How to hire a wellness director

How to hire a wellness director, step by step

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

What does a wellness director do?

Post a wellness director job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your wellness director job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a wellness director for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

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

   Type of Wellness Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Wellness Director	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$20-61
   Nurse Manager	The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions... Show more	$28-55
   Director Of Professional Services	A director of professional services is responsible for evaluating and improving the professional services offered by the firm. Directors of professional services assess the operational processes and systems to ensure high-quality outputs and deliverables... Show more	$45-99

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Quality Care
   • Home Health
   • Direct Supervision
   • CPR
   • State Regulations
   • Oversight
   • Memory Care
   • Medication Management
   • Clinical Services
   • Wellness Programs
   • Resident Assessments
   • Community Events
   • Infection Control
   • Compassion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage resident and facility accounts, budgets, social security applications, and Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
   • Provide staff training and oversight on medication administration and direct patient care.
   • Provide oversight to ensure appropriate infection control procedures are follow by staff.
   • Assist in keeping key staff in compliance with CPR certification.
   • Implement disease management programs for hypertension, diabetes and back injuries.
   • Process payroll, hire, dismiss, and education to staff.

   More wellness director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, wellness directors' average salary in hawaii is 49% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level wellness directors earn 67% less than senior-level wellness directors.
   • Certifications. A wellness director 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 wellness director's salary.

   Average wellness director salary

   $73,888yearly

   $35.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level wellness director salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average wellness director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$109,346	$53
   2	New York	$105,626	$51
   3	District of Columbia	$93,550	$45
   4	California	$92,377	$44
   5	Washington	$87,539	$42
   6	Nevada	$86,196	$41
   7	Pennsylvania	$85,254	$41
   8	Minnesota	$76,736	$37
   9	Louisiana	$72,486	$35
   10	Arizona	$71,312	$34
   11	Colorado	$71,303	$34
   12	Virginia	$69,681	$34
   13	North Carolina	$69,323	$33
   14	New Mexico	$69,202	$33
   15	Tennessee	$68,066	$33
   16	Florida	$67,765	$33
   17	Texas	$65,567	$32
   18	Georgia	$58,816	$28

   Average wellness director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Emma Willard School	$162,541	$78.14
   2	Kisco Senior Living	$100,276	$48.21	5
   3	Keene Family YMCA	$99,894	$48.03
   4	Adams and Associates	$87,753	$42.19	1
   5	Legacy International	$87,514	$42.07
   6	Walmart	$84,560	$40.65	7
   7	Era Living	$78,755	$37.86
   8	WELL	$74,613	$35.87
   9	Goodwin Recruiting	$74,272	$35.71	2
   10	The City University of New York	$73,535	$35.35
   11	Chugach Alaska	$73,199	$35.19
   12	Meridian Bank	$72,788	$34.99
   13	Community Memorial Health System	$72,562	$34.89
   14	Petersen Health Care	$72,224	$34.72
   15	Aledade	$71,945	$34.59	1
   16	Crowe	$71,429	$34.34	1
   17	Wounded Warrior Project	$71,284	$34.27	4
   18	Heinen's Grocery Store	$71,075	$34.17
   19	Aleut	$70,725	$34.00
   20	Frontline	$70,478	$33.88

4. Writing a wellness director job description

   A job description for a wellness director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a wellness director job description:

   Wellness director job description example

   Salary starting at $120,000 | Great Benefits! $10,000 Signing Bonus! Free Meals! Free Parking!

   Era Living is seeking full-time Health and Wellness Director to become the newest member of our leadership team located at Gardens at Town Square Community, Bellevue, WA.

   Competitive Compensation and a Complete Benefits Package including:

   Company Sponsored Health Plan
   401k with Generous Employer Match
   Vacation & Sick Leave
   Leadership & Longevity Bonuses
   Employee Discount Programs
   Employee Assistance Program
   The advantages of an environment that supports your development and recognizes your achievements!
   **Eligibility contingent on meeting requirements of each benefit (hours worked, age, etc.)

   Primary Responsibilities:

   The Community Health Director is responsible for the overall management of the resident Health and Wellness services and programming in the community, managing a team of healthcare staff and providing R.N. nurse delegation as required. This role focuses on community's resident case management, health education, and health promotion activities that meet the needs of older adults.

   Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

   Experience supervising, directing, and evaluating direct care services as provided by the community's Wellness Center; Manage all Wellness Center and Personal Care Services employees, either directly or indirectly
   Ability to design Wellness Plans for all residents, including completing pre Move-In assessments of all residents moving into the community (licensed and non-licensed apartments), and reviewing Advance Directives with resident or designee (POLST-“Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment”)
   Expert knowledge of current Washington Boarding Home regulations
   Able to assist residents with their ADLs or medications, and provide skilled nursing tasks as established by disclosure for residents in licensed apartments or the Wellness Center, as needed
   Provide educational programs for residents through the whole community
   Communicate resident status and plan of service through written documentation
   Computer literacy with experience using Word and Excel
   Ability to read, write and communicate in English
   Ability to pass DSHS background check, required
   Must comply with the Washington State COVID-19 vaccination requirement for healthcare workers

   
   Education and Experience:

   Licensed as a RN in the State of WA and capable of meeting Boarding Home Administrator requirements.
   Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing, required; BSN, preferred.
   Must have or obtain Modified Fundamentals of Caregiving, Mental Health and Dementia Specialty Training, and CPR certification.
   Five (5) years experience as a RN, required. Three (3) years experience in settings working with older adults, Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing Facilities, preferred.

   
   About Era Living:

   
   If you are passionate about improving the quality of life for older adults and exemplify a values based approach to your work, demonstrating integrity, credibility, consistency, strong team orientation, and outstanding communication, we welcome your application!

   Era Living has been voted #4 Best Place to Work in Seattle 2017 (CityVoter's) and Top 5 BEST Places to Work in 2014 & 2015 (King5 Best of Western Washington!).

   JB.0.00.LN
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit wellness directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 wellness director

   Once you've decided on a perfect wellness 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new wellness director. 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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How much does it cost to hire a wellness director?