How to hire a section leader

How to hire a section leader, step by step

Here's a step-by-step section leader hiring guide:

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

What does a section leader do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the section leader you need to hire. Certain section leader 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

   Hiring the perfect section leader 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.

   This list presents section leader salaries for various positions.

   Type of Section Leader	Description	Hourly rate
   Section Leader		$23-84
   Shop Foreman	A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks... Show more	$22-46
   Supervisor	Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met... Show more	$14-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Procedures
   • Combat
   • Non
   • Weapons Systems
   • Preventive Maintenance
   • Logistical Support
   • Professional Development
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Performance Evaluations
   • Direct Support
   • DOD
   • Reconnaissance
   • Communications Equipment
   • Leadership

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 3 team leaders and 40 plus associates using TPM philosophies.
   • Manage the day to day operations of government regulate and non regulate laboratories to ensure compliance.
   • Work closely with QA dept and use of color sentry and PMS color books to accomplish good end product.
   • Ensure assigned equipment are maintained and serviceable for accomplish all combat evacuation during OIF.
   • Collect battlefield intelligence reports and analyzes accuracy of reconnaissance information for use by senior leadership.
   • Recognize as NCO of the year.

   More section leader duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the section leader job description is a good way to get more applicants. A section leader 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 section leader in Alabama may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level section leader. Additionally, a section leader with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average section leader salary

   $93,587yearly

   $44.99 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level section leader salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average section leader salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maine	$137,410	$66
   2	New Hampshire	$123,336	$59
   3	Massachusetts	$121,676	$59
   4	North Dakota	$121,115	$58
   5	New York	$115,353	$55
   6	California	$112,589	$54
   7	Virginia	$103,462	$50
   8	Ohio	$99,217	$48
   9	Michigan	$98,968	$48
   10	Pennsylvania	$98,953	$48
   11	Illinois	$90,975	$44
   12	Kansas	$89,785	$43
   13	Arizona	$80,684	$39
   14	Iowa	$75,124	$36
   15	Texas	$74,305	$36
   16	Mississippi	$67,629	$33
   17	South Carolina	$66,523	$32
   18	Georgia	$60,424	$29
   19	Florida	$50,167	$24

   Average section leader salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Holzer Health System	$144,680	$69.56
   2	St. Mary's Health Inc.	$140,956	$67.77	1
   3	Woods Services	$135,802	$65.29
   4	Schaeffler	$112,788	$54.23	8
   5	The Clorox Company	$109,827	$52.80	6
   6	Professional Engineering Consultants	$107,186	$51.53
   7	CovenantHealth	$105,113	$50.54	2
   8	Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Inc	$104,439	$50.21	3
   9	HDR	$98,180	$47.20	38
   10	HNTB	$96,533	$46.41	34
   11	Argonne National Laboratory	$94,078	$45.23
   12	Nsk Steering Systems America	$92,089	$44.27
   13	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$92,087	$44.27
   14	Amec Foster Wheeler	$92,087	$44.27
   15	Velcro Brand	$91,249	$43.87
   16	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$89,592	$43.07	1
   17	LUK	$87,429	$42.03
   18	BAE Systems	$82,135	$39.49	16
   19	Belcan	$79,794	$38.36
   20	Massachusetts Maritime Academy	$78,844	$37.91

4. Writing a section leader job description

   A job description for a section leader role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a section leader job description:

   Section leader job description example

   The Lab Section Leader contributes to the overall patient care services by overseeing the technical operational aspects of one or more laboratory sections. He/She will be responsible for taking the lead role in the assuring for a smooth operation and positive work environment by creating and fostering healthy team relationships. They will show consistency an accuracy performing routing and complex tests within assigned section(s), troubleshoot problems with reagents, procedures and instruments, and ensure selection of quality test systems relevant to accuracy, precision, verification and method selection. The Lab Section Leader will be responsible for the maintaining of inventory and supplies for their section(s) and ensure that QC and QA programs are established and maintained.
   JOB REQUIREMENTS
   
   Education:
   
   + Associates degree in Clinical Lab Science required, Bachelors preferred
   
   + Must be actively enrolled in Bachelor's degree program in applicable science
   
   + ASCP Certification (MLT or MT) required
   
   Experience:
   
   + 3-5 years previous MT experience required
   
   + 1 year proven leadership experience preferred
   
   + Phlebotomy experience required
   
   Other Skills Required:
   
   + Schedule flexibility
   
   + Effective team builder
   
   + Previous experience with EMR system required; Meditech or Sunquest preferred
   
   + Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel
   
   + High degree of accuracy in documentation
   
   + Excellent time management skills and highly organized
   
   Covenant Health Mission Statement
   
   We are a Catholic health ministry, providing healing and care for the whole person, in service to all in our communities.
   
   Our Core Values:
   
   Compassion
   
   We show respect, caring, and sensitivity towards all, honoring the dignity of each person, especially the poor, vulnerable, and suffering.
   
   Integrity
   
   We promote justice and ethical behavior and responsibly steward our human, financial, and environmental resources.
   
   Collaboration
   
   We work in partnership, dialogue, and shared purpose to create healthy communities.
   
   Excellence
   
   We deliver all services with the highest level of quality while seeking creative innovation.
   
   We are an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability status, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, protected veteran status, national origin, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit section leaders, 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.

   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 section leader

   Once you've decided on a perfect section leader 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 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new section leader. 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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