How to hire a residential supervisor

How to hire a residential supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step residential supervisor hiring guide:

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

What does a residential supervisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The residential supervisor 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

   Hiring the perfect residential supervisor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of residential supervisor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Residential Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Residential Supervisor		$13-25
   House Manager	A household manager is someone who manages a household completely. Household managers have various duties and may manage staff depending on the size of a household... Show more	$13-22
   Community Advisor	The duties of a community advisor depend on their line of work or place of employment. In universities, a community advisor plays a vital role in helping residing students attain a positive learning and living environment... Show more	$18-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Mental Health
   • Social Work
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Rehabilitation
   • Money Management
   • Staff Schedules
   • CPR
   • Direct Supervision
   • Residential Program
   • Direct Support
   • Behavior Management
   • Substance Abuse
   • Medical Appointments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a weekly allowance for weekly purchase of groceries.
   • Participate in all IHP/IPP meetings; ensure group home staff helps residents achieve IHP goals and continually monitor progress make.
   • Coordinate with DDS, guardians, and day programs.
   • Work with adolescent and adults with moderate to severe autism.
   • Complete and submit rent subsidy documentation to the DDS for identify residents.
   • Maintain current knowledge of CPR and therapeutic options guidelines, standards and regulations.

   More residential supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your residential supervisor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A residential supervisor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, residential supervisors' average salary in georgia is 42% less than in north dakota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level residential supervisors 44% less than senior-level residential supervisors.
   • Certifications. A residential supervisor 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 a residential supervisor's salary.

   Average residential supervisor salary

   $39,327yearly

   $18.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level residential supervisor salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average residential supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$46,732	$22
   2	Minnesota	$44,400	$21
   3	Colorado	$43,327	$21
   4	Massachusetts	$42,873	$21
   5	Virginia	$42,715	$21
   6	Connecticut	$42,613	$20
   7	Pennsylvania	$39,412	$19
   8	Wisconsin	$36,323	$17
   9	Missouri	$34,858	$17
   10	Florida	$30,434	$15
   11	Ohio	$30,376	$15

   Average residential supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Minnesota State Fair	$48,409	$23.27	1
   2	SUNY Morrisville	$46,826	$22.51	1
   3	UMass Dartmouth	$46,619	$22.41
   4	Eversource Energy	$44,806	$21.54
   5	Meridian Health Services	$44,542	$21.41
   6	Professional	$44,329	$21.31
   7	Pine Street Inn	$44,292	$21.29	7
   8	Developmental Pathways	$43,320	$20.83
   9	Catholic Charities Health and Human Services	$43,079	$20.71
   10	Los Angeles LGBT Center	$42,333	$20.35
   11	Good Shepherd Services	$41,963	$20.17	2
   12	Catholic Charities	$41,962	$20.17	17
   13	Developmental Disabilities Center	$41,338	$19.87
   14	College Of Saint Benedict And Saint John’s University	$41,073	$19.75
   15	The Home For Little Wanderers	$40,691	$19.56	19
   16	CommunityHealthlink	$40,498	$19.47
   17	HealthRIGHT 360	$40,269	$19.36	35
   18	Spectrum	$40,167	$19.31
   19	The Evergreens	$40,059	$19.26	7
   20	Youth Villages	$39,905	$19.19

4. Writing a residential supervisor job description

   A residential supervisor 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 residential supervisor job description:

   Residential supervisor job description example

   POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for the overall operations of residential programs in the area of supervision.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS: High school education or equivalent, (1) year experience in Human Services. Must be 21 years of age or older in accordance with licensure regulations and previous management experience is preferred. Must provide own transportation and maintain eligibility for transporting participants.
   
   SKILL SETS: Adequate communication skills, process verbal and written instructions, dependable, interact effectively and professionally with the public and staff, adaptability-able to deal with frequent change, delays or unexpected events, strong sense of commitment.
   
   PHYSICAL AND ENVIORMENTAL DEMANDS: Visual acuity necessary for appraising the appearance of the home and participants. Frequent talking and hearing required, when communicating with staff, participants, families and other service providers. Assistance in lifting participants may be required. Work is light with walking, standing and occasional stooping. Possible exposure to bloodborne pathogens, biohazardous waste and hazardous waste. Possible exposure to communicable diseases. Strength, balance and dexterity required when performing safe physical management techniques with acting out individuals. Work involves evening, nights and weekends. Must maintain eligibility to transport participants.
   JOB SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS: Supervises employees, completes performance evaluations, approves time sheets, approves appropriate leave, and maintains staff schedules. Interviews and recommends employee personnel actions (hiring, firing, promotions, etc.). Train new employees to departmental policies, procedures, orientation to home and participants residing in the home. Ensures that program is in compliance with all applicable federal and state licensure regulations and standards. Establishes rapport between families and/or guardian and the residence. Knows the medical needs of each participant and emergency procedures then trains staff on such. Keeps the residence and paperwork in compliance with state, Medicaid, licensure, accreditation, and HUD certifications. Provides assistance and training with support plans, document progress, summaries, financial logs and daily logs as specified on support plans. Ensure care needs of the participant are being followed and recorded as specified in Support Plans. Maintain and document periodic financial and program information for the residents of the home. Keeps track of the administration of medication, i.e., recording, refills, and dosage. Maintains upkeep of the residence and recommends or arranges for necessary repairs. Responsible for coordinating quarterly Advisory Board Meetings and Service Committee Meeting as applicable. Coordinates with other service providers to incorporate activities and trainings regarding the participants. Provide a normalized atmosphere appropriate to the needs of the participants and develops activities to encourage interaction with the community. Understands dietary needs of the participants and prepares or assists participant in meal preparation based on their own needs/preferences. Assists participants with daily living, personal hygiene and social skills. Provides or arranges transportation for participants to and from employment, personal and medical appointments, shopping, recreation, church and other events. Ensure the participants have adequate supplies of clothing, personal items and household supplies with personal inventory. Participates and provides leadership in agency continuing quality improvement (CQI) activities. Attends participant plan of care meetings. Performs other duties as assigned.
   MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: Adheres to Communicare, Inc. policies and procedures. Attends mandatory in-services and other training/educational programs as required.
   __________________________________________ _________________ SIGNATURE DATE
   Approved: __________ Effective: __________
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit residential supervisors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 residential supervisor

   Once you've found the residential supervisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new residential supervisor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 residential supervisor?