How to hire an executive director

How to hire an executive director, step by step

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

What does an executive director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The executive director 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?

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   Hiring the perfect executive director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of executive directors.

   Type of Executive Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Director	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$36-102
   Chief Of Staff	A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive... Show more	$40-96
   Chief Operating Officer	A chief operating officer, also known as a COO, is a high-ranking official who oversees a company or organization's daily administrative and overall operations. They are typically the second in the chain of command, reporting directly to the company's chief executive officer, also known as a CEO... Show more	$38-110

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Financial Management
   • Business Development
   • Home Health
   • Strategic Plan
   • Human Resources
   • State Regulations
   • Project Management
   • Non-Profit Organization
   • Compassion
   • Professional Development
   • Government Agencies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 10 department heads who supervise a staff of 350 FTE's.
   • Develop and manage sales teams to assure the highest ROI on the client's investment.
   • Create and manage a call center for lead programs to support the prospecting activity needs of the FSR.
   • Freelance blogging to increase website views and ultimately to turn organic content into leads and ROI for small businesses.
   • Market and manage group and individual insurance programs including health, life, disability, long term care and annuities.
   • Major accomplishment are to achieve initial NAEYC accreditation.

   More executive director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average executive director salary

   $127,956yearly

   $61.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive director salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average executive director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$150,937	$73
   2	California	$133,268	$64
   3	Connecticut	$128,485	$62
   4	New Jersey	$128,166	$62
   5	Delaware	$121,477	$58
   6	Texas	$121,065	$58
   7	Arizona	$118,468	$57
   8	District of Columbia	$117,302	$56
   9	Georgia	$111,465	$54
   10	Florida	$111,087	$53
   11	Maryland	$108,925	$52
   12	Illinois	$105,692	$51
   13	Massachusetts	$105,250	$51
   14	Ohio	$103,180	$50
   15	Virginia	$101,892	$49
   16	North Carolina	$101,758	$49
   17	Washington	$98,778	$47
   18	Pennsylvania	$95,686	$46
   19	Wisconsin	$95,103	$46
   20	Minnesota	$94,870	$46

   Average executive director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Genentech	$259,417	$124.72	16
   2	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$241,855	$116.28	1
   3	Amgen	$239,263	$115.03	35
   4	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$238,151	$114.50	25
   5	Allergan plc	$236,797	$113.84	1
   6	Regeneron	$236,298	$113.60	30
   7	The New York Times Company	$235,381	$113.16	6
   8	Merck	$235,365	$113.16	37
   9	Stanford Health Care	$233,575	$112.30	1
   10	Incyte	$233,439	$112.23	4
   11	MacArthur Foundation	$233,312	$112.17	1
   12	AbbVie	$229,897	$110.53	107
   13	Exelixis	$227,919	$109.58	3
   14	HPS Partners	$227,764	$109.50
   15	Sutro Biopharma	$227,180	$109.22	1
   16	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$226,932	$109.10	135
   17	Eli Lilly and Company	$226,680	$108.98	70
   18	Novartis	$226,456	$108.87	118
   19	MUFG EMEA	$224,643	$108.00
   20	Santander Private Banking International	$224,382	$107.88	3

4. Writing an executive director job description

   An executive 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 executive director job description:

   Executive director job description example

   Genesis HealthCare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services from short-term to long-term care and a wide variety of living options and professional clinical services. We are changing how care is delivered by bringing together people like you -- passionate, highly skilled and motivated to make a difference.
   
   Take your career to a next level! Join Genesis as a Senior Living Community Executive Director. In this role you will lead, guide and direct all functions of the Senior Living Community to assure that the highest degree of quality care is provided to residents in accordance with government regulations and company policies.
   
   Position Highlights *Serve as a senior living community leader setting the vision, operating philosophy, goals, and culture of the facility. *Manage the community's financial standing through preparation of annual budgets for each department and meets with Department Heads monthly to ensure adherence to the established budget. *Collaborate with the Marketing Director to develop community relationships that foster resident admissions. *Promote favorable public relations and represents the center within the community, specifically with those businesses that influence the senior market. *Interview, hire and train department heads and other positions within the senior living community. *Review and evaluate the work performance of assigned personnel as well as counsel/discipline assigned personnel according to company policy.
   
   Why Genesis? We improve the lives we touch through the delivery of high-quality healthcare and everyday compassion! *We Care Deeply about YOU! Guided by our Core Values, Code of Conduct and Ethics program, we foster a culture of care and compassion. We focus on improving the quality of care through creativity and innovation, honesty and integrity in all we do. *We Develop YOU! We provide career ladders, education and training opportunities so you can build a long and successful career with Genesis. *We Appreciate YOU! We value your contributions to the Genesis mission and vision and instill an environment of teamwork and enjoyment in working together. We recognize and celebrate our shared successes. *We are Committed to YOU! We know you are the vital link between Genesis, our patients and residents! We inspire you to be your best self. *We Protect YOU! We take great pride in meeting or exceeding CDC and CMS standards. We've acquired and maintained a necessary supply of PPE, including N95/KN95 masks for all who provide care. We have in place multiple testing capabilities including Point-of-Care (POC) testing in every location according to CMS and local guidance.
   DE02
   
   Qualifications: *Must have a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience in human services management, housing management, and/or nursing center management. *A minimum of 3 years demonstrated management and supervisory experience is required. *Depending on state regulations, this position may require current license and/or certification.
   
   Position Type: Full Time
   
   
   Pay Target:
   
   Genesis HealthCare, Inc. and all affiliated entities are proud to practice Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Genesis provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, actual or perceived disability, marital status, genetic information, amnesty, or status as covered veterans in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Genesis takes affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and covered veterans. This policy is fully supported by the CEO, COO and all members of the leadership team.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right executive director 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 executive directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive directors 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 executive director job on Zippia to find and recruit executive 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 executive 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.

   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 executive director

   Once you've selected the best executive director 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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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