Effective Work Samples and Role Plays for Hiring a Program Director

Program Directors serve as the strategic backbone of organizational initiatives, bridging the gap between vision and execution. Their ability to develop comprehensive strategies, manage resources effectively, lead diverse teams, and build meaningful stakeholder relationships directly impacts program success and organizational growth. Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these critical areas, making practical work samples essential for identifying the right talent.

When hiring a Program Director, theoretical knowledge must be complemented by demonstrated competence in real-world scenarios. Work samples and role plays provide a window into how candidates approach complex challenges, make strategic decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances—all crucial skills for effective program leadership. These exercises reveal thinking patterns, problem-solving approaches, and interpersonal dynamics that might otherwise remain hidden in conventional interview settings.

The stakes are particularly high for Program Director roles, as these leaders significantly influence organizational outcomes and team performance. A poor hiring decision can result in misaligned programs, budget overruns, team dysfunction, and damaged stakeholder relationships. Conversely, selecting the right candidate can drive innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable impact.

The following work samples and role plays are designed to evaluate candidates across the essential competencies required for Program Director success: strategic thinking, financial acumen, leadership capability, and stakeholder management. By implementing these exercises, you'll gain valuable insights into each candidate's practical abilities and potential fit within your organization's unique context and culture.

Activity #1: Strategic Program Development Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to develop a coherent program strategy aligned with organizational objectives. It reveals their strategic thinking, planning capabilities, and understanding of program design principles. A strong Program Director must be able to translate broad organizational goals into actionable program strategies with clear outcomes and implementation pathways.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide candidates with a brief description of a hypothetical organization and its mission, along with 2-3 strategic goals the organization aims to achieve.
• Include relevant contextual information such as target audience, available resources, timeline constraints, and any regulatory considerations.
• Allow candidates 24 hours before the interview to review the materials and prepare their program strategy.
• Allocate 20 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for questions during the interview.
• Ensure the interviewing panel includes stakeholders who would typically interact with the Program Director role.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided organizational context and strategic goals.
• Develop a comprehensive program strategy that addresses how you would achieve these goals, including:
• Program objectives and key performance indicators
• Implementation timeline and major milestones
• Required resources (budget, staffing, technology)
• Potential challenges and mitigation strategies
• Approach to monitoring and evaluation
• Prepare a 15-20 minute presentation outlining your proposed strategy.
• Be prepared to answer questions about your strategic choices and implementation approach.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide specific feedback on one strategic element the candidate handled exceptionally well and one area where their approach could be strengthened.
• Give the candidate 5-7 minutes to respond to the improvement feedback by explaining how they would adjust their strategy based on this input.
• Observe how receptively they incorporate feedback and their ability to adapt their thinking in real-time.

Activity #2: Budget Management Scenario

This exercise assesses a candidate's financial acumen, resource allocation skills, and ability to make difficult budgetary decisions while maintaining program integrity. Effective budget management is a cornerstone of successful program direction, requiring both analytical skills and strategic prioritization.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving a program budget that needs adjustment due to a 15% funding reduction.
• Provide a detailed program budget spreadsheet including staff costs, operational expenses, technology investments, and other relevant line items.
• Include program objectives and deliverables that must be maintained despite the budget reduction.
• Allow candidates 30 minutes to review the materials and prepare their response during the interview.
• Have a finance team member participate in the evaluation if possible.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the program budget and objectives carefully.
• Identify areas where costs can be reduced while minimizing impact on core program deliverables.
• Prepare a revised budget that accommodates the 15% reduction.
• Develop a brief explanation of your decision-making process, including:
• Criteria used for prioritizing expenses
• Potential impact of cuts on program outcomes
• Strategies to maintain program quality despite reduced funding
• Opportunities for alternative funding or resource optimization
• Be prepared to discuss the trade-offs involved in your decisions.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's approach to budget prioritization, highlighting one strength in their financial reasoning and one area where their approach could be more effective.
• Ask the candidate to reconsider one specific budget decision based on additional context you provide (e.g., a particular stakeholder concern or operational constraint).
• Evaluate their ability to incorporate new information into their financial decision-making process.

Activity #3: Team Leadership Role Play

This role play evaluates a candidate's leadership style, coaching abilities, and approach to managing team dynamics. Program Directors must excel at building high-performing teams, addressing performance issues, and fostering a positive work culture that drives program success.

