How To Become An Interim Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an interim director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Pawn Johnson-Hunter MS, RN, AGPCNP-BC, GERO- BC, CM/DN

When an organization loses its leader, it's a situation of crisis. During the process of hiring a new leader, the company needs an individual to handle leadership for the time being. This is where interim directors come into play. Interim directors lead and maintain a firm, under the board's direction, until a permanent leader is found to replace them. It's a temporary post and the candidate should not ask for a permanent spot.

Interim directors collaborate with the company's board and work closely with the staff to support business operations. They're also responsible for managing overall uneasiness about the leadership change. They organize training and departmental programs for team members to improve their performance and boost productivity to successfully provide project deliverables.

When acting as an interim director, you'll earn an average salary of $51.38 per hour. The role is high-paying because it's a crucial one. At least a bachelor's degree in business or management is quite common among professional interim directors.

What general advice would you give to an interim director?

Pawn Johnson-Hunter MS, RN, AGPCNP-BC, GERO- BC, CM/DN

Nurse Educator, Nclex Mentor/Coach

A few ways to maximize earning potential as a new graduate nurse is through skillful negotiations and previous experience in healthcare, such as degree level, nurse externships, phlebotomy skills, or certifications. Many, if not all, employers appreciate that new graduates are equipped with clinical skills that are strongly recommended for the practice area. While many nurse certifications require experience, some are for entry-level, such as advanced life support (ACLS and PALS) and IV insertion. There are also some specialty practice certifications that new grads can obtain without years of experience; although they may recommend the experience at times, this is optional. All of this demonstrates the applicant's commitment to the profession and interest. Other ways are to work overtime hours, learn about clinical career ladders, or continue formal education.

ScoreInterim DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $104,142

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 7.99%

Black or African American 11.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.39%

Unknown 4.26%

White 60.99%

Gender

female 60.51%

male 39.49%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an interim director

Explore interim director education requirements

Most common interim director degrees

Bachelor's

57.3 %

Master's

21.1 %

Associate

13.7 %

Start to develop specific interim director skills

Skills	Percentages
Healthcare	12.92%
Patient Care	11.29%
Oversight	9.29%
Patient Safety	6.26%
Financial Management	5.87%

Complete relevant interim director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New interim directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an interim director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real interim director resumes.

Gain additional interim director certifications

Interim director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific interim director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for interim directors include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

More About Certifications

Research interim director duties and responsibilities

Manage and direct department operations and staffing for the invasive and non-invasive cardiology department.
Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
Increase patient satisfaction on scores relate the cleanliness through employee engagement and through close collaboration with the management team.
Program development, quality improvement, JCAHO preparation, and hospital disaster preparedness.

Get interim director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an interim director. The most common roles before becoming an interim director include staff nurse, registered nurse team lead and nursing director.

Prepare your interim director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your interim director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an interim director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable interim director resume templates

Build a professional interim director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your interim director resume.