How to hire a leadership development program

How to hire a leadership development program, step by step

Here's a step-by-step leadership development program hiring guide:

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

What does a leadership development program do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the leadership development program you need to hire. Certain leadership development program roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 leadership development program 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 leadership development program that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of leadership development program salaries for various roles:

   Type of Leadership Development Program	Description	Hourly rate
   Leadership Development Program	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$21-55
   Training Coordinator	A training coordinator is a professional who develops and conducts training programs for employees or volunteers. Training coordinators create printed and instructional materials as well as maintain an online library of training resources... Show more	$15-31
   Facilitator	A facilitator is responsible for assisting a group event or program, ensuring that the participants coordinate well. Facilitators also monitor that the objectives of the event are smoothly delivered and organized... Show more	$13-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Development Programs
   • Leadership Development
   • Rotational Program
   • Customer Service
   • Leadership
   • Leadership Program
   • Project Management
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Logistics
   • Management
   • Professional Development
   • Rotational Assignments
   • PowerPoint
   • LDP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a weekend of activities for alumni.
   • Manage the technical design documents such as technical design spec, XML schema definition, WDSL, and SAML integration interfaces.
   • Manage logistics relate data being input into databases.
   • Develop and lead cross-functional Kaizen event that identify and eliminate waste and improve communication in the yield signal investigation process.
   • Discuss improvements of aspire attributes of a leader and improvements on team management and the psychology of corporate leadership skills.
   • Create and present PowerPoint on leer certification to public.

   More leadership development program duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your leadership development program job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A leadership development program salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a leadership development program in Georgia may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level leadership development program usually earns less than a senior-level leadership development program. Additionally, a leadership development program with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average leadership development program salary

   $71,543yearly

   $34.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level leadership development program salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average leadership development program salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$120,127	$58
   2	California	$98,226	$47
   3	Virginia	$89,207	$43
   4	Massachusetts	$83,437	$40
   5	New Jersey	$81,591	$39
   6	Maryland	$79,354	$38
   7	New York	$79,009	$38
   8	Kansas	$76,369	$37
   9	Michigan	$76,210	$37
   10	Minnesota	$75,090	$36
   11	Iowa	$74,669	$36
   12	District of Columbia	$72,287	$35
   13	Connecticut	$71,883	$35
   14	Wisconsin	$70,335	$34
   15	Colorado	$67,585	$32
   16	Illinois	$66,397	$32
   17	Ohio	$65,791	$32
   18	Arizona	$65,169	$31
   19	Texas	$64,922	$31
   20	Indiana	$63,285	$30

   Average leadership development program salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$126,025	$60.59	34
   2	Amazon	$114,359	$54.98	404
   3	Citrix	$113,164	$54.41
   4	American Tower	$112,876	$54.27
   5	Citi	$111,343	$53.53	13
   6	Hillenbrand	$110,427	$53.09	1
   7	Western Alliance Bank	$109,955	$52.86	5
   8	CVS Health	$109,357	$52.58	232
   9	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$107,981	$51.91	180
   10	Entegris	$106,602	$51.25	13
   11	The Vanguard Group	$105,755	$50.84	2
   12	Amgen	$103,327	$49.68	10
   13	Harley-Davidson	$99,767	$47.96	2
   14	Whirlpool	$96,917	$46.59	17
   15	Caterpillar	$95,490	$45.91	57
   16	Arkema	$94,826	$45.59	1
   17	Student Conservation Association	$94,583	$45.47	8
   18	Eaton	$94,545	$45.45	39
   19	Stanley Black & Decker	$93,298	$44.85	8
   20	Celanese	$92,089	$44.27

4. Writing a leadership development program job description

   A leadership development program 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a leadership development program job description:

   Leadership development program job description example

   Collaboration drives Nordson's success as a market leader in Industrial Precision Solutions and Advanced Technology. Our employees thrive in an environment where we help each other reach our personal best and enable our company to continuously improve and grow, and our customers to succeed. You will find Nordson employees sharing our success by giving back in the communities around the world where we live and work.
   
   The Commercial Leadership Development Program (CLDP) at Nordson creates a pipeline of future leaders, who possess the skills necessary to succeed in commercial related roles. From the moment you start with Nordson, you will go through a variety of development experiences spanning over one year. In this program you will start as a cohort with a robust onboarding experience and then be placed into two - six-month rotations. You will then be ready to be placed into a commercial role of interest after successful completion of the program. As an CLDP, you will be supported by a mentor, business leaders and other Nordson professionals to help you accelerate your development. This Program is for 2023 Grads and the Program will begin in August, 2023.
   Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities
   1. Take on two-six-month meaningful assignments in commercial roles, which cover different departments/products/locations/customers in the United States. Potential assignments include Portfolio Management, Marketing, Product Management, Customer Service, and Sales.
   2. Rotations will be assigned considering the CLDP's preference and business needs. Each rotation that will enhance product knowledge, market strategies, an understanding of our business and customer strategies.
   4. Participate in the CLDP onboarding and development curriculum as well as other networking opportunities with the LDP cohort.
   5. Under direction and guidance of leadership and mentors, selected candidates will learn about Nordson's business segments, business model and enterprise strategy.
   6. Complete necessary mentorship assignments, performance management milestones and other LDP projects as assigned.
   Education and Experience Requirements
   1. Recent bachelor graduates, major in Liberal Arts, Business or Engineering majors is preferred. Minimum GPA is 3.2
   2. Passionate about a career in sales, business development and customer relationship management.
   3. Willingness to relocate for both rotations to any one of our United States locations. Final placement will be in one of our United States locations.
   4. Strong communication, interpersonal skills and a willingness to learn about our Nordson product offerings.
   5. Demonstration of our Nordson values.
   Working Conditions and Physical Demands
   Office environment. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   
   Nordson Corporation provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees. No person is to be discriminated against in any aspect of the employment relationship due to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, citizenship status, marital status, veteran status or any other reason prohibited by law.
   All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of our pre-employment drug screening and background/criminal check, consistent with applicable laws.
   Nordson Corporation provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees. No person is to be discriminated against in any aspect of the employment relationship due to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of our pre-employment drug screening and background/criminal check, consistent with applicable laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find leadership development programs 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 leadership development program job on Zippia to find and recruit leadership development program 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 leadership development programs, 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.

   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 leadership development program

   Once you've found the leadership development program candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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