How to hire a health program specialist

How to hire a health program specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step health program specialist hiring guide:

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

What does a health program specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a health program specialist, 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 health program specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, health program specialists 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.

   Here's a comparison of health program specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Health Program Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Health Program Specialist	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$15-33
   Case Manager	A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy... Show more	$14-29
   Clinical Case Manager	A clinical case manager is responsible for providing high-quality care services for patients by researching treatment plans and developing efficient medications through various methodological approaches and data analysis. Clinical case managers review the medical histories and needs of patients to determine appropriate treatment programs and resources and prepare treatment reports upon actual applications... Show more	$18-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Health Education
   • Data Collection
   • Patients
   • Technical Assistance
   • Social Work
   • Rehabilitation
   • PowerPoint
   • Community Health
   • Public Health Programs
   • Mental Health
   • Health Promotion
   • Global Health
   • Program Development
   • Mental Illness

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and maintain medical and legal case files in compliance with HIPAA.
   • Conduct screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure and osteoporosis.
   • Coordinate appointments with court and third-party medical facilities and accompany patients to legal appointments, rehabilitation and therapy groups.
   • Serve as lead staff and successfully provide direct inpatient care in psychiatric setting in support of patient rehabilitation.
   • Create exercise prescriptions for rehabilitation.
   • Program communication and development working with service providers, healthcare association and organizations to establish a state-wide tobacco treatment safety network.

   More health program specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the health program specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A health program specialist 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 health program specialist in Missouri may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level health program specialist. Additionally, a health program specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average health program specialist salary

   $48,114yearly

   $23.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health program specialist salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average health program specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$69,126	$33
   2	Washington	$65,281	$31
   3	Hawaii	$59,261	$28
   4	Montana	$58,646	$28
   5	New York	$53,165	$26
   6	Ohio	$52,926	$25
   7	West Virginia	$51,301	$25
   8	Wyoming	$49,291	$24
   9	Arizona	$48,186	$23
   10	District of Columbia	$47,956	$23
   11	North Carolina	$47,671	$23
   12	Illinois	$46,605	$22
   13	Nebraska	$46,564	$22
   14	Texas	$45,405	$22
   15	Maryland	$45,141	$22
   16	Virginia	$44,488	$21
   17	Colorado	$44,326	$21
   18	Pennsylvania	$44,243	$21
   19	Alabama	$42,285	$20
   20	Arkansas	$42,211	$20

   Average health program specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$73,410	$35.29	35
   2	City of San Antonio	$63,087	$30.33	10
   3	New York State Restaurant Association	$60,506	$29.09
   4	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$59,667	$28.69
   5	ChildFund International	$58,768	$28.25
   6	Maxim Healthcare Group	$57,554	$27.67	92
   7	State of Arizona	$57,418	$27.60	18
   8	Yale University	$57,296	$27.55	8
   9	State Of Illinois - Illinois Student Assistance Commission	$56,766	$27.29	65
   10	International Rescue Committee	$56,227	$27.03	13
   11	Wyoming	$56,007	$26.93	10
   12	Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene Inc	$55,575	$26.72	2
   13	State Of Idaho	$55,199	$26.54
   14	Orange County	$55,134	$26.51	17
   15	ICF	$55,072	$26.48	19
   16	University Health	$55,043	$26.46	10
   17	State of Ohio	$54,561	$26.23	182
   18	Texas Department of Transportation	$54,032	$25.98	9
   19	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$53,457	$25.70	59
   20	City of St. Louis	$53,265	$25.61	3

4. Writing a health program specialist job description

   A health program specialist 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 a health program specialist job description:

   Health program specialist job description example

   University Outreach is addressing significant health disparities across rural Alabama in partnership with Pharmacy, Nursing, Human Sciences, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. This accessible and innovative healthcare option combines the state-of-the art OnMed telehealth station with hands-on wellness care provided through university faculty and students in health-related fields. The telehealth station provides users with a an affordable, private, and efficient experience by facilitating a real-time patient encounter with an Alabama licensed clinician in a virtual setting through the use of diagnostic tools available for practitioner-guided self-use. The Auburn University team members have worked closely with leaders from the City of Lafayette, Alabama and the Chambers County Commission to develop and launch this project. This collaboration resulted in identifying a vacated health clinic as the ideal location for the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : As a VISTA member for the Rural Health Program, you will gain professional experience by working to help Auburn University provide high quality comprehensive healthcare to those in need with a focus on expanding access to healthcare for those who are in a rural area. VISTAs working at this site may be doing a variety of things such as: developing clinic policies and procedures, growing the sites volunteer pools, grant-writing, helping build and maintain partnerships with the community at large, continuing to develop the sites social media presence, implementation of community education and awareness events, and development of educational materials and resources the community can use. The final goal of the assignment is to reduce the health professional shortage that is adversely affecting underserved areas in Alabama. This position will be at the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center. This position will require some holiday and weekend availability.
   
   Program Benefits : Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , Health Coverage* , Childcare assistance if eligible , Relocation Allowance , Training , Living Allowance .
   Terms :
   
   Car recommended .
   
   Service Areas :
   
   Education , Community Outreach , Health .
   
   Skills :
   
   Medicine , Conflict Resolution , Recruitment , Leadership , Public Speaking , Fund raising/Grant Writing , General Skills , Education , Community Organization , Teaching/Tutoring , Counseling , Writing/Editing , Communications , Team Work , Computers/Technology , Public Health .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right health program specialist 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 health program specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality health program specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with health program specialist 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 health program specialist

   Once you've found the health program specialist 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new health program specialist. 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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How much does it cost to hire a health program specialist?