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Program director skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted experts
Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.,
Jordan Levy Ph.D.
Program director example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical program director skills. We ranked the top skills for program directors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.7% of program director resumes contained oversight as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a program director needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 program director skills for your resume and career

1. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how program directors use oversight:
  • Budget oversight, development and execution of Memorandums of Agreement/Understanding, partnership development, developing and implementing policy and procedure documents.
  • Managed day-to-day oversight and management involving planning, programming, execution, distribution, and analysis for assigned organizations budgets.

2. Social Work

Here's how program directors use social work:
  • Expanded services to individuals with co-occurring disorders including developing a multidisciplinary team of addictions counselors, social workers and a psychiatrist.
  • Develop in-service training programs for division staff in coordination with Director of Social Work Practice and Sanctuary Implementation & Training Coordinator.

3. Patients

Here's how program directors use patients:
  • Gathered qualitative and quantitative data from current behavioral health patients regarding the appropriate and effective time of implementing a voice-analyzer.
  • Assisted patients in becoming accustomed to routine and encouraged them to participate in social and recreational activities to promote rehabilitation.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how program directors use customer service:
  • Work directly with county representatives, family members and residents to build positive relations and provide excellent customer service and satisfaction.
  • Completed comprehensive 3-6 month tactical plan supporting company strategy to turnaround Customer Service/Client Satisfaction and position the firm win new business.

5. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how program directors use mental health:
  • Worked collaboratively with multiple agencies and individuals including Regional Center, County Mental Health, educators, physicians and families.
  • Direct agency daily operations for agency providing services to intellectually and physically disabled population with co-occurring and mental health impairments.

6. Program Management

Here's how program directors use program management:
  • Ensured Program Management processes, methods, and best practices were implemented and utilized in delivering the Motorola Mobility product portfolio.
  • Organized large opening and closing events including federal, state and city speakers associated with national service Program Management.

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7. Program Development

Program development refers to a road for developers to guide them on creating and developing viable community programs. Since it provides an action plan for the project, it is a continuous process that only ends with the program's full implementation.

Here's how program directors use program development:
  • Facilitated organization-wide quality improvement and program development.
  • Attended mandatory state conferences relative to program development, special education needs and annual budgets for continuation of future program funding.

8. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how program directors use professional development:
  • Implemented a training curriculum for professional development and regulatory compliance for adolescents, adults and families for outpatient and residential programs.
  • Engage campus partners regarding: first-generation workshops, first-generation StrenghtsQuest programming, first-generation living/learning communities, and first-generation professional development programming.

9. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how program directors use hr:
  • Collaborated and partnered with HR regarding staff disciplinary, evaluations and recruitment.
  • Established and maintained appropriate systems for measuring necessary aspects of HR development.

10. Client Facing

Here's how program directors use client facing:
  • Assumed primary client facing responsibility.
  • Created a custom Client Experience Portal with client facing applications for a better customer experience.

11. Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision refers to how practicing nurses get professional and moral support from their experienced colleagues. The practice aims to promote their ability to make a concrete decision that values the patient's well-being.

Here's how program directors use clinical supervision:
  • Provided all aspects of co-occurring treatment and clinical supervision of treatment program as well as day-to-day management of facility and program.
  • Provide administrative and clinical supervision, Conduct performance reviews, provide orientation, hire and terminate according to policy and procedures.

12. Direct Reports

Here's how program directors use direct reports:
  • Develop and execute recruitment enrollment plans for adult students in collaboration with direct reports.
  • Supervised and evaluated employees - provided organizational leadership and management to direct reports.

13. Curriculum Development

Here's how program directors use curriculum development:
  • Participated in curriculum development/revision processes.
  • Manage multiple operations including program and curriculum development, and group and individual counseling for at-risk youth and special education students.

14. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how program directors use developmental disabilities:
  • Identified referral and conducted initial meetings with prospective individuals and their families for admission into Developmental Disabilities Administration funded residential program.
  • Maintain an effective placement for severely traumatized individuals with developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems in a long term care facility.

15. Medicaid

Here's how program directors use medicaid:
  • Led operational and fiscal management for the Minnesota State Medicaid Program; consistently maintained the highest level of integrity and confidentiality.
  • Developed and supervised community based supported employment and day programs and independent living situations utilizing Medicaid Title XIX funding.
top-skills

What skills help Program Directors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on program director resumes?

Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor and Department Chair, Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, Cal Poly Pomona

-The ability to use technology in online platforms
-The ability to speak multiple languages
-Teaching experience
-Completion of state certifications and assessments for the teaching credential.
-The willingness to teach in urban, rural, and low-income communities
-The ability to advocate and teach for racial and social justice
-Secondary credentials and added authorizations in bilingual education and computer science.
-Master's degrees in Education to strengthen the credential

What program director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Jordan Levy Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Pacific Lutheran University

Some students enter college having taken a "gap year" between high school and university. Any kind of volunteer or work experience that further develops their interpersonal communication skills is beneficial for the range of discussion and small group work that university-level classes require. Some students do service projects in other countries, which is great because they also gain international experiences that contribute to their overall formation as informed global citizens. These experiences can then tell what kinds of classes they take in university and can remain a source of inspiration for what careers they pursue.

What type of skills will young program directors need?

Jamelyn Tobery-Nystrom

Coordinator of M.Ed. Special Education, Frostburg State University

Special education needs are wide and varying, depending on position and state/jurisdiction needs. In general, knowledge and experience in the Autism Spectrum is a high need area. Knowledge and skills in behavioral/mental health are also in demand. Indeed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to adapt instruction online is a new skill area for special education teachers.

What technical skills for a program director stand out to employers?

Dr. Amy Holcombe Ph.D.Dr. Amy Holcombe Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Interim Dean, High Point University

Education leaders must posses effective communication skills that enable them to inspire internal and external stakeholders to buy into their vision. They must be leaders who can stake out a vision, align all of their resources and efforts towards achieving that vision, and effectively gain the commitment from all constituents to support that vision. Savvy employers are also looking for leaders that know how to leverage and develop the talent of their people to achieve the organization's strategic goals. Instructional leadership is not longer 'enough.' Strategic leaders must know how to maximize the talent of each team member in order to engage and retain them.

What soft skills should all program directors possess?

Dr. Daryl GreenDr. Daryl Green LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Business, Oklahoma Baptist University

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified eight competencies associated with career readiness. These soft skills include career management, communication, critical thinking, cultural intelligence, digital literacy, leadership, professionalism, and teamwork. Sadly, most students are not aware of employers' expectation of career readiness competencies. College students who develop these career readiness competencies will be better prepared to compete for future job opportunities.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about program director

List of program director skills to add to your resume

Program director skills

The most important skills for a program director resume and required skills for a program director to have include:

  • Oversight
  • Social Work
  • Patients
  • Customer Service
  • Mental Health
  • Program Management
  • Program Development
  • Professional Development
  • HR
  • Client Facing
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Direct Reports
  • Curriculum Development
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Medicaid
  • Substance Abuse
  • Medicare
  • Program Policies
  • CPR
  • Community Resources
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Direct Supervision
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Community Outreach
  • Staff Development
  • Program Budget
  • Business Development
  • Service Delivery
  • Ongoing Management
  • Data Collection
  • Performance Evaluations
  • Mental Illness
  • Educational Programs
  • Program Operations
  • Strategic Plan
  • State Regulations
  • Staff Training
  • Staff Supervision
  • Program Monitoring
  • Training Programs
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Community Agencies
  • Federal Regulations
  • Community Organizations
  • Budget Management
  • Facebook
  • Enterprise Management
  • Advisory Boards
  • Technical Assistance

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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