How to hire a clinical data analyst

How to hire a clinical data analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical data 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 clinical data analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical data analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical data analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the clinical data analyst you need to hire. Certain clinical data analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A clinical data analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, clinical data analysts from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

   Type of Clinical Data Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Data Analyst	Statisticians use statistical methods to collect and analyze data and to help solve real-world problems in business, engineering, healthcare, or other fields.	$25-52
   Analyst	Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes... Show more	$25-47
   Clinical Data Management Manager	Clinical data management managers perform database development tests to support the clinical studies assigned to them. These managers must have collaboration and communication skills to work smoothly with other internal departments and fellow managers... Show more	$43-82

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Data Analysis
   • Data Collection
   • SAS
   • Process Improvement
   • Data Quality
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Quality Improvement
   • PowerPoint
   • Patient Safety
   • EMR
   • Oncology
   • Data Integrity
   • EHR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage clinical data projects for late-phase oncology studies (in-house and outsource).
   • Manage governance and permissions of SharePoint Intranet as well as data and reporting systems.
   • Serve as a client contact person for project meetings and CDM status updates and managing external vendors.
   • Handle post-trial activities and provide training relate to project specifics and ICH GCP.
   • Created/Modify user acceptance testing (UAT) scripts and perform any require UAT testing.
   • Perform UAT to ensure test data entry is as expected and create test data entry reports.

   More clinical data analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical data analyst job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A clinical data analyst salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, clinical data analysts' average salary in arkansas is 58% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level clinical data analysts earn 51% less than senior-level clinical data analysts.
   • Certifications. A clinical data analyst with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a clinical data analyst's salary.

   Average clinical data analyst salary

   $76,314yearly

   $36.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical data analyst salary

   $53,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average clinical data analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,816	$52
   2	Maryland	$100,255	$48
   3	Massachusetts	$93,255	$45
   4	Rhode Island	$91,052	$44
   5	New York	$83,574	$40
   6	New Jersey	$82,603	$40
   7	North Carolina	$78,990	$38
   8	Illinois	$78,006	$38
   9	Pennsylvania	$76,816	$37
   10	Indiana	$76,295	$37
   11	Virginia	$75,233	$36
   12	Texas	$74,954	$36
   13	Connecticut	$73,161	$35
   14	Colorado	$64,074	$31
   15	Hawaii	$62,370	$30
   16	Alabama	$45,487	$22

   Average clinical data analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AbbVie	$105,268	$50.61	57
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$104,918	$50.44	17
   3	JUUL	$104,657	$50.32
   4	Edwards Lifesciences	$103,352	$49.69	58
   5	Medidata	$97,753	$47.00
   6	Prime Therapeutics	$91,818	$44.14	75
   7	McKesson	$91,752	$44.11	18
   8	Regeneron	$91,566	$44.02	17
   9	Sutter Health	$91,211	$43.85	170
   10	The Lanco Group	$89,828	$43.19
   11	Accolade	$89,470	$43.01
   12	Parexel International	$88,700	$42.64	192
   13	Tufts Health Plan	$88,307	$42.46
   14	Medimmune	$87,713	$42.17
   15	Agenus	$86,912	$41.78
   16	Tech Data	$86,649	$41.66
   17	Teladoc	$85,913	$41.30
   18	Data	$85,544	$41.13	2
   19	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	$85,489	$41.10	77
   20	Johnson & Johnson	$84,998	$40.86	88

4. Writing a clinical data analyst job description

   A job description for a clinical data analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a clinical data analyst job description:

   Clinical data analyst job description example

   Our client needs a true clinical data analyst, someone who can act as Data Forensic team member for their Informatics division.
   
   Our client need someone that can uncover where does the data come from and work it all the way up stream and then determine who should be the data owner, and determine what are the oncology requirements.
   
