How to hire a social director

How to hire a social director, step by step

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

What does a social director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a social 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 social director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, social 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.

   Here's a comparison of social director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Social Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Social Director	Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage staff who provide social services to the public.	$23-67
   Corps Member	Corps members are selected college students from top universities in the United States. They are enlisted by TFA (Teach for America), a nonprofit organization... Show more	$7-26
   Student Manager	Student managers are executives who assist in coaching staff with practice management and games. They are employed to ensure the efficient and safe operation of the organizations... Show more	$17-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Social Work
   • YouTube
   • Social Media Marketing
   • Pinterest
   • Social Events
   • Linkedin
   • Social Services
   • Press Releases
   • Media Management
   • SEO
   • Blogging

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage various social media accounts: twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
   • Create and manage a profile on LinkedIn, an active online business community, for the gallery.
   • Manage the daily social media outlets, such as facebook, youtube, twitter, google +, and wordpress.
   • Establish a social media strategy incorporating YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
   • Assist with applying for Medicaid when need.
   • Affiliate marketing and generate online sales by selling blogging platform.

   More social director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average social director salary

   $83,056yearly

   $39.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level social director salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 12, 2026

   Average social director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,914	$52
   2	New Jersey	$107,964	$52
   3	New York	$105,076	$51
   4	Virginia	$96,361	$46
   5	Washington	$95,349	$46
   6	District of Columbia	$94,040	$45
   7	Utah	$93,287	$45
   8	Illinois	$81,804	$39
   9	Pennsylvania	$77,998	$38
   10	Indiana	$72,698	$35
   11	New Mexico	$71,143	$34
   12	Texas	$70,824	$34
   13	North Carolina	$67,673	$33
   14	Georgia	$65,039	$31
   15	Colorado	$64,711	$31
   16	Minnesota	$64,008	$31
   17	Florida	$62,377	$30

   Average social director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Community Health Systems	$104,337	$50.16	17
   2	Razorfish	$94,362	$45.37
   3	Omnicom Media Group	$91,659	$44.07	3
   4	City University of Seattle	$90,554	$43.54
   5	Basis Technologies	$88,665	$42.63
   6	Innovations for Poverty Action	$87,630	$42.13
   7	Reprise Digital	$86,647	$41.66
   8	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$85,875	$41.29	17
   9	American Senior Benefits	$85,162	$40.94	3
   10	Presbyterian	$84,278	$40.52	1
   11	Teradata	$83,780	$40.28
   12	CMI Media Group	$83,475	$40.13	1
   13	Catholic Health East	$82,971	$39.89	1
   14	GoodRx	$82,226	$39.53
   15	McKinney	$82,131	$39.49	4
   16	IRIS	$79,253	$38.10
   17	Metric Theory	$77,914	$37.46
   18	Curaleaf	$77,824	$37.42
   19	TechStyle Fashion Group	$77,821	$37.41
   20	Colorado State Express	$77,821	$37.41

4. Writing a social director job description

   A social 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. Below, you can find an example of a social director job description:

   Social director job description example

   We are an organization dedicated to creating pathways to opportunity so people can live to their full potential. We center our work on education, immigration reform, the environment, health, with justice as our goal. We use a wide range of tools and strategies - partnering with entrepreneurs and experts, makers and policymakers, advocates, and creatives - to build and execute innovative solutions that will spur change and promote equality.
   
   In order to address national and global-scale problems, we employ a wide range of tools and strategies. We believe that a combination of Philanthropy and Venture Capital can support the greatest leaps of innovation. This model allows us to deploy resources in the most flexible way for the greatest impact.
   The Opportunity
   
   The Philanthropy team at Emerson Collective (EC) supports nonprofits that are working to build a more just and equitable future for individuals and communities. Reporting to the Managing Director of Philanthropy, the Portfolio Director, Social Innovation will lead the Social Innovation portfolio, which consistently aims to be flexible and dynamic in its approach and grantmaking. The Philanthropy team supports nonprofit partners that are undertaking critical and innovative work outside of EC's core focus areas (noted above) including, but not limited to: financial justice, gun violence prevention, food access, and responsiveness to emerging situations. The Portfolio Director will work across a variety of issue areas, helping to shape philanthropic investment strategy, conduct research and due diligence on potential partners and new areas of investment, and advise and support grant partners. Importantly, the Portfolio Director will collaborate across issue areas and teams at EC. Because this is a generalist role by definition, EC needs a strong professional who understands the interconnected nature of many issues, and can easily switch gears among topics, strategies and organizations.
   
