How to hire a vice president of communication

How to hire a vice president of communication, step by step

Here's a step-by-step vice president of communication hiring guide:

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

What does a vice president of communication do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the vice president of communication you need to hire. Certain vice president of communication 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 vice president of communication's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, vice president of 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.

   Here's a comparison of vice president of communication salaries for various roles:

   Type of Vice President Of Communication	Description	Hourly rate
   Vice President Of Communication	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$45-124
   Media Director	A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations... Show more	$35-82
   Public Relations Director	A public relations director is a professional who is employed to design and implement marketing strategies that can cultivate the relationship between a company and the media. Public relations directors collaborate with the internal team to boost brand awareness and maximize brand consistency in all advertising efforts... Show more	$28-72

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Strategic Communications
   • External Communications
   • Press Releases
   • Oversight
   • Project Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Business Development
   • Real Estate
   • Corporate Communications
   • HR
   • Crisis Communications
   • Strategic Plan
   • Community Relations
   • Community Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage department budget to achieve efficient returns on investments (ROI).
   • Provide detail analysis after each event, including ROI, leads generate and any other findings.
   • Manage all aspects of business operations that include sales and marketing, advertising, administration, financial oversight and inventory/procurement management.
   • Assist in the recruitment process as well as marketing the fraternity's strengths.
   • Place executives as speakers at industry conferences, create PowerPoint presentations, attend and provide trade show support.
   • Used email, Facebook, text messaging, and other online communications systems to inform the chapter and keep them update.

   More vice president of communication duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your vice president of communication job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A vice president of communication salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a vice president of communication in Oklahoma may be lower than in Nevada, and an entry-level vice president of communication usually earns less than a senior-level vice president of communication. Additionally, a vice president of communication with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average vice president of communication salary

   $156,662yearly

   $75.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level vice president of communication salary

   $94,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average vice president of communication salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$195,254	$94
   2	Arizona	$194,594	$94
   3	Missouri	$172,300	$83
   4	New Jersey	$170,108	$82
   5	North Carolina	$169,844	$82
   6	District of Columbia	$159,199	$77
   7	Minnesota	$158,258	$76
   8	Georgia	$157,271	$76
   9	Virginia	$155,203	$75
   10	New York	$155,057	$75
   11	Rhode Island	$154,928	$74
   12	Ohio	$152,305	$73
   13	Connecticut	$150,823	$73
   14	Massachusetts	$150,529	$72
   15	Montana	$142,329	$68
   16	Texas	$142,300	$68
   17	Colorado	$141,228	$68
   18	Pennsylvania	$139,471	$67
   19	Florida	$135,220	$65
   20	Illinois	$133,659	$64

   Average vice president of communication salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$201,219	$96.74
   2	Evercore	$196,455	$94.45	1
   3	Gap Inc.	$194,635	$93.57
   4	Shiseido	$190,863	$91.76
   5	Citi	$190,015	$91.35	212
   6	Barclays	$189,552	$91.13	6
   7	Weber Shandwick	$184,932	$88.91	19
   8	Nomura Securities	$179,384	$86.24	8
   9	State Street	$178,410	$85.77	288
   10	Zenith USA	$172,402	$82.89
   11	Blackstone Group	$170,712	$82.07	3
   12	Fusion LLC	$170,334	$81.89
   13	Cortland	$168,929	$81.22	19
   14	Moody's	$168,797	$81.15	10
   15	TPI Composites	$165,447	$79.54
   16	FleishmanHillard	$165,073	$79.36	38
   17	Edelman Financial Engines	$161,662	$77.72	2
   18	Ketchum	$159,031	$76.46	23
   19	Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates	$158,973	$76.43
   20	NBCUniversal	$157,054	$75.51	21

4. Writing a vice president of communication job description

   A vice president of communication 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 vice president of communication job description:

   Vice president of communication job description example

   1. Develops goals and implements plans for various administrative function. 2. May perform other duties as assigned.
   Required Education and Experience
   
   Bachelor's degree and fifteen or more years of experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
   
   Background Check Requirements
   
   All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.
   
   Position Focus:
   
   The vice president for communications reports to President Salovey, serving as a member of the senior leadership team and as the university's chief communications officer. As a member of the University Cabinet and the Vice Presidents Council, the vice president for communications advises the president and other officers on how best to develop, refine, and disseminate messages about the university's key initiatives. The vice president will be responsible for setting Yale's communications strategy, and advancing and protecting the university's reputation, both proactively and in response to events. The incumbent will be a highly experienced senior leader who is passionate about the university and its mission. The vice president will manage, lead, and inspire the Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC) and coordinate with communications officers in various schools and units to communicate effectively across a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, using a broad range of traditional and social media. The successful candidate will collaborate and partner with the other members of the University Cabinet to advance the goals of Yale University and work closely with staff in the Office of the President on presidential communications.
   
   The vice president oversees OPAC, which has sixty staff members who cover a full range of communications responsibilities - both internal and external. OPAC is responsible for publishing Yale News and Yale Today; promoting faculty research through press releases, video, and other outlets; managing the design and implementation of Yale.edu; overseeing Yale's social media presence; managing the Yale wordmark program; and providing communications assistance and support for web design, messaging, events, video, photography, media training, and related activities. The vice president will take the lead on crisis communications strategy and will prepare for a diverse spectrum of potential communications scenarios.
   
   This recruitment is being managed by Russell Reynolds.
   
   Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:
   
   The ideal candidate will have served in the chief communications officer capacity, managing both the overarching strategy as well as the day-to-day operational components of the function. Experience in a diverse set of large, complex environments is a must, and insight into higher education would be a significant plus.
   
   Posting Disclaimer
   
   The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find vice president of communications 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 vice president of communications they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level vice president of communications 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.

   To find vice president of communication candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with vice president of communication 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. 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 vice president of communication

   Once you've found the vice president of communication candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new vice president of communication. 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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