How to hire an institution director

How to hire an institution director, step by step

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

What does an institution director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The institution 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?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect institution 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.

   Here's a comparison of institution director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Institution Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Institution Director	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$34-82
   Dean	A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence... Show more	$23-72
   Co-Founder	A Co-Founder is an essential member of a company as they complement the skills, vision, and mission of the Founder. Most of the time, the tasks of a Co-Founder revolve around the financial planning and developing strategies that would be beneficial for the company's financial gain and workforce... Show more	$29-86

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Integrated Marketing
   • Professional Development
   • Strategic Plan
   • IRB
   • Rehabilitation
   • Business Development
   • Alumni
   • Student Learning
   • Direct Reports
   • Strategic Direction
   • Client Relationships
   • Financial Institutions
   • Financial Performance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the team toward delivering break-even EBITDA through focus on product mix, e-commerce growth, margin expansion and expense reduction.
   • Represent the IRB at relevant meetings.
   • Obtain financial and quality outcomes for Neuroscience relate programs system wide.
   • Develop bank's fix income securities sales activities for regions in tri-state area.
   • Mentore elementary school students as part of a unique partnership between the outreach ministry and the DISD.
   • Provide guidance and training to staff on IRB management and procedures, and oversee educational outreach to the research community.

   More institution director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, institution directors' average salary in mississippi is 58% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level institution directors earn 58% less than senior-level institution directors.
   • Certifications. An institution 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 an institution director's salary.

   Average institution director salary

   $111,614yearly

   $53.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level institution director salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average institution director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$167,501	$81
   2	New York	$162,262	$78
   3	Florida	$136,436	$66
   4	Nevada	$134,468	$65
   5	Maryland	$132,606	$64
   6	New Jersey	$128,288	$62
   7	Illinois	$122,682	$59
   8	Virginia	$122,512	$59
   9	Washington	$122,173	$59
   10	Ohio	$118,487	$57
   11	California	$116,986	$56
   12	Colorado	$116,322	$56
   13	New Mexico	$115,223	$55
   14	Massachusetts	$114,802	$55
   15	Louisiana	$109,983	$53
   16	Minnesota	$107,469	$52
   17	Texas	$106,715	$51
   18	Oregon	$99,748	$48
   19	North Carolina	$98,286	$47
   20	Pennsylvania	$93,042	$45

   Average institution director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	United States Holocaust Memorial Museum	$149,396	$71.83
   2	Cleveland Clinic	$144,762	$69.60	1
   3	Udacity	$143,473	$68.98
   4	Northwell Health	$142,997	$68.75
   5	Community Medical Center	$141,955	$68.25
   6	The Brookings Institution	$137,793	$66.25
   7	SMC	$135,659	$65.22
   8	Cohen & Steers	$134,193	$64.52
   9	UMiami Health System	$133,719	$64.29
   10	Geisinger Medical Center	$133,592	$64.23
   11	Carilion Clinic	$129,626	$62.32
   12	Novant Health	$128,178	$61.62
   13	Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.	$127,532	$61.31
   14	Swedish Hospital	$127,092	$61.10
   15	Providence Health & Services	$125,065	$60.13	11
   16	Janus Henderson U.S.	$122,730	$59.00
   17	ARGUS DENTAL PLAN	$121,759	$58.54
   18	University Of Minnesota Physicians	$121,542	$58.43
   19	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	$119,778	$57.59
   20	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$116,860	$56.18	1

4. Writing an institution director job description

   A good institution director 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 an institution director job description:

   Institution director job description example

   The Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute (CBDI) is an entity that concentrates clinical, research, educational, quality and patient advocacy resources with a focus on addressing oncologic and hematologic conditions in children. The Institute's organizational structure is matrix-based and led by the Institute Medical Director who is supported by a Senior Director of Administration and a Senior Director of Nursing.
   The institute consists of three divisions:
   
   + + Blood and Marrow Transplantation
   
   + Oncology
   
   + Hematology
   
   The Opportunity
   
   For the next Medical Director, Johns Hopkins All Children's seeks:
   
   + An expert in the field of cancer, blood disorders, or blood and marrow transplantation who is also a physician leader with the creativity and drive to create and enhance world-class programs at the CBDI.
   
   + An inspirational leader who can artfully convey a long-term vision for patient-centered clinical care, medical education & training, quality & patient safety, and research, yet is equally skilled at operationalizing a detailed plan to achieve those goals; an "out-of-the box" thinker who is energetic but pragmatic and results-oriented.
   
   + A mentor with a track record for successful faculty development who will foster a culture of engagement and leadership in cutting-edge research.
   
   The successful candidate will hold the Hawkins Family Endowed Professorship and a faculty appointment with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor. The Medical Director of the CBDI will lead a pre-eminent team that includes regionally, nationally and internationally recognized specialists in pediatric hematology, oncology, blood and marrow transplantation, surgical oncology, clinical investigation, data science, and basic science, among others. In addition, the Medical Director will lead management of the CBDI's existing collaborative relationships with organizations including Moffitt Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Divisions of Pediatric Oncology and Pediatric Hematology in Baltimore, as well as will foster new mutually beneficial strategic relationships for the institute.
   
   Job Type: Full Time Johns Hopkins University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Consistent with the University's goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will assess the comprehensive qualifications of each applicant.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find institution directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your institution director job on Zippia to find and recruit institution director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with institution director 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 institution director

   Once you've selected the best institution 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 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 institution 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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