • Work for SCE in Rosemead preparing federal lands applications for SCE energy and transmission projects.

   More energy director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your energy director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An energy director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, energy directors' average salary in arkansas is 58% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level energy directors earn 56% less than senior-level energy directors.
   • Certifications. An energy director 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 an energy director's salary.

   Average energy director salary

   $114,095yearly

   $54.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level energy director salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average energy director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$144,916	$70
   2	New York	$141,316	$68
   3	Maryland	$138,575	$67
   4	Massachusetts	$133,195	$64
   5	California	$131,042	$63
   6	District of Columbia	$129,535	$62
   7	Ohio	$129,198	$62
   8	Virginia	$124,326	$60
   9	Oregon	$119,275	$57
   10	Minnesota	$114,681	$55
   11	Missouri	$110,411	$53
   12	Texas	$109,448	$53
   13	Michigan	$108,177	$52
   14	Illinois	$107,000	$51
   15	New Mexico	$106,344	$51
   16	Arizona	$105,964	$51
   17	Pennsylvania	$101,455	$49
   18	West Virginia	$96,442	$46
   19	North Carolina	$94,826	$46
   20	Georgia	$93,376	$45

   Average energy director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$182,813	$87.89	76
   2	Guidehouse	$157,245	$75.60	11
   3	Palo Alto Networks	$148,985	$71.63
   4	BNP Paribas	$144,709	$69.57
   5	The Rockefeller Foundation	$130,421	$62.70
   6	Microsoft	$123,132	$59.20	2
   7	Edison Electric Institute	$121,807	$58.56
   8	South Dakota Board Of Regents	$121,435	$58.38	2
   9	Credit Agricole CIB	$120,869	$58.11	1
   10	The Home Depot	$119,891	$57.64
   11	KPMG LLP	$115,483	$55.52	14
   12	Goodman Manufacturing	$115,089	$55.33
   13	Commonwealth	$110,591	$53.17
   14	RBS Securities	$107,743	$51.80
   15	Anheuser-Busch	$104,749	$50.36
   16	Environmental Defense Fund	$103,586	$49.80
   17	Amec Foster Wheeler	$102,960	$49.50
   18	CB Richard Ellis Memphis LLC	$102,960	$49.50
   19	California	$102,960	$49.50
   20	*n/a*	$102,777	$49.41	1

4. Writing an energy director job description

   An energy 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an energy director job description:

   Energy director job description example

   At World Fuel Services, our employees are the key to our global success. We are industry leaders due to the innumerable talents of our approximately 5000 strong professional team. Our people thrive in an entrepreneurial and culturally-diverse environment, where innovative thinking, collaboration and efficient execution are highly valued. Our high-performance culture is what allows us to drive sustained growth. Stronger together, we promote an environment where individuals can thrive.
   
   When you click 'Apply', you will need to click on 'Create Account'. By creating an account, you will be able to view your applications and their statuses. Your password must contain 1 upper case letter, 1 number, and 1 special character.
   World Fuel Services, is an equal
   opportunity/affirmative
   action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   The Director, Renewable Energy Solutions will be responsible for initiating, growing and managing relationships with renewable project developers in the North American practice.
   
   This is a critical role that provides comprehensive support for the operational delivery of customer mandates and services within the practice. The ideal candidate should have experience working for and/or negotiating with utility scale renewable project developers and owner/operators, and potentially experience with onsite behind-the-meter developers, as well. The candidate must possess excellent negotiation, communication and relationship building skills.
   
   Key duties and responsibilities will include:
   Lead, develop and manage Developer Relations (Onsite and Offsite Developers) Manage and grow existing Developer relationships Foster, develop and drive new Developer relationships and potential future partnerships Develop the review, tracking and cataloguing of Developer/Producer/Investor Landscape and ecosystem Support leadership of early-stage team activity on new or emerging business or operational models Enable insight to power markets, PPA and offtake from the Developer perspective, Developer M&A activity, project buy/sell and dynamics for equity/debt investment in renewable power generation Contribute to Research and development activity on Markets and Long-Term ForecastingSupport leadership and analytics team regarding 3rd Party Forecasting and market inputs Support the operational delivery on execution of Customer mandates through renewable project identification, evaluation and negotiation Contribute to evaluation of offtake and pricing structures for Power in North American markets, with a lens across the entire value chain.Drive high quality understanding of market opportunities and data analysis in support of commercial negotiations and offtake agreements Support customer mandates/programs via provision of markets/developer insight and market expertise Review and research relevant commercial, technical and regulatory energy market developments Contribute to team understanding of North American wholesale energy markets and the components shaping their evolution, including: supply, demand and marginal price; carbon markets, capacity markets, generation stack, transmission and storage Maintaining functional knowledge of Renewable Energy market trends, opportunities and new technologies Drive the capture of project learnings and actionable intelligence into categorisation and in-house data and information libraries.Translate and consolidate research and analysis into clear visualisation or stories Business InnovationContribute to development of product & evolution of business model(s) Develop business case, define program initiatives and work collaboratively across team, functions and across matrix teams to develop and foster initiatives that drive success Continually work with cross-functional and cross-geographic teams collaboratively for optimal success
   
   PERSON SPECIFICATION (BACKGROUND AND SKILLS):
   Essential:
   10-15 years of energy or renewable energy experience, ideally working for a developer of solar PV, onshore or offshore wind and other technologies Deep Knowledge of Long-Term Power Purchase Agreements and Onsite Power Generation in one or multiple geographies.Deep Knowledge of North American Wholesale Power market and Power StructuringComprehensive understanding of North American power market mechanics, pricing and hedging behaviours, market actors and grid and permitting dynamics Broad understanding of Financial modelling and Renewable Energy Procurement AnalyticsBroad understanding of renewable energy incentive and regulatory structures. Excellent research skills and ability to synthesize information and logically structure findings Technical understanding of energy systems and renewable energy technologies Strong problem-solving, mathematical, financial modelling and organizational skills Business and financial acumen plus driven on customer-service orientation Effective communications skills (written, verbal and presentation) Effective team player who excels at performing in a collaborative environment
   Bachelors or Masters degree in Engineering, Finance or Sustainability or similar Experience in Corporate or Producer Investment Decision making People Management, Coaching and/or mentoring
   
   #LI-SB1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find energy 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 energy directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level energy 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 energy director job on Zippia to find and recruit energy director 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 energy directors, 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 energy director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the energy director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new energy 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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