How to hire a nursing home administrator

How to hire a nursing home administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nursing home administrator hiring guide:

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

What does a nursing home administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your nursing home administrator job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a nursing home administrator for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A nursing home administrator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nursing home administrators 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 nursing home administrator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Nursing Home Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Nursing Home Administrator	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$26-55
   Medical Officer	A Medical Officer delivers health and first-aid provisions for patients as well as prepares and maintains the paper and electronic health care records of clients. They ensure that all related equipment and supplies are suitably maintained at all times.	$16-113
   Clinical Manager	A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity... Show more	$26-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Nursing Home
   • Long-Term Care
   • Healthcare
   • Patients
   • NHA
   • Rehabilitation
   • Quality Care
   • Home Health
   • Oversight
   • Customer Service
   • Resident Care
   • Compassion
   • Care Facility
   • Patient Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the day to day operations of a LTC facility.
   • Achieve and maintain a 5 star quality facility as per CMS guidelines.
   • Lead a team in developing and implementing a new EMR system for patient registration.
   • Lead quality improvement initiatives and practices in change concepts and measurement strategies for improve health outcomes for long term care patients
   • Manage global security in WebSphere using LDAP authentication.
   • Manage billing procedures and negotiate third-party contracts including a federal Medicare and state Medicaid contracts.

   More nursing home administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your nursing home administrator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A nursing home administrator 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 nursing home administrator in Montana may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level nursing home administrator usually earns less than a senior-level nursing home administrator. Additionally, a nursing home administrator 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 nursing home administrator salary

   $80,880yearly

   $38.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nursing home administrator salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average nursing home administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Delaware	$97,179	$47
   2	California	$96,259	$46
   3	Nebraska	$84,754	$41
   4	Colorado	$83,138	$40
   5	Wisconsin	$82,513	$40
   6	New York	$82,076	$39
   7	Washington	$79,222	$38
   8	Minnesota	$78,735	$38
   9	South Carolina	$77,488	$37
   10	Illinois	$77,376	$37
   11	Michigan	$77,275	$37
   12	Maryland	$75,745	$36
   13	Ohio	$73,494	$35
   14	Pennsylvania	$73,325	$35
   15	Florida	$68,831	$33
   16	North Carolina	$67,764	$33
   17	Iowa	$63,566	$31
   18	Georgia	$60,251	$29

   Average nursing home administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Senior Living Properties	$118,774	$57.10
   2	Mission Health Services	$114,637	$55.11	16
   3	Mercy Health	$111,060	$53.39	13
   4	Henry Ford Health System	$107,421	$51.64
   5	Miriam Hospital	$103,792	$49.90
   6	Signature Healthcare	$102,425	$49.24	135
   7	Susquehanna Health	$101,229	$48.67
   8	U.S. Renal Care	$100,617	$48.37	32
   9	Dialysis Clinic	$97,481	$46.87	46
   10	PeaceHealth	$96,978	$46.62	37
   11	Satellite Healthcare	$96,435	$46.36
   12	Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership	$96,067	$46.19	21
   13	McLaren Health Care	$95,736	$46.03	7
   14	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$95,271	$45.80
   15	Beacon Health Options	$94,830	$45.59	18
   16	Providence Health & Services	$94,772	$45.56	50
   17	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$93,896	$45.14	3
   18	Legacy Health	$93,171	$44.79	11
   19	Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare	$93,057	$44.74	40
   20	Queens Health Systems	$92,149	$44.30	5

4. Writing a nursing home administrator job description

   A nursing home administrator 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. Below, you can find an example of a nursing home administrator job description:

   Nursing home administrator job description example

   CommuniCare Health Services is a fast-growing provider of long term care with over 90 facilities located in 7 states. CommuniCare is dedicated to our goal of creating Caring Communities where staff, residents and families join hands to overcome their daily challenges.

   Northwest Healthcare Center is proud to be part of the CommuniCare family of health care providers. Northwest Healthcare center is currently recruiting a compassionate leader to assume the position of Executive Director of our facility.

   The position of Executive Director provides leadership to all staff to assure that care standards are met and the highest degree of quality resident care is provided at all times. The position must function as a team member, team leader, and supervisor to ensure that work is accomplished and quality care is delivered, supporting team members and leading the way in celebrating team successes. The Executive Director has the authority, responsibility, and accountability for the overall operation and financial success of the center.

   BENEFITS

   The position of Executive Director is a full time salaried position. Northwest Healthcare Center, in coordination with CommuniCare Health Services, offers a warm and friendly work environment, competitive salaries, and PTO plans. We offer you a menu of benefit options from life and disability plans to medical, dental and vision coverage, from quality benefit carriers. We also offer 401(k) with employer match and Flexible Spending Accounts.

   Qualified candidates must have:

   • Must meet all Maryland State requirements for Licensed Nursing Home Administrator.
   • Must hold a currently valid LNHA license in the State of Maryland.
   • At least two years of gradually increasing management responsibility with a minimum of an AIT internship completed.
   • Strong management and operation skills.
   • Strong math/budgetary skills.
   • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

   About Us

   A family-owned company, we have grown to become one of the nation’s largest providers of post-acute care, which includes skilled nursing rehabilitation centers, long-term care centers, assisted living communities, independent rehabilitation centers, and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH). Since 1984, we have provided superior, comprehensive management services for the development and management of adult living communities. We have a single job description at CommuniCare, "to reach out with our hearts and touch the hearts of others." Through this effort we create "Caring Communities" where staff, residents, clients, and family members care for and about one another.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right nursing home administrator for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with nursing home administrator 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 nursing home administrator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the nursing home administrator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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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