How to hire an organizational development director

How to hire an organizational development director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step organizational development director hiring guide:

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

What does an organizational development director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The organizational development director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 an organizational development director 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 an organizational development director that fits the bill.

   This list presents organizational development director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Organizational Development Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Organizational Development Director	Training and development managers plan, direct, and coordinate programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of an organization’s employees. They also oversee a staff of training and development specialists.	$34-92
   HSE Manager	A health, safety, and environmental (HSE) manager is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing a company's health and safety programs. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather data, assessing existing programs and policies to identify areas needing improvement, implementing solutions on issues and concerns, developing strategies to execute programs, and creating new safety policies as necessary... Show more	$28-58
   Training Manager	A training manager is responsible for directing new staff with the tasks and training programs, leading the business to its growth and profitable development. Training managers' duties include supervising the staff's performance and improvement, facilitating knowledge assessment and developmental training, sharing strategic plans and techniques, creating effective training manuals, monitoring training expenses, and evaluating areas of improvement... Show more	$21-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Human Resources
   • Employee Engagement
   • Project Management
   • Succession Planning
   • Organizational Effectiveness
   • Organization Development
   • Development Strategy
   • Organizational Performance
   • Training Programs
   • Career Development
   • Management Initiatives
   • Organizational Design
   • Learning Management System
   • Business Strategy

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Extend product revenue by delivering new products for managing configuration of Linux platforms.
   • Develop and market management training programs and leadership initiatives base on ongoing assessments of enterprise-wide needs and client consultations.
   • Develop and facilitate performance management initiatives including defining accountability and measuring results.

   More organizational development director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your organizational development director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An organizational development director can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, organizational development directors' average salary in nebraska is 48% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level organizational development directors 63% less than senior-level organizational development directors.
   • Certifications. An organizational development director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an organizational development director's salary.

   Average organizational development director salary

   $117,332yearly

   $56.41 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level organizational development director salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average organizational development director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$171,931	$83
   2	Connecticut	$147,284	$71
   3	New York	$135,098	$65
   4	Virginia	$128,393	$62
   5	Massachusetts	$124,896	$60
   6	Arizona	$121,510	$58
   7	Pennsylvania	$117,674	$57
   8	Maryland	$114,969	$55
   9	Texas	$110,870	$53
   10	Illinois	$107,387	$52
   11	Louisiana	$99,552	$48
   12	Florida	$97,088	$47
   13	Oklahoma	$91,354	$44
   14	Nebraska	$81,963	$39

   Average organizational development director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$217,493	$104.56	16
   2	StubHub	$186,601	$89.71
   3	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$173,133	$83.24	6
   4	Sunland Asphalt & Construction	$157,031	$75.50
   5	Corcentric	$156,608	$75.29
   6	Entrepreneurs' Organization	$144,759	$69.60
   7	Gartner	$144,266	$69.36	29
   8	CSG	$139,765	$67.19
   9	Omnicell	$138,617	$66.64
   10	E. & J. Gallo Winery	$138,290	$66.49
   11	IESC	$132,182	$63.55
   12	Rockland Trust	$128,822	$61.93
   13	LiveTiles	$127,688	$61.39
   14	Perceptyx	$120,053	$57.72
   15	Globe Life	$115,035	$55.31	1
   16	Trex	$113,750	$54.69	4
   17	Endeavor	$110,239	$53.00
   18	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$103,526	$49.77
   19	International Rescue Committee	$97,468	$46.86
   20	National Aquarium	$55,760	$26.81

4. Writing an organizational development director job description

   An organizational development director 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 an organizational development director job description:

   Organizational development director job description example

   *All positions are located in Fresno/Clovis CA*
   
   Join our growing team as our new Director of Organizational Development and DEI!
   
   Our ability to provide the highest level of care begins with our incredible employees. In your role, you'll be responsible for the development and implementation of innovative, high-impact programs that support our culture of learning, people development and engagement. Utilizing your expertise in the field, you will initiate an environment that respects, appreciates, and leverages diversity, equity and inclusion to broaden the knowledge and capabilities of Community.
   
   As a member of our team, you'll enjoy unique supplemental and base benefits, and well-being resources. We are here to support you in every stage of life, and your career!
   
   Your Career at Community | Opportunity. Challenge. Growth
   
   You will help drive strategy at Community Health System, the region's largest private employer, with over 9,000 employees and growing!
   
   + Using your analytic, people and leadership skills, drive successful change management, connecting data and people.
   
   + Acting as a trusted advisor, help leaders resolve presenting issues and realize successful outcomes.
   
   + As you develop and support strategic DEI plans for the organization, facilitate and communicate goals supporting our commitment to diversity.
   
   + New hire orientation, leadership training and resources, and employee engagement strategies will be important aspects of your role.
   
   Education
   
   + Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Development or related field required
   
   + Master's Degree preferred
   
   Experience
   
   + 7 years of experience in organizational development (i.e., large-scale change initiatives in multi-function environments) required
   
   Licenses and Certifications
   
   + CPTD - Certified Professional in Talent Development preferred
   
   Please note: If any bonuses are noted, they are only applicable to external hires.
   
   Please note: Per the CDPH order, all healthcare workers are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an approved exemption and test regularly.
   
   
   Shift Type (FT, PT, PRN, etc.): Full-Time
   
   Shift: 8 Hour
   
   Shift Schedule: Days
   
   Facility (Tazworks integration): Community Medical Centers - Corporate Offices (CMC)
   
   Updated Date: 9/1/2022
   
   External Company Name: Community Medical Centers of Fresno, CA

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right organizational development director 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 organizational development director job on Zippia to find and recruit organizational development director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting organizational development directors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 organizational development director

   Once you've decided on a perfect organizational development director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new organizational development director. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire an organizational development director?