How to hire a bioinformatics analyst

How to hire a bioinformatics analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bioinformatics analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bioinformatics analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bioinformatics analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a bioinformatics analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a bioinformatics analyst, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect bioinformatics analyst also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of bioinformatics analyst salaries for various roles:

   Type of Bioinformatics Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Bioinformatics Analyst	Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.	$28-50
   Technical Consultant	A technical consultant is a professional who provides technical support and performs troubleshooting functions for the company's product or application. A consultant should be highly knowledgeable about the product or application so that he/she can assist users and clients with whatever issues they may be facing... Show more	$32-56
   Analyst Lead	The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials... Show more	$35-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Next-Generation Sequencing
   • Data Analysis
   • Java
   • C++
   • Visualization
   • Linux
   • Perl
   • NGS
   • Unix
   • SQL
   • RNA-seq
   • MATLAB
   • Data Processing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Involve in developing Perl scripts to manage biological data.
   • Manage administration and supervise development of logistics policies and programs to ensure they meet the changing conditions in program requirements.
   • Develop a web application using JSP, HTML, CSS, SQL procedures.
   • Develop Perl, Matlab and VBA software tools to improve comparative sequence analysis algorithms.
   • Develop pipelines and software for QC and analytical deliverables from whole-genome sequence data.
   • Design client server database applications, base on Java and MySQL.

   More bioinformatics analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the bioinformatics analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A bioinformatics analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a bioinformatics analyst in Hawaii may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level bioinformatics analyst. Additionally, a bioinformatics analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average bioinformatics analyst salary

   $79,394yearly

   $38.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bioinformatics analyst salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average bioinformatics analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$92,496	$44
   2	Maryland	$89,098	$43
   3	Washington	$88,931	$43
   4	New York	$86,358	$42
   5	District of Columbia	$84,298	$41
   6	North Carolina	$81,378	$39
   7	Connecticut	$79,969	$38
   8	Virginia	$78,627	$38
   9	Massachusetts	$78,481	$38
   10	Louisiana	$77,255	$37
   11	Pennsylvania	$76,915	$37
   12	Iowa	$76,442	$37
   13	South Dakota	$76,345	$37
   14	Nebraska	$75,967	$37
   15	Georgia	$75,354	$36
   16	Indiana	$75,262	$36
   17	Texas	$73,707	$35
   18	New Mexico	$72,438	$35
   19	Illinois	$72,258	$35
   20	Arizona	$71,930	$35

   Average bioinformatics analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Editas Medicine	$90,848	$43.68
   2	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$89,183	$42.88
   3	Regeneron	$88,490	$42.54	1
   4	Asuragen	$85,532	$41.12
   5	Foundation Medicine	$83,747	$40.26
   6	ICF	$83,674	$40.23
   7	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$83,242	$40.02	4
   8	Fred Hutch	$82,590	$39.71	3
   9	The Rockefeller University	$82,423	$39.63	1
   10	Caris Life Sciences	$82,111	$39.48	2
   11	Bio-Techne	$81,749	$39.30
   12	454 Life Sciences	$81,437	$39.15
   13	Children's National Medical Center	$81,431	$39.15	8
   14	Greenwood Genetic Center	$81,331	$39.10
   15	University of California	$81,321	$39.10	9
   16	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$81,196	$39.04	3
   17	Versiti	$81,166	$39.02
   18	New York Genome Center	$81,160	$39.02
   19	Complete Genomics	$80,770	$38.83
   20	Stoke Therapeutics	$80,513	$38.71

4. Writing a bioinformatics analyst job description

   A good bioinformatics analyst job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a bioinformatics analyst job description:

   Bioinformatics analyst job description example

   Shape TX ® is pioneering the field of programmable RNA medicines to repair the genetic causes of diseases. By merging innovations in AI and RNA technology to generate and analyze hundreds of billions of therapeutic possibilities, ShapeTX is developing breakthroughs in RNA editing, next-generation AAVs, and disruptive gene therapy manufacturing. The ShapeTX platform enables pharma innovators to design treatments across a wide range of diseases, including rare genetic disorders as well as debilitating conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and many more. You can find us at shapetx.com and on LinkedIn and Twitter.
   
   At Shape TX , we are a dynamic team of professionals who are dedicated and passionate about making cures a reality. Through diversity of thought, scientific knowledge, professional rigor and focus we are merging cutting-edge science with extensive drug development expertise to unlock cures to many debilitating diseases.
   
   Shape Therapeutics is headquartered in Seattle, Washington with a satellite site in Boston, Massachusetts.
   ShapeTX is looking for an enthusiastic, collaborative and highly motivated Bioinformatics Software Engineer to join our fast-growing Analytics and Informatics team. The successful candidate will have the unique opportunity to work closely with other experimental and computational scientists to help establish, implement, and refine our next-generation processing and analytical pipelines to enable the discovery and development of the next generation of gene therapies for treating serious human diseases.
   
   Roles and Responsibilities
   Help develop, test, optimize, and execute bioinformatic pipelines to process and streamline internally- and externally-generated next-generation sequencing data Collaborate with experimental and computational biologists to better understand experimental design and processing nuances to help establish and improve accuracy of analytical pipelines Responsible for software design, coding, testing, debugging, and documentation of bioinformatic pipelines using clean, well-structured code Participate in code reviews to ensure code quality and distribute knowledge
   Qualifications and Requirements
   Master's or bachelor's degree in computer science, computational biology, bioinformatics, or related field with proven bioinformatics expertise. Proficiency in Python and Unix programming and workflow/pipeline development using contemporary, open-source bioinformatics tools and databases, and collaborative development skills using version control systems (e.g. Git). Experience with software engineering best practices (e.g. CI/CD, testing, design). Proficiency working in cloud development environments (e.g. AWS), batch computing (e.g. Batch), and containerization (e.g. Docker) preferred. Familiarity using pipeline tools such as Nextflow or Snakemake a plus. Proven problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and collaborative nature. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic start-up environment.
   If the notion of developing and optimizing novel informatics pipelines to help build an end-to-end gene therapy solution for millions suffering worldwide from rare genetic disorders motivates you like it does us, we're very excited to have you join us!
   
   We aspire to Shape Life! not only through our science, but also through our commitment to foster an inclusive environment that supports diverse perspectives and experiences.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right bioinformatics analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with bioinformatics analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit bioinformatics analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bioinformatics analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit bioinformatics analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with bioinformatics analyst candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview bioinformatics analyst candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bioinformatics analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the bioinformatics analyst position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new bioinformatics analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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