How to hire a senior director, marketing & communications

How to hire a senior director, marketing & communications, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior director, marketing & communications hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior director, marketing & communications you need to hire. Certain senior director, marketing & communications 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 senior director, marketing & communications's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior directors, marketing & communications 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior directors, marketing & communications.

   Type of Senior Director, Marketing & Communications	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Director, Marketing & Communications	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$43-93
   Marketing Supervisor	Marketing Supervisors oversee the performance of employees in the marketing department. They ensure that the employees in the department adhere to company standards, policies, and guidelines... Show more	$21-43
   Group Director	A group director is responsible for monitoring the operations of a specific team in an organization, ensuring that the group meets daily targets, providing the highest customer satisfaction for the company's services. Group directors work with senior management to identify business opportunities that would bring more revenues and increase the company's profitability... Show more	$47-107

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • Communications Strategy
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Press Releases
   • SEO
   • Integrated Marketing
   • Content Marketing
   • Brand Awareness
   • Communications Efforts
   • Direct Reports
   • ROI
   • Alumni
   • Campaign Management
   • CRM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead online marketing initiatives for building traffic, sales and lead generation, including SEO, content marketing and social media.
   • Manage all internal company-wide communications, including company intranet, quarterly all- company meetings broadcast to all locations and executive communications.
   • Create scripted campaigns within CRM system for outbound call center testing and rollout.
   • Utilize SEO and SEM to optimize metrics and adapt marketing strategies to meet business goals.
   • Generate annual price opportunities exceeding $125 million and deliver $4 million in marketing ROI.
   • Develop paid search ad copy, set cost structure, track results, and optimize to improve ROI.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior director, marketing & communications job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior director, marketing & communications salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior directors, marketing & communications' average salary in hawaii is 55% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior directors, marketing & communications earn 53% less than senior-level senior directors, marketing & communications.
   • Certifications. A senior director, marketing & communications with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior director, marketing & communications's salary.

   Average senior director, marketing & communications salary

   $133,729yearly

   $64.29 hourly rate

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   Entry-level senior director, marketing & communications salary

   $91,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 28, 2025

4. Writing a senior director, marketing & communications job description

   A senior director, marketing & communications 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior director, marketing & communications job description:

   Senior director, marketing & communications job description example

   • Knowledge of value-based care arrangements and how to market those models through multiple B2B
   • Strong oral and written communication skills; demonstrated ability to lead through influence
   • Ability to manage, develop, and retain talent
   • Gravitas and ability to work collaboratively with organization’s leadership team
   • Deeply resonates with and is motivated by Equality’s mission and the opportunity to positively impact the health of underserved populations
   • Successful record of managing multiple projects with demonstrated ability to work independently in rapidly-changing environments
   • The ability to work collaboratively.
   • Strong organizational and prioritization skills; able to manage multiple activities and work independently with minimal supervision
   • Strong research and communication skills.

   A Great Fit – Those successful in the role will have the following attributes:

   • Driven by our mission – You have a personal connection to our mission.
   • Urgency and Focus – You learn rapidly and eagerly and work with a sense of urgency while ensuring alignment to our priorities.
   • Unity and Collaboration – You seek what is best for EQH and are ego-less in your search for the best ideas.
   • Deliver on your work – You take on commitments, tackle the obstacles, and do what it takes to deliver impact. You focus on driving great results. If you have an issue or need help, you notify early.
   • Walk the talk – You do what you say you will do. You recognize the importance of your leadership shadow.
   • Challenge the status quo – You prefer to take the road less traveled and are motivated to be a healthcare “rebel”.
   • Change agile – You recognize that flexibility and agility are hallmark traits for high growth companies.

   The Fatal Flaws – you will not succeed in this role if you demonstrate the following behaviors/mindsets, among others:

   • Lone Wolf – We’re a high performing team that expects all on the team to act like a founder – grab loose balls, jump in from the sidelines and offer help; and take pride in the accomplishments of the organization, team, and yourself.
   • Dislike Ambiguity – You like comfort rather than challenge. You desire your days and work to be highly structured and defined.
   • Risk Averse – You hesitate to make decisions because you fear being wrong.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior director, marketing & communications for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior director, marketing & communications job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior director, marketing & communications candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior director, marketing & communications candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 senior director, marketing & communications

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior director, marketing & communications position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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 senior director, marketing & communications. 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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