How to hire a hospital director

How to hire a hospital director, step by step

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

What does a hospital director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your hospital director 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 hospital director 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a hospital director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a hospital director that fits the bill.

   This list presents hospital director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Hospital Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Hospital 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	$32-114
   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
   Director Of Professional Services	A director of professional services is responsible for evaluating and improving the professional services offered by the firm. Directors of professional services assess the operational processes and systems to ensure high-quality outputs and deliverables... Show more	$45-99

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Oversight
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Acute Care
   • Performance Improvement
   • Booking
   • Patient Safety
   • Health System
   • PET
   • Rehabilitation
   • CMS
   • Social Work

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Insure department is JACHO, CMS & TDH compliant, manage professional staff & department productivity.
   • Manage the staff, schedule, payroll, problems that arise within hospital, reports, etc.
   • Interact successfully with regulatory and oversight agencies, which lead to more streamline operations of complex healthcare reimbursement programs.
   • Develop and maintain capital and FTE budget.
   • Contribute to the successful JCAHO accreditation within the department.
   • Ensure that all programs meet all local, state and CMS standards.

   More hospital director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average hospital director salary

   $127,268yearly

   $61.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hospital director salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average hospital director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$153,910	$74
   2	Massachusetts	$152,532	$73
   3	Maryland	$138,976	$67
   4	District of Columbia	$138,391	$67
   5	California	$130,769	$63
   6	Minnesota	$127,143	$61
   7	Nevada	$124,234	$60
   8	Arizona	$120,751	$58
   9	Washington	$117,543	$57
   10	Oregon	$116,300	$56
   11	Tennessee	$111,076	$53
   12	Georgia	$106,706	$51
   13	Wisconsin	$106,450	$51
   14	Texas	$103,112	$50
   15	Illinois	$101,861	$49
   16	Florida	$93,219	$45
   17	Colorado	$81,687	$39
   18	Nebraska	$79,740	$38

   Average hospital director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Community Medical Center	$230,656	$110.89	3
   2	GradyHealth	$218,289	$104.95	3
   3	Piedmont Healthcare	$216,571	$104.12	25
   4	NorthShore University HealthSystem	$211,977	$101.91
   5	Cytokinetics	$209,835	$100.88
   6	Erlanger Health System	$203,540	$97.86	4
   7	Sharp HealthCare	$199,034	$95.69	8
   8	Baylor Scott & White Health	$197,946	$95.17	27
   9	Orlando Health	$196,492	$94.47	12
   10	Emory Healthcare	$190,143	$91.41	17
   11	Northwell Health	$180,876	$86.96	31
   12	Penn Medicine Princeton Health	$177,286	$85.23	24
   13	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$176,192	$84.71	17
   14	Aspirus	$174,999	$84.13	10
   15	Travelport	$170,448	$81.95
   16	Baptist Health Home Care	$169,288	$81.39
   17	Prime Healthcare	$164,214	$78.95	13
   18	AdventHealth	$159,203	$76.54	29
   19	Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare	$158,056	$75.99	8
   20	Surgery Partners	$157,388	$75.67	3

4. Writing a hospital director job description

   A hospital 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 hospital director job description:

   Hospital director job description example

   A unique opportunity has opened up along the South Shore of Massachusetts! This behavioral health facility is looking for a Director of Human Resources to join their leadership team.
   
   This 150+ bed behavioral health facility provides inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment to teens, adults and older adults. Patients can expect a safe and caring environment with trained specialty physicians, nurses, counselors and technicians who will provide exceptional care for individuals and their family members.
   
   The HR Director will join a facility that is licensed by the Department of Mental Health and accredited by The Joint Commission for their commitment to patient and environmental safety.
   
   The Human Resources Director will oversee HR systems and lead, direct and plan the overall strategy for the HR department. They will be supported by an HR Manager and HR Generalists. The SHRM will develop and coordinate policies and ensure legal compliance and implementation of the organization's mission and talent acquisition plan. The Director of HR will have the autonomy and support of the C-Suite as they design and build a strong team and create a culture of excellence.
   
   The Director of HR with their SHRM - CP or SHRM - SCP, PHR or SPHR will gain the attention of the hiring manager and earn quick interviews!
   
   Nestled in an attractive suburban community, this picturesque town in the South Shore of Massachusetts is known for quality schools, numerous natural and historical landmarks and close to the beach. There are wineries to visit with friends and festivals to attend with families. With Boston only an hour away, weekend getaways to the city are easy! This is an easy and enjoyable place for the next Human Resources Director to call home.
   The hospital is offering a competitive pay and benefits package. This is a great opportunity for a Human Resources leader to take the next step in their career. This company is actively hiring, don't miss out and apply today!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right hospital 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 hospital directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit hospital 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 hospital director job on Zippia to find and recruit hospital director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit hospital directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 hospital director

   Once you've decided on a perfect hospital director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new hospital 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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How much does it cost to hire a hospital director?