How to hire a site director

How to hire a site director, step by step

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

What does a site director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a site 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

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

   Type of Site Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Site Director	Preschool and childcare center directors supervise and lead staffs, oversee daily activities, design curriculums, and prepare budgets. They are responsible for all aspects of their center’s program.	$10-40
   Director Of After School Program	A director of after school programs oversees and directs childcare centers in communities. They take the lead in setting goals and guidelines, conducting research and analyses to identify the students' interests and needs, developing programs that provide recreational activities and academic support, supervising the recruitment and training of employees, and monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently... Show more	$14-38
   Test Center Administrator	A test center administrator is responsible for overseeing the daily operations at test centers, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, liaise with external partners such as vendors at suppliers, coordinate staff, monitor the progress of all operations, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$10-14

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Child Care
   • CPR
   • Direct Supervision
   • Oversight
   • Youth Development
   • Professional Development
   • Core Values
   • Conflict Resolution
   • HR
   • Direct Reports
   • Staff Development
   • Site Operations
   • After-School Program

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all company quality functions, including serving as management representative with regulatory agencies (FDA, EU) and clients.
   • Plan activities for early childhood care at a child care program.
   • Certify health care provider in CPR and first aid.
   • Set up and maintain company website and Facebook page.
   • Purchase and write all advertising including TV, radio, newspaper and Facebook.
   • Complete training in CPR, distribution of medication, and psychology of elementary age children.

   More site director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, site directors' average salary in montana is 46% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level site directors 74% less than senior-level site directors.
   • Certifications. A site 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 site director's salary.

   Average site director salary

   $43,762yearly

   $21.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level site director salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average site director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Pennsylvania	$59,549	$29
   2	District of Columbia	$57,010	$27
   3	Ohio	$54,370	$26
   4	New York	$54,140	$26
   5	Massachusetts	$52,594	$25
   6	Oregon	$51,468	$25
   7	Texas	$49,069	$24
   8	Washington	$48,563	$23
   9	Arizona	$46,129	$22
   10	California	$45,747	$22
   11	Nebraska	$44,997	$22
   12	Maryland	$44,669	$21
   13	Iowa	$42,362	$20
   14	Missouri	$42,207	$20
   15	Illinois	$40,188	$19
   16	Indiana	$38,383	$18
   17	Florida	$37,450	$18
   18	Colorado	$36,431	$18
   19	Georgia	$35,649	$17

   Average site director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Okta	$152,288	$73.22
   2	Microsoft	$130,569	$62.77	4
   3	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$127,469	$61.28	2
   4	LinkedIn	$118,205	$56.83
   5	U.S. Bank	$110,821	$53.28
   6	Palo Alto Networks	$109,563	$52.67	1
   7	Air Liquide	$105,203	$50.58
   8	The Boring Company	$101,578	$48.84
   9	Eversource Energy	$92,967	$44.70	1
   10	Boston Public Schools	$85,274	$41.00	1
   11	Vertellus	$82,944	$39.88
   12	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$72,549	$34.88	2
   13	DSM Services USA Inc	$72,498	$34.85
   14	Northrop Grumman	$71,431	$34.34	2
   15	UC Merced	$70,754	$34.02
   16	Sofidel America Corp.	$70,632	$33.96
   17	Optimum Nutrition	$61,577	$29.60	1
   18	Walsh University	$60,797	$29.23
   19	Quad	$60,159	$28.92
   20	Fidelity Investments	$56,674	$27.25	4

4. Writing a site director job description

   A site director 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 site director job description:

   Site director job description example

   Reports to the Executive Director Transitional Housing Program. Oversees the daily operations of the program, the hiring, training, supervision, coaching of existing and new staff members. Responsible for the management of the financial budget of the program, the grants and other types of funding. Ensures performance evaluations are conducted in a timely fashion, participate in conferences, ensures policies and procedures are adhered to and represent the organization in the external professional community.
   Job Responsibilities:
   
   Staff Supervision
   Provide leadership and team management to staff Balance competing priorities and make independent judgments and decisions Perform in a professional, confidential and collaborative capacity; sensitive to cultural, religious, racial, disability and gender issues
   General Responsibilities
   Experience in chemical dependency preferred; must have a positive attitude towards chemically dependent persons Knowledge of state and federal confidentiality, contract management and program administration regulations Knowledge of operations management procedures and practices Knowledge and use of different communication and learning Knowledge of organizational, strategic, participatory, collaborative skills Knowledge of empowerment and self-advocacy techniques Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques Knowledge of financial management practices in human service organization Required to balance many responsibilities in the course of the workday, must be flexible, have excellent time management, communication and stress management skills and be an effective team leader Ability to analyze and recommend solutions to complex problems Ability to assess impact of legislation, regulations on programmatic goals May need to be on call after hours or during the weekend for emergencies; must be available to work on a flexible schedule; this includes, weekends, holidays, evenings or night shifts
   Qualifications
   Professional and Personal Qualifications:
   Experience with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus Have a thorough knowledge of applicable state rules and regulations and stay-up-to-date with any legislative changes that can affect the operation of the organization’s programs Ability to apply management principles and techniques Knowledge of community organizations and public assistance agencies Considerable interpersonal skills Excellent communication skills both written and verbal Five years of experience in an administrative capacity is the minimum experience requirement
   
   Education Requirement
   Bachelor’s Degree with 5 years of programmatic knowledge and experience Master’s Degree in Behavioral Science with five years of programmatic knowledge and experience MSW Master’s Degree with three years programmatic knowledge and experience License Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with at least three years of programmatic knowledge and experience License Psychologist with administrative programmatic knowledge and experience Excellent communication skills both written and verbal Ability to communicate verbally and in written in English and Spanish.
   
   Please note the job responsibilities are not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to those listed above and may change at any time.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find site directors 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 site directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level site directors 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 site director job on Zippia to find and recruit site 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 site 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 site director

   Once you've decided on a perfect site 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new site director. 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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