How to hire a head of human resources

How to hire a head of human resources, step by step

Here's a step-by-step head of human resources hiring guide:

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

What does a head of human resources do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your head of human resources job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a head of human resources for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect head of human resources 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 heads of human resources.

   Type of Head Of Human Resources	Description	Hourly rate
   Head Of Human Resources	Human resources managers plan, direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. They oversee the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top executives on strategic planning; and serve as a link between an organization’s management and its employees.	$50-122
   Employee Relations Manager	An employee relations manager's responsibilities revolve around maintaining a strong professional relationship between employees and a company's management. They are also in charge of resolving conflicts and issues within the workplace, providing technical support on all employee programs, developing orientation and workshop activities among trainees and new members of the workforce, and addressing their concerns promptly and professionally... Show more	$28-53
   Resource Manager	A resource manager's role is to provide the staffing needs of different projects, programs, and departments while coordinating with managers and supervisors. They are responsible for monitoring an employee's performance and payroll data, recommending available staff to join projects and programs, maintaining documentation and records of all transactions, and hire new staff as needed... Show more	$25-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • EEO
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • HRIS
   • Employee Engagement
   • Succession Planning
   • Strategic Plan
   • Payroll System
   • Workforce Planning
   • Organization Development
   • Employee Development
   • Professional Development
   • Business Objectives
   • Shared Services
   • Organizational Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage FMLA, general leaves of absence, and workers compensation programs.
   • Manage recruitment for personnel and initial phone screening with the use of Taleo and Visio.
   • Manage and publish several cost-savings models for Sr. level management.
   • Ensure compliance with ISO policies and procedures and perform audits.
   • Top responsible for benefits administration, recruiting, associate relations, FMLA administration.
   • Direct all HRIS transactions, including payroll for employees and freelance staff; recurring payroll tax and other filings.

   More head of human resources duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your head of human resources job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A head of human resources salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, heads of human resources' average salary in hawaii is 53% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level heads of human resources earn 59% less than senior-level heads of human resources.
   • Certifications. A head of human resources 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 head of human resources's salary.

   Average head of human resources salary

   $164,136yearly

   $78.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level head of human resources salary

   $105,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average head of human resources salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$203,592	$98
   2	Maine	$201,200	$97
   3	Washington	$196,903	$95
   4	Pennsylvania	$190,392	$92
   5	Massachusetts	$186,948	$90
   6	New York	$179,065	$86
   7	New Jersey	$177,889	$86
   8	Rhode Island	$174,642	$84
   9	North Carolina	$171,352	$82
   10	District of Columbia	$167,893	$81
   11	Texas	$165,514	$80
   12	Maryland	$164,357	$79
   13	Illinois	$162,157	$78
   14	Connecticut	$161,604	$78
   15	California	$160,341	$77
   16	Virginia	$159,568	$77
   17	Georgia	$159,302	$77
   18	Oregon	$153,167	$74
   19	Wisconsin	$146,871	$71
   20	Michigan	$144,459	$69

   Average head of human resources salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$243,174	$116.91	13
   2	Givaudan	$216,678	$104.17	2
   3	ANZ Australia	$199,642	$95.98
   4	Meta	$198,255	$95.31	48
   5	Waymo	$196,719	$94.58
   6	Sanofi US	$193,187	$92.88	24
   7	Elanco	$191,416	$92.03	3
   8	Eisai	$191,366	$92.00
   9	Alliance for Sustainable Energy	$190,073	$91.38
   10	DRW	$189,611	$91.16	1
   11	CLS	$189,414	$91.06
   12	Guy Carpenter	$187,525	$90.16
   13	Chewy	$184,531	$88.72	14
   14	Egon Zehnder	$181,821	$87.41
   15	Planet Pharma	$181,242	$87.14
   16	Morgan Stanley	$177,119	$85.15
   17	Citizens Financial Group	$176,964	$85.08	6
   18	Xperi	$176,810	$85.00
   19	Santen	$176,605	$84.91
   20	SADA	$176,453	$84.83

4. Writing a head of human resources job description

   A good head of human resources 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 head of human resources job description:

   Head of human resources job description example

   Adaptimmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel immunotherapy products for people with cancer. The Company's unique SPEAR (Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T-cell platform enables the engineering of T-cells to target and destroy cancer across multiple solid tumors.
   
   The Director, Global HR Operations will be the pioneering position to provide global operational direction and support working as the expert on operational activities specifically related to all HR systems and process ensuring compliance in all areas globally. The role will work under the direction of the US HR leader to build a global strategy towards a HR Operations COE to meet the growing business and the evolution of the HR model at Adaptimmune. This position will work closely and as needed with the Global Head of HR to ensure evolution of the global HR model and own the function, have the ability to operate autonomously, working both strategically and tactically to achieve results.
   Key Responsibilities
   
   * Review, Build and Improve HR operational processes to have global consistency and results. Collaborate with HR leadership on system/operations roadmap for operations strategy with the objective of building an HR Operations COE.
   * Responsible to oversee the current HR system (Pulse/Cascade), data structures, workflow process and upon approval lead implementation and maintenance of new global HRIS. Analyze master and employee data, ensure accuracy and develop tools to audit and report data quality on a continuous basis.
   * Lead and implement continuous improvement efforts to drive use of technology, self-service tools, and process efficiency both within HR and cross-functionally. Establish collaborative relationship with Finance and IT to ensure cross functional partnership and impact.
   * Act as liaison between business process owners and technical vendor support. Includes oversight of outsourced payroll in both US and UK. Provide troubleshooting support for all system data related issues, including coordinating with vendors and internal teams. Vendor management in US for system integrations and issues - Currently ADP payroll.
   * Establish a global approach to HR metrics, creating reports, slides, and charts as part of HR analytics.
   
   Qualifications & Experience
   
   * Bachelor's degree in a related field such as Information Systems, HR, or Business.
   * Significant HR Operations/Systems experience. Experience supporting a global growing organization in both the UK and US is desired
   * Previous hands on experience implementing and supporting a global systems (HRIS) is required.
   * Must have understanding or experience with Payroll Systems (preferably an outsourced model), Integrations and experience with vendor management
   * Must have experience in SOX audit compliance
   * Previous experience of operating in a HR Partner, COE and HR Operations Model
   
   At Adaptimmune we embrace diversity and equality of opportunity. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of age, colour, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or other legally protected category. It is our intent that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right head of human resources for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your head of human resources job on Zippia to find and recruit head of human resources candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as hrcrossing, ihirehr, hrjobs, shrm hr jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit heads of human resources, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 head of human resources

   Once you've found the head of human resources 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 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.

   To prepare for the new head of human resources first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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