How to hire a hospice director

How to hire a hospice director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step hospice director hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The hospice 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 hospice 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 presents hospice director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Hospice Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Hospice 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	$25-71
   Nurse Manager	The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions... Show more	$28-55
   Practice Manager	A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance... Show more	$31-84

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Home Health
   • Quality Care
   • Patients
   • Hospice Care
   • Hospice Program
   • Palliative Care
   • Clinical Services
   • Infection Control
   • Oversight
   • Federal Laws
   • Direct Patient Care
   • JCAHO
   • Compassion
   • Business Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the QAPI team focusing on pain and symptom management, time of death care, medication management and call response.
   • Provide oversight to the entire clinical operations of the branch.
   • Transition agency to EMR from paper system.
   • Gather statistical data and conduct quarterly QAPI meetings with all offices and the core team representatives.
   • Provide oversight and operational support to all areas of direct care and administrative support for the program.
   • Train new employees on hospice patient care practices and handling vary needs of terminally ill patients and families.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, hospice directors' average salary in nebraska is 46% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level hospice directors earn 64% less than senior-level hospice directors.
   • Certifications. A hospice 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 a hospice director's salary.

   Average hospice director salary

   $90,235yearly

   $43.38 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hospice director salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

4. Writing a hospice director job description

   A hospice 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 a hospice director job description:

   Hospice director job description example

   One of the largest home health and hospice agencies in Northern California, is actively seeking a Nurse Director Hospice and Palliative Care Services to oversee patient care services in the in the Northern Sacramento Valley.
   
   Reporting directly to the Hospice and Palliative Care Services Administrator, the Palliative Care Nurse Director must be an effective communicator and be able to provide important details regarding the department on a regular basis. Serving as a leader to the Palliative Care Nurse Managers, the Palliative Care Nurse Director must be able to provide their expertise and knowledge in the event a pressing issue may arise or when their service is needed. Serving as a mentor to the Palliative Care Nurse Educator and the hospice staff nurses, the Palliative Care Nurse Director must act a role model for the department and promote unity and a cohesive environment amongst the staff.
   
   Tasked with the responsibility setting staff expectations, Hospice Nurse Director must promote consistent and constant respect and kindness throughout the department. Making sure their patients are being treated in a safe environment with the upmost care, the Hospice Nurse Director must be well-versed with the agencies rules and regulations. The Nurse Director must be well versed in JCAHO standards, Medicare, Medi-Cal, State and Federal Regulations for a hospice setting.
   
   The Hospice Care Nurse Director must be able to work well with the families of their patients, and ensure the best care and support is being provided.
   
   The Director Palliative Care and Hospice will be joining a team and Organization, well regarded throughout out the region for their quality measures and patient satisfaction scores. Devoted to patient care, and with an ever-expanding patient population, the organization started small and has grown into one of the largest and busiest Hospice Services in the region.
   
   Located in the Sacramento Valley, the Medical Center is surrounded by an excellent school district and affordable housing market. Just a short drive from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the San Francisco Bay Area, this region is moments away from all of nature's wonders
   The Home Health and Hospice Agency is prepared to offer a generous salary, relocation assistance, a lucrative bonus plan, retirement and a pension plan.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

   Once you've selected the best hospice 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.

   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 hospice director. 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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