How to hire a senior director of finance

How to hire a senior director of finance, step by step

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

What does a senior director of finance do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior director of finance 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

   A senior director of finance's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior directors of finance 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 senior directors of finance and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Director Of Finance	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Director Of Finance	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$42-101
   Controller, Vice President	A Controller, Vice President is focused on controlling and directing financial planning and budget management. They supervise the daily operations of the finance department, such as financial reporting, accounts payable, and payroll.	$52-113
   Finance Vice President	The vice president of finance is one of the highest-ranking executives in a company. He/She or she works under the chief financial officer, and both have similar duties that are often interchangeable... Show more	$47-106

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • SR
   • Business Development
   • Financial Management
   • Strategic Direction
   • Executive Management
   • RFP
   • Financial Performance
   • Financial Analysis
   • Oversight
   • Financial Planning Analysis
   • GAAP
   • Hyperion
   • Process Improvement
   • Direct Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Project manage the successful implementation of Hyperion Essbase upgrade from Hyperion FM, managing cross functional resources across multiple geographies.
   • Maximize returns and limit risks by managing treasury and investment balances daily.
   • Establish, manage and monitor accounting and finance duties including the annual operating budget, financial statements and account reconciliations.
   • Ensure internal controls, GAAP and SOX compliance, as well as interfaced with internal and external audit reviews.
   • Coordinate information for external auditors and CPA firm for quarterly/annual tax/audit.
   • Direct the companywide planning process and implement a new Hyperion planning system.

   More senior director of finance duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average senior director of finance salary

   $137,505yearly

   $66.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior director of finance salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average senior director of finance salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$157,976	$76
   2	New Jersey	$152,075	$73
   3	Nevada	$150,920	$73
   4	Texas	$145,077	$70
   5	New York	$139,609	$67
   6	Connecticut	$135,943	$65
   7	Georgia	$135,252	$65
   8	Ohio	$134,931	$65
   9	Maryland	$131,999	$63
   10	Washington	$131,379	$63
   11	Arizona	$126,586	$61
   12	Colorado	$123,919	$60
   13	Illinois	$121,921	$59
   14	Utah	$120,762	$58
   15	Minnesota	$119,301	$57
   16	North Carolina	$117,812	$57
   17	Oregon	$116,419	$56
   18	Massachusetts	$115,392	$55
   19	Pennsylvania	$111,415	$54
   20	District of Columbia	$110,306	$53

   Average senior director of finance salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$210,719	$101.31	15
   2	Palo Alto Networks	$188,789	$90.76	25
   3	Capgemini	$183,816	$88.37	34
   4	Edwards Lifesciences	$183,020	$87.99	10
   5	NanoString Technologies	$180,405	$86.73
   6	Zendrive	$178,414	$85.78
   7	Xilinx	$177,191	$85.19
   8	Zoox	$174,039	$83.67	5
   9	APCO Worldwide	$172,727	$83.04	2
   10	Novavax	$168,740	$81.13	1
   11	Lowell General Hospital	$166,865	$80.22
   12	Nike	$166,106	$79.86	10
   13	Workday	$165,275	$79.46	9
   14	PepsiCo	$165,076	$79.36	4
   15	Stryker	$163,240	$78.48	24
   16	Grainger	$162,971	$78.35	1
   17	Procore Technologies	$161,399	$77.60	1
   18	Flow Automotive	$161,171	$77.49	1
   19	LivCor	$160,550	$77.19
   20	University of Maryland Medical System	$160,312	$77.07	7

4. Writing a senior director of finance job description

   A senior director of finance 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 of finance job description:

   Senior director of finance job description example

   Role and Responsibilities Monitors, interprets, and analyzes joint venture financial performance in realizing established plans and objectives of the organization. Identifies and reports undesirable trends and potential business opportunities and makes recommendations for action Assists in the development and implementation of long and short-range operations plans, which may include service demand analyses, resources availability analyses, and cost-benefit analyses of proposed capital and staff expansions and business plan preparations Oversees the evaluation of new potential revenue sources based on knowledge of Maryland and Delaware#s reimbursement structure, operations, market trends, financial reports, and statistical information Oversees the development of annual department budget Develops and implements tools and reporting used for planning, forecasting, monitoring and decision support Assists in development of leadership educational tools to support financial and operational goals Serve as liaison for Information Services related finance needs and system integrations Assists with maintaining the accounting functions of the organization, including but not limited to maintaining accounting systems, procedures, policies, practices, and initiatives Serve as primary point of contact for Medical Partners initiatives that affect hospital and health system operations Analyze monthly/quarterly operations and financial performance; provide variance analysis and explanations; and complete ad hoc analyses as requested Identify opportunities for financial operations improvement and/or increased compliance with established financial controls May assist with tax and treasury functions, as requested # # Qualifications and Education Requirements CPA/MBA Preferred # Preferred Skills Thorough working knowledge of accounting, financial reporting and analysis. Demonstrated experience with budgets, forecasts, financial plans. Experience integrating multiple pieces of financial information to identify themes, trends and issues. Must possess knowledge of the healthcare environment and key issues associated with hospitals, ambulatory care and physician alignment
   Role and Responsibilities
   
   * Monitors, interprets, and analyzes joint venture financial performance in realizing established plans and objectives of the organization. Identifies and reports undesirable trends and potential business opportunities and makes recommendations for action
   * Assists in the development and implementation of long and short-range operations plans, which may include service demand analyses, resources availability analyses, and cost-benefit analyses of proposed capital and staff expansions and business plan preparations
   * Oversees the evaluation of new potential revenue sources based on knowledge of Maryland and Delaware's reimbursement structure, operations, market trends, financial reports, and statistical information
   * Oversees the development of annual department budget
   * Develops and implements tools and reporting used for planning, forecasting, monitoring and decision support
   * Assists in development of leadership educational tools to support financial and operational goals
   * Serve as liaison for Information Services related finance needs and system integrations
   * Assists with maintaining the accounting functions of the organization, including but not limited to maintaining accounting systems, procedures, policies, practices, and initiatives
   * Serve as primary point of contact for Medical Partners initiatives that affect hospital and health system operations
   * Analyze monthly/quarterly operations and financial performance; provide variance analysis and explanations; and complete ad hoc analyses as requested
   * Identify opportunities for financial operations improvement and/or increased compliance with established financial controls
   * May assist with tax and treasury functions, as requested
   
   Qualifications and Education Requirements
   
   CPA/MBA Preferred
   
   Preferred Skills
   
   * Thorough working knowledge of accounting, financial reporting and analysis. Demonstrated experience with budgets, forecasts, financial plans. Experience integrating multiple pieces of financial information to identify themes, trends and issues.
   * Must possess knowledge of the healthcare environment and key issues associated with hospitals, ambulatory care and physician alignment

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior director of finance 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 senior directors of finance they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior directors of finance 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 senior director of finance job on Zippia to find and recruit senior director of finance candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior directors of finance 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.

   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 senior director of finance

   Once you've selected the best senior director of finance candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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