The leader who runs a speech and hearing therapy program — overseeing speech-language pathologists and audiologists, managing operations, and being accountable for clinical practice and outcomes for clients with communication and hearing needs.
Day-to-day, the role moves across clinical supervision of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, program operations, and the relationship work with referring providers, payers, and clients with communication and hearing needs. You're reviewing clinical practice and outcomes, working through scheduling and staffing, engaging with the broader speech and hearing care ecosystem, and being the senior clinical voice for the program.
A common surprise is how much of the role is regulatory, payer, and device work alongside the clinical leadership. Many find that the economics of combined speech-language and audiology programs depend on payer mix, hearing aid coverage realities, and the productivity of two related but distinct disciplines. Recruitment and retention across SLPs and audiologists tends to be a permanent challenge, especially in markets where private practice and EHR-software-driven competitors are aggressive.
People who carry clinical depth across speech-language and hearing care alongside operational leadership instincts tend to thrive. The role often suits those who find meaning in the human impact of restored communication and hearing, and who can hold practice standards alongside the financial and operational discipline a combined program requires. The cost can be the breadth of overseeing two disciplines, the payer headwinds, and the workforce pressure across both fields.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →The leader who runs a speech and hearing therapy program — overseeing speech-language pathologists and audiologists, managing operations, and being accountable for clinical practice and outcomes for clients with communication and hearing needs.
Median pay for a Speech and Hearing Therapy Director is about $118K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $70K to $219K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Management of Personnel Resources, and Time Management.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 23.2% through 2034, with roughly 565,840 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Health Unit Coordinator, Housing Manager, and Public Health Director.
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