How to hire a youth program director

How to hire a youth program director, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a youth program 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?

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   Hiring the perfect youth program director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of youth program directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Youth Program Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Youth Program Director	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$11-25
   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
   Director Of Program Development	A director of program development is an executive professional who is responsible for managing an information technology (IT) department that is involved in the creation of an entire information system and all related software. This director must provide project management for clients and submit proposals regarding the structure of its units... Show more	$17-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Kids
   • Youth Program
   • Youth Development
   • Community Development
   • Child Care
   • Program Development
   • Curriculum Development
   • Community Outreach
   • Program Budget
   • Staff Development
   • Community Events
   • Youth Sports
   • Community Organizations
   • Community Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage day-to-day oversight and management involving planning, programming, execution, distribution, and analysis for assign organizations budgets.
   • Generate and develop new and innovative communications approaches, participate in the development and implementation of alumni communication and culture strategies.
   • Ensure that all WIA staff perform at a high level and meeting their goals.

   More youth program director duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, youth program directors' average salary in hawaii is 65% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level youth program directors earn 56% less than senior-level youth program directors.
   • Certifications. A youth program 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 youth program director's salary.

   Average youth program director salary

   $16.81hourly

   $34,971 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level youth program director salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average youth program director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$66,109	$32
   2	Connecticut	$52,216	$25
   3	Massachusetts	$46,496	$22
   4	California	$45,138	$22
   5	New Jersey	$42,426	$20
   6	District of Columbia	$41,161	$20
   7	Rhode Island	$38,063	$18
   8	Pennsylvania	$35,897	$17
   9	Georgia	$35,061	$17
   10	Washington	$34,061	$16
   11	Colorado	$33,693	$16
   12	Texas	$33,001	$16
   13	Florida	$29,560	$14
   14	Missouri	$29,483	$14
   15	Minnesota	$29,239	$14
   16	North Dakota	$28,759	$14
   17	Arizona	$27,733	$13
   18	Mississippi	$26,574	$13
   19	Nebraska	$25,633	$12
   20	South Carolina	$24,726	$12

   Average youth program director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Los Angeles County Museum of Art	$51,655	$24.83
   2	City Of Norwalk, Connecticut	$38,142	$18.34	1
   3	Quad	$36,720	$17.65	3
   4	Dignity Health	$35,781	$17.20	27
   5	LifeWorks	$35,089	$16.87	2
   6	The Home For Little Wanderers	$34,771	$16.72	6
   7	Aspiranet	$34,295	$16.49	28
   8	University of Georgia Small Business Development Center	$34,261	$16.47	39
   9	Texas Department of Transportation	$33,734	$16.22	6
   10	United Way of Greater Lafayette	$33,669	$16.19	6
   11	Galileo	$32,989	$15.86
   12	Town Sports International Holdings	$32,950	$15.84
   13	YMCA	$32,863	$15.80	45
   14	Rbscc	$32,852	$15.79	3
   15	Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa	$32,824	$15.78	2
   16	Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta	$32,821	$15.78	7
   17	Americorps	$32,789	$15.76	80
   18	Mercer Island Country Club	$32,742	$15.74
   19	Genesis Health Clubs	$32,677	$15.71	4
   20	Skyhawks Sports Academy	$32,307	$15.53

4. Writing a youth program director job description

   A job description for a youth program 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 youth program director job description:

   Youth program director job description example

   St. Gabriel is seeking a full-time D/CCYP to organize, implement, supervise, and evaluate athletic, cultural, social, community service, and spiritually enriching activities primarily for ages 12 through 18 years of age. The D/CCYP is responsible for recruiting and training volunteers and paid facilitators in support of said activities. All activities are performed under the supervision of the Pastor.

   REQUIREMENTS

   • Practicing Catholic in good standing committed to the authentic teachings of the Catholic Faith.
   • Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university.
   • One year of experience at a trainee level, administering a limited program of activities for a Catholic, private, or public youth-oriented program, involving more than an athletic activity. Three references required.

   DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

   • Develop, plan, and coordinate a limited program of athletic, cultural, and social recreation activities, to meet the needs and interests of the community and various age groups (primarily 12 to 18), which at the same time foster development of strong Catholic character, virtues, good sportsmanship, and self-confidence.
   • Recruit, train, and supervise volunteers and paid facilitators in support of specific activities; conduct periodic training and meetings on-site.
   • Collaborate with Director/Coordinator of Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation (D/CRE) to offer age specific retreats and/or days of recollection for youth and support staff.
   • Coordinate community service projects as approved by the Pastor.
   • Collaborate with other members of the parish staff to plan and schedule activities in Annex/Gym; member of the Pastoral Council and attend monthly meetings; contribute to the parish outreach plans for evangelization, particularly among local youth and their families.
   • Implementation of the Safe Environment Program is required, including securing clearances for volunteers and paid facilitators.

   SKILL IN AND ABILITY TO

   • Organize, teach, and lead people of diverse age groups, while exercising tact and good judgement.
   • Outstanding organizational, scheduling, and computer skills
   • Effective conflict resolution approaches and customer service best practices.
   • Ability to communicate with small and large groups, giving effective presentations, to advertise and recruit participation.
   • Work with Pastor in seeking financial support and sponsorships for program.

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find youth program 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 youth program director job on Zippia to find and recruit youth program director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with youth program director 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 youth program director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the youth program director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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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