How to hire a research/program director

How to hire a research/program director, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the research/program director you need to hire. Certain research/program director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A research/program director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, research/program 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of research/program directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Research/Program Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Research/Program Director	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$23-58
   Director Of After School Program	A director of after school programs oversees and directs childcare centers in communities. They take the lead in setting goals and guidelines, conducting research and analyses to identify the students' interests and needs, developing programs that provide recreational activities and academic support, supervising the recruitment and training of employees, and monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently... Show more	$14-38
   Research Manager	A Research Manager performs research, data collection, and economic, statistical, and demographic analysis. They also determine and implement research and development strategies, policies, and plans.	$24-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Research Program
   • Oversight
   • Clinical Research
   • Research Projects
   • Professional Development
   • Clinical Trials
   • IRB
   • Research Administration
   • Analyze Data
   • Human Subjects
   • Research Studies
   • Research Findings
   • Program Evaluation
   • Strategic Plan

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead social path-to-purchase study, incorporating social media analytics into insight community to identify spectrum of social engagement among customers.
   • Implement process improvements and Medicare department reorganization that establish a foundation for improve member outcomes and satisfaction and increase product margins.
   • Achieve superior customer results by improving and integrating proprietary chemistry tests.

   More research/program director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the research/program director job description is a good way to get more applicants. A research/program director salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a research/program director in South Carolina may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level research/program director. Additionally, a research/program director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average research/program director salary

   $77,858yearly

   $37.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research/program director salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average research/program director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,758	$50
   2	New York	$97,972	$47
   3	Massachusetts	$92,988	$45
   4	New Jersey	$88,202	$42
   5	District of Columbia	$86,548	$42
   6	Maryland	$76,605	$37
   7	North Carolina	$72,941	$35
   8	Illinois	$72,781	$35
   9	Colorado	$70,793	$34
   10	Pennsylvania	$69,269	$33
   11	Idaho	$67,824	$33
   12	Ohio	$67,037	$32
   13	Virginia	$63,038	$30
   14	Arizona	$61,806	$30
   15	Florida	$59,181	$28
   16	Nebraska	$57,120	$27
   17	South Carolina	$53,322	$26
   18	Arkansas	$51,992	$25
   19	Wisconsin	$51,607	$25

   Average research/program director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$156,709	$75.34	183
   2	Queen's College	$113,764	$54.69
   3	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$106,068	$50.99	32
   4	Harvard University	$105,072	$50.52
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$104,676	$50.33
   6	Mathematica	$101,632	$48.86	6
   7	West Pharmaceutical Services	$100,783	$48.45	4
   8	Arnot Health	$95,757	$46.04	2
   9	PTC	$94,886	$45.62
   10	The City University of New York	$94,141	$45.26	46
   11	Idaho National Lab	$92,109	$44.28	6
   12	University of Illinois System	$88,370	$42.49
   13	MeYou Health	$87,480	$42.06
   14	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$87,480	$42.06
   15	CNA Holding Corporation	$87,480	$42.06	1
   16	Glaxosmithkline	$87,360	$42.00
   17	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	$86,696	$41.68
   18	Microbiome Health Research Institute, Inc.	$86,447	$41.56
   19	Massachusetts General Hospital	$85,848	$41.27	3
   20	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$84,188	$40.48

4. Writing a research/program director job description

   A research/program 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 research/program director job description:

   Research/program director job description example

   The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is pleased to announce the opening of a new Associate Researcher position in its Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program and invites all eligible applicants to apply.
   
   The ICCT is an award-winning, independent, global, non-profit research organization that supports the effective design and implementation of policies to address the impacts of the global transportation sector on climate change and public health. Our organization achieves this by providing high quality and timely data-driven research to public officials at all levels of government - city, state, national, regional and international - as well as to civil society and the media. The ICCT offers a mission-driven and culturally diverse workplace where intelligence, flexibility, transparency, and good humor are highly valued. Join our team of more than 50 talented researchers with offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Berlin and Beijing.
   
   The ICCT seeks a highly motivated and committed Associate Researcher who will contribute their energy and creativity towards research that will shape the global technology transition in the heavy-duty vehicle sector. This Associate Researcher position will provide the opportunity to work at the intersection of vehicle technology, economics, and public policy. Representative work can be seen at the ICCT’s heavy-duty vehicle program page. This full-time position is based in our San Francisco, California, or Washington, D.C offices.
   
   To be successful in our environment, you must be intellectually curious, self-directed, and able to work with people from across the globe. The position is best suited to someone with inventiveness, creativity, resourcefulness, curiosity and strong time management skills. The ideal candidate will hold a graduate degree with previous research experience in environment, transportation or energy topics, excellent writing skills, international education, travel or work experience, written and/or spoken fluency in two languages, and demonstrated passion for solving our most pressing global health and environmental challenges.
   You Will:
   Perform high-quality quantitative research to support the development of local, regional, and national regulations designed to limit the environmental impacts of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including commercial trucks and buses Perform quantitative analyses of large datasets on the performance of conventional and zero-emissions vehicles and their market evolution Develop and apply algorithms, models, and computer scripts necessary to support the analysis of the environmental impact of conventional and zero-emissions vehicles, focusing on vehicle energy consumption modeling and techno-economic assessments Author or co-author blogs, briefing papers, memos, working papers, journal articles, and white papers to communicate research findings and the policy implications Review and summarize technical and scientific literature, and review the work of colleagues and outside consultants Prepare presentations and present findings in public forums, such as workshops and conferences, as well as in private forums, such as invite-only stakeholder meetings and policymaker briefings Help to organize outreach activities, such as briefings, meetings, and workshops; Engage with external stakeholders including government officials, policymakers, NGOs, academic experts, or industry partners Develop and maintains deep expertise in a specific technology, modeling, or policy area and serve as a resource to ICCT staff You Have:
   B.S. degree required (MS or PhD highly desirable) combined with 2-4 years’ work experience in engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, or related technical field Demonstrated research, education, or work experience related to energy, transportation, climate change, public health, or public policy Demonstrated intermediate to advanced skill with at least one of the following analytical and modeling tools: Matlab, R, or Python Demonstrated research, education, or work experience with vehicle emissions preferred Demonstrated author or co-author of academic papers, technical or policy reports, memos, briefing papers, and other forms of written communication in English Experience preparing and giving public presentations in English Preferred intermediate to advanced written and verbal skill in a second language Prior work or study experience outside of the candidate’s home country is preferred.
   Our Benefits
   This full-time position will be based in our Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA office and have a salary of $70,900 (DC) or $78,000 (SF). We offer an excellent benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation and family leave, a 401k plan with a generous 7% employer contribution, hybrid office/remote flexibilities, transportation subsidy, and other benefits.
   Application Applications will be accepted through November 4, 2022. Please submit a cover letter, resume, two relevant writing samples for which you are the sole author (preferred) or lead author and contact information for two references. Preference will be given to candidates whose cover letters directly address the position being offered. Applications without the supplemental materials will receive less consideration. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find research/program directors 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 research/program directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level research/program directors 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 research/program director job on Zippia to find and recruit research/program director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting research/program 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 research/program director

   Once you've decided on a perfect research/program 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new research/program 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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