   Learn more about the Emerson Collective's philanthropy work here.
   Role and ResponsibilitiesConduct regular landscape scans of issue areas, which would include consulting with key partners in those respective spaces Design and execute grantmaking strategies for the Social Innovation portfolio, including identifying priority issues, gaps, and key organizations Lead due diligence on potential partner organizations; this includes researching organizations, leading diligence meetings and calls, analyzing financial documents, evaluating potential for success and strategic alignment, summarizing findings, making strategic recommendations, and regularly presenting investment recommendations to EC's philanthropic decision-making committee Provide guidance and hands-on support to EC partners in the Social Innovation portfolio; this includes proactively identifying new connections or collaboration opportunities across the EC portfolio, as well as within EC's support system (e.g., convening, advocacy, communications, capacity building) Conduct research and landscape analyses to assess and recommend potential new areas for support that reflect EC's creative approach to funding Stay abreast of developments in various fields in order to put the work of EC's current partners into context Provide thought leadership and convene partners, experts, and other thought leaders, particularly those with local knowledge and first-hand experience, when there are opportunities to advance the work of EC or the field Actively collaborate with and leverage other EC teams and initiatives Work collaboratively with the Managing Director, other Portfolio Directors, and Analysts
   Candidate ProfileProfile of the Successful CandidateEmerson Collective is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and seeks to continue to build a diverse and inclusive workforce to promote effective work in partnership with all communities and population groups that it serves. EC seeks a leader who is dedicated to promoting philanthropy and improving the quality of human lives around the globe. In addition, EC seeks candidates with a demonstrated track record of commitment to the power of philanthropy and civic action; strong curiosity and the desire to continue learning; and, a collegial work style. Most importantly, the successful candidate will have a strong sense of humility and a sense of humor. In its work, EC prioritizes professionals who understand power dynamics between funders and grant partners because, in making social change, ecosystems and leadership are what matter. The successful candidate will have high standards in their work, be very pragmatic, and will be comfortable with ambiguity and “gray areas.” Within this framework, EC seeks a Portfolio Director, Social Innovation with the following attributes: Significant leadership experience at a non-profit organization, foundation, or government entity Excellent oral and written communication Strong analytical skills, including experience conducting research, analyzing data, synthesizing information, and making strategic recommendations Proven ability to manage and provide leadership in multiple external relationships with high levels of empathy and responsiveness Ability to manage and prioritize multiple responsibilities within a fast-paced environment Ability to be efficient, balancing that instinct with the ability to be thoughtful about the deployment of significant resources Comfortable taking on new tasks or projects with little direction and adjusting course quickly in response to feedback Experience in working in the nonprofit environment preferred Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required, Master's degree preferred
   Location and Timeframe
   
   Emerson Collective is a Bay Area-based organization with offices in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Oakland, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. This position is located in Palo Alto, CA.
   
   We seek to have someone in place in Winter 2022/early Spring 2023.
   
   What we offer
   
   A mission-driven, diverse, and inclusive environment that focuses on learning and growing. We offer excellent benefits and perks designed for your well-being and a healthy work-life balance. These include flexible paid time off, competitive health insurance, a generous retirement savings plan, paid parental leave, commuter benefits, mental health and family care benefits, lunch in the office, book club, weekly yoga, a new iPhone and iWatch, time off to volunteer, participation in social justice events, and more.
   
   The salary for this role is highly competitive and commensurate with experience.
   
   Please note that we are onsite four days per week.
   
   Emerson Collective requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a primary series (2 doses of Moderna or Pfizer, or one of J&J) and the most recent booster recommended for you by the CDC.
   
   Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for a role if they don't meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is unlikely that someone checks every single box on a job description. If most of this job description describes you, then we welcome your application.
   
   Building a diverse and inclusive workforce is key to our mission and values as we strive to create systemic change and open possibilities for all of the communities we serve. To that end, we provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find social directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your social director job on Zippia to find and recruit social director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting social directors 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.

   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 social director

   Once you've selected the best social director 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new social director first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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