How to hire a legislative director

How to hire a legislative director, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a legislative director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A legislative director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, legislative directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents legislative director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Legislative Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Legislative Director	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$14-67
   Campaign Manager	Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns... Show more	$26-52
   Vice President Of Communication	A vice president of communication is in charge of overseeing and implementing internal and external communication programs. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and objectives, allocating budgets, delegating tasks, liaising with key clients, and managing the workforce to ensure an efficient workflow... Show more	$45-124

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Policy Issues
   • Legislative Process
   • Press Releases
   • Public Policy
   • Legislative Affairs
   • Legislative Issues
   • Legislative Session
   • Committee Hearings
   • State Agencies
   • Policy Positions
   • Legislative Hearings
   • Legislative Program
   • State Legislators
   • Policy Research

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Publish organizational blogposts and other editorial content and manage relations with coalition partners.
   • Manage legislative portfolio of organizational policies relative to veterans benefits and military quality of life issues.
   • Respond to public sector RFP's and submit foundation proposals.
   • Coordinate preparation of RFP and consultant hiring process for department.
   • Work closely with web designers to create a state-of-the-art tourism website.
   • Collaborate with caucus leadership, lobbyists and advocates to advance a variety of bipartisan legislative objectives.

   More legislative director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average legislative director salary

   $65,139yearly

   $31.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level legislative director salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average legislative director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$103,418	$50
   2	California	$100,431	$48
   3	New York	$94,073	$45
   4	Massachusetts	$92,755	$45
   5	Pennsylvania	$89,853	$43
   6	Illinois	$88,471	$43
   7	Washington	$85,935	$41
   8	Maryland	$81,192	$39
   9	Indiana	$74,320	$36
   10	Minnesota	$65,606	$32
   11	Colorado	$63,197	$30
   12	Nebraska	$61,846	$30

   Average legislative director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ashland Hospital Corporation	$124,280	$59.75
   2	Earthjustice	$124,181	$59.70	1
   3	Chicago Public Schools	$98,350	$47.28
   4	National Conference of State Legislatures	$90,780	$43.64
   5	ACLU of Wisconsin	$88,965	$42.77
   6	New York State Restaurant Association	$85,463	$41.09
   7	Service Employees International Union Local 205	$84,906	$40.82	1
   8	United States Courts	$84,299	$40.53
   9	City of Baltimore	$77,208	$37.12
   10	Center for Biological Diversity	$71,991	$34.61
   11	Washington State University	$71,291	$34.27
   12	Minnesota State Fair	$71,200	$34.23
   13	Minnesota Limited	$69,413	$33.37
   14	Colorado State Express	$68,821	$33.09
   15	State of Colorado	$54,537	$26.22	9
   16	Indiana State Police	$49,795	$23.94
   17	Good Foods LLC	$48,128	$23.14

4. Writing a legislative director job description

   A good legislative 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 a legislative director job description:

   Legislative director job description example

   About Us
   Merit's verified identity ecosystem helps trusted organizations across government and enterprise solve critical real-world problems in workforce development, emergency services, licensing, education, defense readiness, and other sectors. Thousands of trusted organizations - including government agencies and nonprofits - use Merit for digital verification of credentials, licenses, training, and skills.
   Using Merit, organizations can capture and certify people-data in containers called merits (Watch this video to learn more: What is Merit?), and grant them to individuals. All of an individual's merits are stored in one place, providing people agency over their verified data, giving people secure access and selective sharing with other organizations.
   By connecting organizations and individuals, the Merit Platform supports a robust verified identity network that serves as a source of truth and trust for entire industries; bringing visibility, liquidity, and trust to people's data.
   
   Florida Division of Emergency Management
   The Florida Division of Emergency Management partnered with Merit to provide a fast, secure, paperless solution for the verification and time-tracking of thousands of volunteers and paid medical professionals assisting with the statewide COVID-19 vaccination efforts. As a result of our work together, FDEM was named a StateScoop 50 Award winner for the State IT Innovation of the Year.
   