Directions for the Company:

• Develop a scenario involving a team performance challenge, such as a team member who is technically skilled but creating interpersonal conflicts, or a team that is missing deadlines on a critical project.
• Prepare a brief on the team structure, individual team member profiles, and the specific performance issue.
• Arrange for a company representative to play the role of the team member(s) involved.
• Provide the scenario to candidates 24 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 20-25 minutes for the role play exercise.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the team scenario and prepare for a coaching or team management conversation.
• During the role play, demonstrate your approach to:
• Establishing rapport and creating a constructive dialogue
• Identifying root causes of performance issues.
• Providing clear feedback and guidance.
• Collaboratively developing solutions.
• Setting expectations and accountability measures.
• Be prepared to adapt your approach based on how the conversation unfolds.
• After the role play, briefly explain your leadership philosophy and how it informed your approach to the situation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one aspect of the candidate's leadership approach that was particularly effective and one area where a different approach might yield better results.
• Ask the candidate to demonstrate how they would adjust their approach based on this feedback by role-playing a brief follow-up conversation.
• Evaluate their receptiveness to feedback and ability to adapt their leadership style.

Activity #4: Stakeholder Engagement Simulation

This simulation assesses a candidate's ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships, communicate effectively across diverse audiences, and build consensus around program initiatives. Strong stakeholder management is essential for program success, particularly when initiatives involve multiple departments, external partners, or community engagement.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving a program initiative that requires buy-in from multiple stakeholders with competing priorities.
• Develop profiles for 3-4 key stakeholders, including their roles, interests, concerns, and influence level.
• Prepare company representatives to play these stakeholder roles, each with specific talking points and objections.
• Structure the exercise as a stakeholder consultation meeting where the candidate must present a program initiative and address concerns.
• Provide the program initiative details and stakeholder profiles to candidates 24 hours before the interview.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the program initiative and stakeholder profiles.
• Prepare a brief presentation (5-7 minutes) introducing the initiative and its benefits.
• Develop an approach for addressing each stakeholder's potential concerns and securing their support.
• During the simulation:
• Present the initiative clearly and persuasively
• Demonstrate active listening when stakeholders raise concerns
• Find common ground among competing interests
• Negotiate compromises where necessary
• Build consensus around next steps
• Be prepared to adapt your communication style for different stakeholder perspectives.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength in the candidate's stakeholder engagement approach and one area where their communication or negotiation strategy could be enhanced.
• Ask the candidate to revisit their approach with one particularly challenging stakeholder, incorporating the feedback provided.
• Evaluate their ability to adjust their communication strategy while maintaining the integrity of the program objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work samples in our interview process?

Each activity requires approximately 45-60 minutes, including time for setup, execution, feedback, and candidate response. We recommend selecting 1-2 activities most relevant to your organization's needs rather than attempting all four in a single interview process. The strategic program development and team leadership exercises often provide the most comprehensive insights into a candidate's capabilities.

Should we use the same scenarios for all candidates to ensure fair comparison?

Yes, using consistent scenarios allows for more objective comparison between candidates. However, you should customize the organizational context and program details to reflect your industry and the specific challenges your Program Director will face. The core structure and evaluation criteria should remain consistent across all candidates.

What if our organization doesn't have staff available to participate in role plays?

If internal staff aren't available, consider engaging external HR consultants or recruiters to play the necessary roles. Alternatively, you can modify the team leadership and stakeholder engagement exercises to use written scenarios with follow-up questions rather than live role plays, though this may provide less insight into the candidate's interpersonal dynamics.

How should we weight these practical exercises compared to traditional interviews?

Work samples typically provide more predictive insights than traditional interviews, so we recommend giving them substantial weight in your evaluation process—approximately 50-60% of your overall assessment. However, they should complement rather than replace competency-based interviews, which help establish a candidate's experience and approach across a broader range of scenarios.

What if a candidate performs poorly on the initial attempt but shows significant improvement after feedback?

This actually provides valuable insight into the candidate's coachability and learning agility—critical qualities for effective leadership. Consider their improvement trajectory and how they incorporated feedback rather than focusing solely on their initial performance. Some candidates with strong improvement curves may ultimately outperform those who started stronger but showed less adaptability.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all these activities can be adapted for remote interviews using video conferencing platforms. For budget exercises, use screen sharing to review documents together. For role plays and simulations, ensure all participants have stable internet connections and are familiar with the virtual platform. Consider sending materials further in advance for remote sessions to account for potential technology challenges.

Hiring the right Program Director is a critical investment in your organization's future success. By incorporating these practical work samples into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and fit for your specific context. Remember that the goal isn't to find perfect performance, but rather to identify candidates who demonstrate strong foundational skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to learn and adapt.

For more comprehensive hiring resources, check out Yardstick's suite of AI-powered tools, including our AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. These tools can help you streamline your entire hiring process for Program Directors and other key roles. You can also find more information about Program Director roles in our comprehensive job description guide.

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