   The Clinical Data Analyst who can work with the business but also inform the business team so a bit of a unicorn, a strong Data Analyst with a healthcare and clinical background.
   Domain Knowledge Ability to perform SQL queries using existing or newly created master data to create oncology cohorts to assist in research use cases. The Clinical Data Analyst will engage with data stewards to understand, analyze complex data systems, and define and ensure key data element transformations and hierarchies. Firm understanding of healthcare coding standards/systems (e.g. Claims, HL7, RxNorm, ICD 9, ICD 10, LOINC, Medications, UCUM, UMLS, SNOMED CT, etc.) with practical knowledge of clinical terminologies to create and ensure data quality standards are upheld. Demonstrates competency with disparate health care data sources for ingestion, metadata, mappings, ontology management, data catalog management, reference data, rules/hierarchies, and normalization. Understanding of health IT Data Services technologies and terminologies such as, but not limited to HL7, C-CDA, EDI, FHIR, CDC, ODBC, RDMS, and data replication use cases for the betterment of the enterprise. Applies concepts to enable artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (Client) algorithm development, natural Language Processing (NLP), and patient portal of portals for data enrichment. Understanding of business unit data insights and operations needs pertaining to a variety of different healthcare domains including revenue cycle, research, pharmacy, procurement, medical/radiation oncology, accounting/finance, labs, care management, value-based care, and radiology.
   Data Integration The Clinical Data Analyst will conduct data profiling, data aggregation, mapping, reference data, and data governance evangelization activities to educate non-data-minded colleagues of the domain with superb communication skills to professionally articulate the high stakes associated with getting the data right. Domain understanding of data modeling, data warehousing, business intelligence, ELT development, and ability to read, write, maintain and tune SQL queries. Works closely with BI Developers to complete planning, development, testing, and implementation of new products. Critical thinking and logic skills with attention to detail and the ability to identify the root causes for data anomalies and data quality issues.
   Data Governance The Clinical Data Analyst will engage with data stewards throughout the business to collaboratively determine the FCS data standards that will be used in our enterprise data warehouse and for data visualization purposes to optimize the business. Embraces the spectrum of data governance implementation including, but not limited to data accessibility, business glossary, data dictionary, data catalog, reference/master data management, data cleansing, data lineage, enterprise master patient index (EMPI), deidentification, data collaboration to provide a 'trusted data set. Holds data capture systems to high standards of data integrity within the source system with oversight of data loads with operations awareness (servers, DBs, etc.) for data analysis and reporting. Governance first mindset with the ability to lead subject domain areas within data steward council in observance of people and processes over tools. Consult the business regarding educational opportunities, process improvement, and business requirements to drive tool selection and consolidation activities.
   Qualifications/Requirements Education Healthcare professional degree qualification (Ph.D., MD., RN., CPhT., RPhT.) preferred Bachelor's degree in business analytics, computer science, engineering, accounting, finance, management information systems, or another related field. In lieu of a degree, 6+ years of experience is required or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
   Certifications/Licenses Valid state Driver's License for travel to satellite offices and offsite meetings. Compliance with the company Driver Safety Operations and Motor Vehicle Records Check Policy is required.
   Previous Experience Professional clinical experience within clinical oncology preferred 6+ years in an active healthcare big-data integration experience with multiple heterogeneous data sources with data cleansing and reference/master data management on an enterprise data warehouse to create a centralized 'trusted data' set for data analysis. Technical competencies within data modeler, SQL to create/maintain DB objects, query/load required data using data governance and visualization tools.
   Core Capabilities Understanding of clinical data and data quality needs in the ambulatory oncology setting. Work closely with Senior Data Integration Analyst and business stakeholders to build products that will create the Informatics service line and transform the BI Reporting team.
   
   About The Company: As leading Microsoft Azure, our client is here to make the cloud work optimally for their clients. With 100% focus on Azure, they are the ideal Azure consulting partners for their customer's journey to cloud adoption and optimization with the Microsoft Azure platform. The company's all-in expertise means it has the technical know-how to build innovative solutions and solve the most complex business and technology challenges.
   The enterprise and mid-market businesses this company partners with need your help to build and create new Azure-based solutions. Come put your thumbprint on this company's story. As a rapidly growing company, they are looking for the brightest minds to share in its exciting future. #ZR1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right clinical data analyst for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical data analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical data analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with clinical data 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a clinical data analyst applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 clinical data analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect clinical data analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a clinical data analyst?