How to hire a planning director

How to hire a planning director, step by step

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

What does a planning director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a planning 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 planning director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, planning 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 planning director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Planning Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Planning Director	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$43-92
   Director Of Communications And Marketing	A director of communications and marketing spearheads a company's marketing and communication projects in adherence with the company's vision and mission. Being the director, they have the authority to make decisions, delegate responsibilities among managers and teams, and direct the project and program cycle from planning to execution, solving issues and concerns if any would arise... Show more	$27-63
   Director Of Marketing & Development	A director of marketing development is a management professional who is responsible for improving the marketing scheme of an organization while discovering ways to obtain new customers. This director is required to lead a team of marketers and work with other departments to make the organization's marketing plans become a reality... Show more	$28-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Financial Analysis
   • Business Planning
   • Data Analysis
   • Customer Service
   • Planning Process
   • Direct Reports
   • Executive Management
   • ROI
   • Strategic Plan
   • Strategic Direction
   • Pricing Strategy
   • Demand Planning
   • Hyperion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage customized portfolio, define product strategy, POS and shipping forecast, and promotional plans.
   • Develop and lead marketing program to promote HMO enrollment and hospital product line services to 55k beneficiaries.
   • Champion and lead the selection and implementation of Hyperion Essbase business intelligence software.
   • Lead central team summarizing and prioritizing all DOD opportunities, enabling more efficient and effective resource allocation across several program departments.
   • Utilize ETO software for assessment and tracking.
   • Implement new CRM - ClientBase, investigate alternate consortium relationships.

   More planning director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your planning director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A planning director 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 planning director in South Dakota may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level planning director usually earns less than a senior-level planning director. Additionally, a planning director 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 planning director salary

   $131,978yearly

   $63.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level planning director salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average planning director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$151,568	$73
   2	New York	$145,569	$70
   3	Nevada	$140,552	$68
   4	New Jersey	$138,746	$67
   5	Oregon	$138,682	$67
   6	Delaware	$133,713	$64
   7	Maine	$130,165	$63
   8	Washington	$123,977	$60
   9	Massachusetts	$123,044	$59
   10	Ohio	$122,487	$59
   11	Virginia	$122,357	$59
   12	Arizona	$122,006	$59
   13	Illinois	$121,388	$58
   14	Texas	$118,644	$57
   15	Louisiana	$118,502	$57
   16	Georgia	$116,974	$56
   17	Michigan	$116,119	$56
   18	Colorado	$115,840	$56
   19	North Carolina	$114,997	$55
   20	District of Columbia	$114,081	$55

   Average planning director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Exelixis	$190,369	$91.52	28
   2	Google	$189,007	$90.87	39
   3	Apple	$188,251	$90.51	10
   4	Intercept Pharmaceuticals	$179,333	$86.22
   5	TBWA Worldwide	$172,997	$83.17
   6	JUUL	$171,893	$82.64	1
   7	eBay	$171,890	$82.64	6
   8	Citi	$171,544	$82.47	18
   9	Juniper Networks	$169,438	$81.46
   10	Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide Inc	$167,812	$80.68
   11	Crispin Porter + Bogusky	$167,645	$80.60
   12	Leo Burnett	$165,901	$79.76
   13	Grey Group	$163,955	$78.82
   14	Northwell Health	$163,564	$78.64	9
   15	Droga5	$163,357	$78.54
   16	Apache	$162,819	$78.28
   17	Slipstream	$161,699	$77.74
   18	Burlington	$160,943	$77.38	4
   19	Silicon Valley Bank	$160,709	$77.26
   20	Young & Rubicam	$158,172	$76.04

4. Writing a planning director job description

   A planning 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 a planning director job description:

   Planning director job description example

   At Blueline our people are the primary reason our clients recommend us to others. Team members actively engage with each other, our partners, and our clients in a collaborative way that emphasizes teamwork. We’re able to do this because we’re truly passionate about what we do and about leaving behind an enduring legacy of quality. At Blueline you will enjoy a hybrid flexible work-life balance, competitive pay, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401K matching options, and much more!

   What We Are Looking For:

   The Planning Department at Blueline is looking for a Director of Land Use Planning to grow and develop our Planning Department, and the planning staff to the highest standards. The most successful candidate will have proven success in comprehensive planning, plan review, and long-range planning for municipalities as well as designs and plans for capital development. This person will have a known track record of leading and developing a department of senior to entry-level planning professionals.

   
   

   Job Duties:

   • Demonstrated ability to coordinate large, complex projects, engaging a wide range of experts or stakeholders.
   • Ability to function independently in several wide range of planning and administrative functions.
   • Provides strategic planning expertise, developing ideas and carrying out work programs that advance client initiatives; leads in steering long-term and generally large-scale projects, ensuring compliance with local, regional, state, and federal laws.
   • Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to cultivate respectful and collaborative internal and external relationships.
   • Ability to apply current industry knowledge and technical trends to projects.
   • Verbal and oral communication skills to explain planning concepts and recommendations. Graphic or visual communication skills are a plus.
   • Experience working with varied client groups, private and public stakeholders, government officials, and regulatory agencies.

   • Applicable plans, policies, laws, and regulations applicable to professional assignments, for example, the Growth Management Act and the State Environment Policy Act.

   
   

   You Will Need:

   • Expert knowledge of principles, practices, techniques, and legal aspects of urban design, urban planning, community development, park planning environmental management, or transportation planning.
   • AICP preferred

   Does this sound like a fit? Apply Today!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find planning directors 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 planning director job on Zippia to find and recruit planning director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with planning director 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 planning director

   Once you've selected the best planning 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new planning director first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 a planning director?