How to hire a program development specialist

How to hire a program development specialist, step by step

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

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

What does a program development specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a program development specialist, 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 program development specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, program development specialists 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.

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

   Type of Program Development Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Program Development Specialist	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$16-39
   Trainer	A trainer is responsible for instilling knowledge and process techniques for a specific business role. Duties of a trainer include facilitating engaging classes, identifying areas of improvement and opportunities for the learner, evaluating skills and attending to the learner's challenges, organizing training materials and scheduling training sessions, and submitting timely reports to the management on progress... Show more	$14-35
   Certified Trainer	A certified trainer is responsible for creating a customized fitness program for clients to improve their body functions, including their cardiovascular stability, balance, flexibility, and overall wellness for a healthy lifestyle. Certified trainers determine the clients' fitness goals, monitoring the clients' progress, and adjusting training plans as needed... Show more	$14-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • HR
   • Youth Development
   • Child Care
   • Program Development
   • Data Collection
   • Technical Assistance
   • Community Resources
   • Public Health
   • Social Services
   • Educational Programs
   • Economic Development
   • Training Sessions
   • Coordinators
   • Tuberculosis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop windows forms programs to automate manual in-house processes integrate with third party applications using Microsoft VB.Net.
   • Investigate provider complaints to determine Medicaid contractor compliance with contracts, certification requirements, law, regulations, policies and procedures.
   • Require to process professional medical/personal information effectively while remaining compliant of all HIPAA laws and government privacy regulations.

   More program development specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your program development specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A program development specialist 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 program development specialist in Florida may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level program development specialist usually earns less than a senior-level program development specialist. Additionally, a program development specialist 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 program development specialist salary

   $53,724yearly

   $25.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level program development specialist salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average program development specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$79,919	$38
   2	Maryland	$74,542	$36
   3	California	$73,339	$35
   4	New Jersey	$68,273	$33
   5	New York	$67,209	$32
   6	Texas	$66,131	$32
   7	Illinois	$64,437	$31
   8	Washington	$61,926	$30
   9	Nevada	$60,766	$29
   10	Minnesota	$55,957	$27
   11	Massachusetts	$55,805	$27
   12	Michigan	$53,678	$26
   13	Colorado	$53,546	$26
   14	Oregon	$50,321	$24
   15	Florida	$43,299	$21
   16	West Virginia	$35,807	$17

   Average program development specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	RingCentral	$89,773	$43.16	2
   2	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$84,892	$40.81	9
   3	Amazon	$74,981	$36.05	423
   4	The Squires Group	$66,267	$31.86	3
   5	Heritage Care	$64,922	$31.21
   6	Montclair State University	$64,889	$31.20	7
   7	Eastern Washington University	$64,690	$31.10	1
   8	Rutgers University	$64,423	$30.97	43
   9	Cal Poly PomonaCollege of Business Administration	$63,242	$30.40
   10	CareOregon	$62,834	$30.21
   11	ChildFund International	$61,271	$29.46
   12	Cal Poly	$59,540	$28.63
   13	Goshen Health	$58,828	$28.28
   14	City of Tacoma	$58,019	$27.89
   15	HIMSS Media	$57,862	$27.82
   16	Gordon Food Service	$57,831	$27.80	4
   17	Indiana Farm Bureau	$57,385	$27.59
   18	The Independent Traveler	$56,814	$27.31	28
   19	AIDS Foundation of Chicago	$56,761	$27.29
   20	Minnesota State Fair	$56,328	$27.08	19

4. Writing a program development specialist job description

   A program development specialist 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 program development specialist job description:

   Program development specialist job description example

   Develops the community network program within the department and serves as an interface between the general public, hospitals, and medical professionals for the purpose of expanding cancer awareness. Works closely with the corporate communications and marketing department on targeted cancer initiatives and campaigns both locally and regionally. Provides independent leadership and management support for selected cancer related fund development programs and activities.
   Essential Functions
   
   * Develops educational awareness programs specific to the needs of the cancer center service area.
   * Plans, implements and oversees the management of specific fund development activities specific to the cancer program under the approval of the Foundation.
   * Supports the implementation and development for all community based educational programs, including needs analysis, background research, and the determination of goals and objectives.
   * Responds directly to any public inquiries with questions relevant to the program.
   * Develops and maintains relationships with various community constituencies in support of fund development activities for the cancer program.
   * Works closely with the Foundation to identify growth strategies and opportunities for new fund development.
   * Supports the coordination and direction of special events sponsored by the cancer center such as workshops, seminars, promotional activities, and educational programs.
   * Works closely with the corporate communications and marketing department in support of current marketing initiatives and identifying new opportunities to expand marketing efforts in local and regional markets.
   * Assists in the development, utilization and distribution of printed and audiovisual materials including updating of the website.
   * Attends community health fairs.
   * Coordinates budgeting and financial planning information.
   
   Physical Requirements
   
   Works in patient care areas, physician offices, clinical and office areas. Work requires walking, bending, standing and sitting. Must be able to move audiovisual equipment up to 25 lbs, to areas throughout the hospital campus. Requires critical thinking skills, concentration and the ability to respond quickly in stressful situations.
   
   Education, Experience and Certifications
   
   Bachelor's Degree in Public Health, Public Relations, Social Work or Nursing required. 2 years experience in health care or health care related sales, communications, marketing or public relations. Valid state vehicle operator's license.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find program development specialists 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 program development specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level program development specialists 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 program development specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit program development specialist 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 program development specialists, 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.

   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 program development specialist

   Once you've selected the best program development specialist 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 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.

   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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How much does it cost to hire a program development specialist?