Program directors work for companies that provide specific and ongoing services. These managers are tasked with a variety of duties, from organizing daily schedules to ensuring programs function within an annual budget.
Since you’ll want to hire a motivated individual for this position, make sure your program director job description is specific about the demands of the job. These directors have a lot of oversight and responsibility, and it’s important that your applicants understand that.
Ideally, your director will be able to step in without needing too much training. In your listing, try to provide plenty of information regarding the minutia of the work, including what equipment is used and how specific services are provided. Read the program director job description below so you can get ideas for how to structure your own.
Program Director Job Summary
Do you want to feel good about the work you do? Our mentoring company provides excellent education and a supportive environment for young adults, and we’re looking for a program director who enjoys working hard to give others a better chance at succeeding. You’ll oversee our network of mentors and take charge of a program that affects real change. This is a position for a motivated, creative individual who loves working with other people and solving problems with poise and grace. If you have the work ethic and experience to help this program grow, we want to hear from you! The position is full-time and includes benefits.
Job Responsibilities
- Develop program services to include a variety of activities and objectives for both mentors and visitors
- Work with staff to ensure needs are being met and implement changes if and when program components stop resonating with those being served
- Create an environment that is fluid and adaptable, providing different and evolving services as the attendees and mentoring culture inevitably change
- Conduct and provide mentor trainings and reviews, and establish goals and benchmarks that will enable workers to grow and improve
- Adhere to the company mission statement and provide a good example so that mentors and visitors act in accordance with the established culture
- Plan and coordinate monthly outings that will be educational, safe and enriching for all those who are able to attend
- Delegate tasks related to general office duties, such as stocking supplies, maintaining a clean workspace, properly opening and closing the building and caring for office equipment
- Oversee and handle any questions and concerns relating to payroll and other financial issues
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Trained in conflict resolution
- Outstanding communication skills
- Two years’ management experience
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Proficient with word processing and spreadsheets
- Two years’ accounting experience
Program Director Job Responsibilities
Every organization has particular needs when it comes to program leadership and strategic direction. Finding a candidate to fulfill those needs is tough but not impossible. The best way to attract the right candidate is with a skillfully crafted program director job description that conveys the specific requirements of the role, particularly anything unique to your organization and workflows. Write 8-10 bullet points that discuss high-level responsibilities and strategic targets; make sure you’re clear on general accountabilities and how those will further overall program goals.
Keep your writing engaging by using action-oriented style. Action-oriented writing replaces passive language with action verbs at the beginning of each sentence, lending each bullet point more strength and impact. Think of this style of writing as beginning with “I” as the subject for every sentence, except your drop that subject to leave only the verb denoting the action taken. The voice of an action-oriented job responsibilities section should be powerful while remaining professional, allowing candidates to see the role described in your program director job description in a more vivid way.
We’ve written a few sample program director job responsibilities:
- Oversee strategy and execution for hospital practice management and key programs
- Determine requirements to drive program expansion and optimization
- Provide continuous leadership over policy compliance and development
- Recruit, coach, train, and mentor staff, including department heads
- Maintain and uphold Joint Commission accreditation standards
Program Director Job Specifications
Now that you’ve expertly written what you expect your program director to do, it’s time to discuss the qualities you seek in a candidate. Build a list of job skills and qualifications that cover mandatory requirements for eligibility and narrow it down to five or six bullets to round out your program director job description. Think of this list as your screening criteria. Strengthen it by discussing what qualities can make or break the job with current program personnel and management, giving them an active role in shaping choices for your next hire.
Key qualifications to cover in the job qualifications and skills section include education, years of experience, industry background and soft skills that encompass particular leadership capabilities or talents you seek. You can also improve your program director job description with preferred traits that may not be hard and fast criteria but still weigh in candidates’ favor over others lacking those traits. Screening this way can minimize time spent reviewing applications, allowing you to focus more on applicant selection.
Try our example program director job specifications:
- 10+ years of experience leading healthcare organizations
- Master’s degree in health or social discipline required; Ph.D. preferred
- Previous experience preparing new hospitals for JCI accreditation
- Strong track record in community outreach and relationship building
- Prior history recruiting new teams from scratch