Activity Director job description.
An activity director plans, coordinates, and leads recreational, social, and therapeutic programs for residents in senior living, assisted living, or long-term care communities. They design activity calendars tailored to residents' interests, abilities, and care plans, supervise activity staff and volunteers, and evaluate program effectiveness to support residents' physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. The role also involves maintaining participation records, managing a program budget, and ensuring activities meet state and facility regulatory requirements.
The Activity Director job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 9 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Activity Director Reports to: Facility Administrator
An activity director plans, coordinates, and leads recreational, social, and therapeutic programs for residents in senior living, assisted living, or long-term care communities. They design activity calendars tailored to residents' interests, abilities, and care plans, supervise activity staff and volunteers, and evaluate program effectiveness to support residents' physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. The role also involves maintaining participation records, managing a program budget, and ensuring activities meet state and facility regulatory requirements.
- Design and maintain a monthly calendar of recreational, social, and therapeutic activities
- Assess resident interests, abilities, and care plans to tailor programming
- Lead and supervise activity staff, volunteers, and outside entertainers
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
9 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
5 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
6 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Facility Administrator
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Design and maintain a monthly calendar of recreational, social, and therapeutic activities
- Assess resident interests, abilities, and care plans to tailor programming
- Lead and supervise activity staff, volunteers, and outside entertainers
- Coordinate outings, special events, and holiday celebrations
- Maintain activity participation records and required regulatory documentation
- Manage the activities department budget and supply inventory
- Train and mentor activity assistants on programming best practices
- Collaborate with nursing and care staff to align activities with resident care plans
- Ensure compliance with state and facility activity program regulations
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- Certification as an Activity Director or equivalent, as required by state and facility
- Experience planning and leading group programs for older adults or residents with care needs
- Strong organizational and event-planning skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Understanding of dementia care and adaptive activity programming
- Bachelor's degree in recreation therapy, gerontology, or related field
- Certified Activity Professional (CAP) or Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential
- Experience in a long-term care or assisted living environment
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Activity Director job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Activity Director job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The mid band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Facility Administrator) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- What certification does an activity director need?
- Requirements vary by state, but many require a state-approved Activity Director certification course; some facilities also accept CTRS or CAP credentials.
- What is a typical caseload for an activity director?
- It varies by facility size, but activity directors in mid-size long-term care communities often plan programming for 50-150 residents with support from activity assistants.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Activities Coordinator
An activities coordinator plans and leads recreational, social, and educational programs for residents or participants in settings such as senior living communities, schools, camps, or community centers.
Recreational Therapist
A Recreational Therapist uses activity-based interventions such as sports, art, and music to help patients recover from illness, injury, or disability.
Memory Care Director
A Memory Care Director leads the dementia and Alzheimer's care program within a senior living community, overseeing staff, programming, and resident outcomes in the memory care neighborhood.
This Activity Director job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.