Wellness Director job description.
A wellness director leads an organization's employee or member health and wellness strategy, setting priorities across fitness, nutrition, mental health, and preventive care programming. They build the annual wellness budget, select and manage outside vendors, and work closely with HR and benefits leadership to align incentives with broader talent and cost goals. Success is measured through participation, engagement, and outcome data reported to senior leadership.
The Wellness 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: Wellness Director Reports to: Chief Human Resources Officer
A wellness director leads an organization's employee or member health and wellness strategy, setting priorities across fitness, nutrition, mental health, and preventive care programming. They build the annual wellness budget, select and manage outside vendors, and work closely with HR and benefits leadership to align incentives with broader talent and cost goals. Success is measured through participation, engagement, and outcome data reported to senior leadership.
- Design and lead organization-wide wellness and health-promotion programs
- Build and manage the annual wellness program budget
- Select, contract, and manage wellness vendors such as EAPs, fitness providers, and nutrition coaches
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.
Chief Human Resources Officer
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 lead organization-wide wellness and health-promotion programs
- Build and manage the annual wellness program budget
- Select, contract, and manage wellness vendors such as EAPs, fitness providers, and nutrition coaches
- Partner with HR and benefits teams to align wellness incentives with total-rewards strategy
- Track participation, engagement, and outcome metrics and report results to leadership
- Train and support site or department wellness coordinators
- Plan wellness challenges, health screenings, and awareness campaigns
- Ensure wellness communications and data handling comply with applicable health-privacy standards
- Represent wellness initiatives in leadership and benefits-planning meetings
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- Bachelor's degree in health promotion, exercise science, public health, or a related field
- Several years of experience managing workplace or organizational wellness programs
- Experience building and managing a program budget
- Experience selecting and managing outside vendors or contractors
- Strong presentation and cross-functional communication skills
- Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or equivalent wellness certification
- Master's degree in public health or health administration
- Experience with wellness technology platforms and participation analytics
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Wellness 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 Wellness Director job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The senior 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 (Chief Human Resources Officer) 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.
- Does a wellness director need a clinical background?
- Not typically. Most employers look for program management and health-promotion experience rather than a clinical license, though a public health or exercise science background is common.
- How is this role different from a wellness coordinator?
- The director sets strategy, budget, and vendor relationships at an organizational level, while a coordinator executes the day-to-day events and communications that support that strategy.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
HR Director
An HR Director leads the people function for an organisation or major business unit.
Benefits Specialist
A benefits specialist administers employee benefits programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, and leave policies.
Program Director
A Program Director oversees the planning, execution, and evaluation of one or more organizational programs, ensuring they meet objectives, budget, and compliance requirements.
This Wellness 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.