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What is an interim executive director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
The average interim executive director salary is $117,453. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes more than 10 years of experience to become an interim executive director. Interim executive directors with a Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 189,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreInterim Executive DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $117,453

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 7.63%

Black or African American 3.75%

Hispanic or Latino 7.75%

Unknown 3.89%

White 76.34%

Gender

female 59.17%

male 40.83%

Age - 52
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 - 52
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Interim executive director career paths

Key steps to become an interim executive director

  1. Explore interim executive director education requirements

    Most common interim executive director degrees

    Bachelor's

    62.8 %

    Master's

    22.3 %

    Associate

    8.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific interim executive director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Oversight8.91%
    Non-Profit Organization7.84%
    State Regulations6.20%
    Community Outreach5.28%
    Financial Reports5.16%
  3. Research interim executive director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage all accounting functions including those necessary for budgeting, financial analysis, property management and payroll for a non-profit.
    • Support revenue-generating activities, including oversight, planning and execution of special events.
    • Develop relationships with all executive level contacts in hospitals to develop sales opportunities to place interim and permanent healthcare leaders.
    • Maximize customer satisfaction in rehabilitation therapy.
  4. Get interim executive director experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become an interim executive director. The most common roles before becoming an interim executive director include executive director, administrator team lead and director.
  5. Prepare your interim executive director resume

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

    Build a professional interim executive 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 executive director resume.
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    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
    Interim Executive Director Resume
  6. Apply for interim executive director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an interim executive director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first interim executive director job

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Average interim executive director salary

The average interim executive director salary in the United States is $117,453 per year or $56 per hour. Interim executive director salaries range between $70,000 and $195,000 per year.

Average interim executive director salary
$117,453 Yearly
$56.47 hourly

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How do interim executive directors rate their job?

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Interim executive director reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

It provides me an opportunity to actively employ my passion for a leadership, while taking ideas from other people, above my position and developing leaders that work in my group. I have taught many classes in Customer Service, Communications Skills, Leadership and many others, for the State of NH, Federal Government and colleges and universities, including Entrepreneurship, for SNHU.

Cons

Being restricted to working with a smaller group, than might need Leadership training and coaching.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020
Cons

Cannot have true friends at work because you are at the top, board members if they don't get your work but insist on being involved, overdemanding funders.

Pros

Working with teams, creating and sustaining service delivery systems, variety of tasks and projects, making it happen.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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