   Ohio Department of Education - Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Program
   After the Ohio State Legislature created the $125M 2-year Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) educational savings account program, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) contracted Merit to inform parents, guardians, and businesses about the new opportunity and eligibility requirements. Merit developed and delivered support systems, workflows, and digital assets for the ACE program. ODE issued digital credentials to parents and guardians certifying student eligibility, enabling them to use the grants with service providers listed in the Education Marketplace, and the Ohio ACE app is a single destination to view account balances and submit claims.
   
   Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)
   DPOR partnered with Merit to streamline licensing and digital credentialing for the more than 300,000 Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) partnered with Merit to streamline licensing and digital credentialing for the more than 300,000 professionals across more than 40 industries that are required to have a license to work. With Merit, those licenses are now digital, accessible, and easily verifiable by consumers and businesses.
   
   Merit's salaries are competitive and transparent. Here's a look at our pay bands based on different roles.
   
   Our Values
   Merit's values are more than just words on paper - they permeate the company's brand, culture, products, and even individual actions. Our values are:
   Everyone is a friend. We see opportunities everywhere because Merit has endless ways to grow the already vast and self-propagating Verified Identity graph.
   Building a network of truth and trust. Merit is modeling the real world of Verified Identity into a digital one, built on merits. Society values truth, and merits represent truth.
   A rising tide lifts all boats. We think about entire industries and how to make the most impact on people's lives. When we succeed, our employees, partners, and everyone on Merit should succeed.
   Measure to meaningfully improve. Work is measured by output, not vanity metrics, and the things we do measure have goals.
   Use Merit to build Merit. The strength of the Merit network, platform, and company compounds with the addition of every partner, consumer, and employee.
   
   The Role
   Salary Band: BD-2 $120,000 - $145,000
   Salary Band: BD-3 $150,000 - $180,000
   
   Merit is hiring a Senior Legislative Affairs Director to help build and execute Merit's legislative strategy as we rapidly scale our new Grants and Scholarships business line. This individual will report to the Executive Director of Grants and Scholarships and work closely with Merit's executive team. This is a unique opportunity for someone coming from a government relations background with expertise in education and/or government programs that provide financial assistance for individuals and organizations.
   
   Though the initial focus of this role is on expanding Merit's Grants and Scholarships business line through state scholarships, microgrants and education savings account initiatives, the larger business line is focused on Merit's Verified Identity solutions driving broader access to public resources. In this role, you will be responsible for helping implement the current business line and Merit's larger direct verification initiative.
   
   Merit is a startup environment where you will be expected to roll up your sleeves, take initiative, and get creative about finding solutions to challenges. This is a full-time, 100% remote role.
   
   ResponsibilitiesCharged with helping to formulate and implement legislative strategy and achieving needed legislative reforms to accomplish legislative goals of the business line Meaningfully engaging with key stakeholders, including state legislators, staff and thought leaders Conduct and coordinate analysis of legislative issues Representing Merit at external meetings, including conferences and other events
   Qualifications5+ years of experience in government affairs Deep policy expertise and implementation experience Experience cultivating relationships with invested stakeholders and advocacy groups Excellent verbal and written communication skills Commitment to expanding your skills by learning about Merit's other business lines, attending training sessions and professional development opportunities Innovative thinker who understands the importance of learning from failure and taking risks Team player who will collaborate with other team members to ensure that organizational goals are met You can travel up to 25% of the time, depending on the need
   Preferred QualificationsExpertise in government benefit programs Familiarity with education scholarship programs 10+ years of experience in government affairs
   At Merit, we don't just accept differences, we celebrate, support and value it for the innate benefit of our employees, the competitive advantage of our products, and the strength of the communities we are a part of. Merit is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status. We will do our best to accommodate any disabilities or special needs you may have.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find legislative directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any legislative directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level legislative directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your legislative director job on Zippia to find and recruit legislative director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit legislative 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 legislative director

   Once you've selected the best legislative 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.

   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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