HR Director Job Description and Salary

An HR director leads a company's human resources function. The role usually reports to the CEO, COO or a chief human resources officer (CHRO). Core duties are setting HR strategy, managing the HR team and budget, overseeing hiring, pay and benefits, handling serious employee relations issues, and keeping the company compliant with employment law. At companies without a CHRO, the HR director is the most senior HR person. Below: a template, BLS pay data and interview questions.

HR director job description template

Replace the bracketed text. The two details senior candidates look for first are the reporting line and the scope of the job, so state both plainly.

About the role

We are hiring an HR Director to lead HR for our [number]-person company across [locations / states / countries]. You will report to the [CEO / COO / CHRO] and [will / will not] sit on the executive team. You will manage a team of [number], including [HR managers / HR business partners / a recruiting lead / an HR operations specialist], and own an HR budget of [amount]. Your scope covers [talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, employee relations, learning and development, HR systems and compliance]. In your first year, the main goals are [for example: build a performance review process, set salary bands, prepare HR for expansion into two new states]. The pay range is [$X-$Y] plus [bonus / equity].

Responsibilities

• Set the annual HR plan and budget with the executive team, tied to the company's hiring and growth plan
• Hire, manage and develop the HR team, and decide how work is split between generalists, business partners and specialists
• Build the headcount plan with Finance and department heads, and track hiring against it
• Own compensation structure: salary bands, merit and promotion cycles, and pay equity reviews, working with Finance
• Choose and renew benefits plans with the company's broker, and manage open enrollment
• Oversee serious employee relations matters: investigations, discrimination and harassment complaints, and terminations with legal risk, working with employment counsel
• Keep policies and practices compliant with federal, state and local employment law in every location where the company has employees
• Run the performance review cycle and manager training
• Report workforce data (headcount, turnover, time to fill, engagement results) to the executive team and, where required, the board
• Own the HR technology stack, including HRIS, ATS and payroll integrations, and the vendor contracts
• Lead the people side of reorganizations, layoffs, acquisitions and office openings or closures

Requirements

• [8-12] years of HR experience, including [3-5] years managing HR staff
• Has run most HR areas at some point: recruiting, compensation, employee relations, compliance and HR systems
• Has handled investigations and terminations with legal risk, and worked with outside employment counsel
• Multi-state [or international] employment experience
• Has presented workforce data and recommendations to senior executives
• Experience at a company of similar size or growth stage
• Bachelor's degree; SHRM-SCP or SPHR preferred

HR director vs. VP of people vs. CHRO

Titles at this level are not standard. "HR Director", "Head of People" and "VP of People" can describe the same job at different companies. The reporting line and scope tell you more than the title.

If your HR director will report to a VP of people or CHRO, say so in the posting. Candidates who expect a seat on the executive team will otherwise drop out late in the process.

How HR directors spend their time

There is no reliable published breakdown of an HR director's hours, and the mix changes with company size. In practice the week divides into a few recurring kinds of work. Some of it is planning with the executive team: headcount, budget, reorganizations and pay decisions. Some is managing the HR team, reviewing its work and unblocking it. A steady share goes to serious employee relations matters and legal risk, which are hard to schedule and tend to take priority when they arise. The rest is running the annual cycles (performance reviews, merit increases, open enrollment) and dealing with HR systems and vendors.

At a company of a few hundred people, an HR director also does hands-on work such as writing policies or running investigations. At a larger company with HR business partners and specialist teams, more of the job is planning, managing and reporting. Our HR business partner job description explains how those roles fit under a director.

HR director salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts HR directors under Human Resources Managers (SOC 11-3121). That occupation covers everyone who plans and directs HR work, from HR managers at small companies to directors at large ones, so directors tend to sit in the upper half of the range.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 data. Industry matters: BLS reports median pay of $170,590 for HR managers in professional, scientific and technical services, $166,200 in management of companies and enterprises, and $145,680 in manufacturing. BLS figures are base wages and do not include bonus or equity, which are common at the director level.

Pay also varies by metro area. BLS publishes HR manager wages for each metropolitan area in its OEWS tables. BLS also notes that HR managers typically need a bachelor's degree and five or more years of related work experience (BLS, How to Become One).

Interview questions for HR director candidates

1. 1What HR plan did you set for your last company's year, and which parts of it happened?
2. 2Tell me about a reorganization or layoff you led. How did you plan it, what did you tell employees, and what would you change?
3. 3Describe a time you disagreed with the CEO on a people decision. What did you do, and how did it end?
4. 4Walk me through the most serious investigation you have overseen. When did you bring in outside counsel?
5. 5How have you set or changed salary bands? What data did you use, and how did you handle employees paid outside the new bands?
6. 6Tell me about someone on your HR team who grew under your management. What did you do?
7. 7Which workforce numbers did you report to your executive team each month, and which one changed a decision?

Frequently asked questions