How to hire a respiratory care program director

How to hire a respiratory care program director, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a respiratory care program 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a respiratory care program director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a respiratory care program director that fits the bill.

   This list presents respiratory care program director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Respiratory Care Program Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Respiratory Care Program Director	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$37-71
   Clinical Manager	A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity... Show more	$26-61
   Pharmacist Manager	A pharmacist manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a pharmacy, ensuring that all pharmacy personnel provides the right medication to the customers based on the prescription. Pharmacist managers assist in advising the customers for the instructions of their medications, including its dosage and instructions of intake... Show more	$27-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Respiratory Therapy
   • Patients
   • Respiratory Care
   • Performance Improvement
   • BLS
   • Strategic Plan
   • Program Development
   • Critical Care
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • FTE
   • Sleep Lab
   • JCAHO
   • ICU
   • Coarc

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage oxygen therapy, nebulizers, aerosol medications, etc.
   • Provide technical assistance and testimony for development and passage of legislation enabling implementation of Medicaid manage care.
   • Perform diagnostic testing, EEG's, PFT's, cardiac stress tests, ABG's and EKG's.
   • Maintain the ABG lab and bring the lab into compliance for JCAHO.
   • Implement the use of a new ABG machine.
   • Work with physicians to improve the inpatient EKG process.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, respiratory care program directors' average salary in hawaii is 33% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level respiratory care program directors 47% less than senior-level respiratory care program directors.
   • Certifications. A respiratory care program director 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 respiratory care program director's salary.

   Average respiratory care program director salary

   $108,999yearly

   $52.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level respiratory care program director salary

   $79,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a respiratory care program director job description

   A good respiratory care program director job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a respiratory care program director job description:

   Respiratory care program director job description example

   ABOUT THE JOB:
   
   The Director of Respiratory Care provides clinical leadership and program direction to respiratory care practitioners (RCP's), students and support staff. This includes close collaboration with the department's medical director in understanding and planning for future clinical operations while assuring daily operations are safe, high quality and efficient. This role is responsible for leading and managing clinical educator(s); managers; team leaders, RCP's and students whose duties and conduct in completing them impacts outcomes in several major domains: the practice and outcome of clinical respiratory care across Children's Health System of Texas (CHST), trust and confidence among patient family members, providers and the community at large; coordination and collaboration within CHST; networking with others engaged in pediatric and neonatal respiratory care at the local, regional, state and national level.
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   * Has a global awareness of organization's current and immediate future clinical requirements and how respiratory therapists must change current processes and practices to meet those requirements.
   * Directly accountable for the ongoing quality and safety of respiratory care practices.
   * With the managers and team leaders, monitors daily operations for safe practices, analyzes data and qualitative information and addresses issues as close to the occurrence as possible while formulating long term strategies to prevent recurrences.
   * Establishes, maintains and monitors team compositions and staffing schedules to meet demands for service with appropriate, safe, cost-effective resources. This includes during unexpected patient surges, internal and external disaster events.
   * With the managers and team leaders, monitors daily operations for safe practices, analyzes data and qualitative information and addresses issues as close to the occurrence as possible while formulating long term strategies to prevent recurrences.
   * Works closely with department's medical director and internal stake holders to identify and resolve clinical care issues, operational issues and to improve service excellence.
   
   WORK EXPERIENCE
   
   * At least 3 years experience in a critical care pediatric clinical role is required
   * At least 2 years experience in a clinical leadership role is required
   
   EDUCATION
   
   * A graduate, professional work or advanced degree; or equivalent experience is required.
   
   LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
   
   * Registered Respiratory Therapist Certification by the National Board for Respiratory Care is required upon hire
   * Neonatal Pediatric Specialist Certification by the National Board for Respiratory Care is required within 18 months of hire
   * Texas State RCP license is required upon hire
   * Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers is required upon hire
   
   About us
   
   Children's Health values the role each member of our team plays in helping us make life better for children. We employ more than 7,500 people and provide rewarding career opportunities that help them reach their highest potential. We also hold Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, we serve as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and we are widely recognized for delivering high quality care. Children's Health has also been named one of the 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare for nine consecutive years.
   
   Children's Health offers competitive pay, a comprehensive benefits program and opportunities for learning and career development. We promote a diverse and inclusive workplace, and our team members have a voice in their work through surveys and town halls. We invite you to learn more about Children's Health.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right respiratory care program director for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with respiratory care program directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit respiratory care program directors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your respiratory care program director job on Zippia to find and recruit respiratory care program director 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 respiratory care program directors, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 respiratory care program director

   Once you've decided on a perfect respiratory care 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 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new respiratory care 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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