How to hire a cognos developer

How to hire a cognos developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cognos developer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a cognos developer, 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

   A cognos developer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cognos developers 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of cognos developers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Cognos Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Cognos Developer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$35-54
   Developer/Consultant	A developer/consultant is responsible for developing system databases and applications, depending on the business' needs and clients' specifications. Developers/consultants design their services to manage optimal performance and maximize productivity for timely submission of projects, ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty... Show more	$34-64
   Business Intelligence Developer	A business intelligence developer is primarily responsible for organizing and developing systems that will inform the company of essential data and solutions as a basis for decision-making. They are also responsible for coordinating with stakeholders and other high-ranking personnel to determine specific goals, develop models, conduct research and analysis, and gather data through various processes, ensuring accuracy and productivity... Show more	$33-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Dashboards
   • Data Warehouse
   • SQL Server
   • Drill-Through
   • Cognos BI
   • Report Development
   • Metadata
   • Windows XP
   • Master-Detail
   • ETL
   • Toad
   • Ad-Hoc Reports
   • Cognos Framework
   • IBM Cognos

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage continuous integration, configure the servers using Jenkins.
   • Create query logic base on DB2.
   • Enhance existing dashboards and scorecards using KPIs and enabling drill functionality.
   • Used Cognos SDK validation tool to validate the reports in the content store.
   • Work closely with business for UAT and project sign offs and post production support.
   • Star schema grouping is done to join many fact tables with set of dimensions.

   More cognos developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cognos developer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A cognos developer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a cognos developer in Wisconsin may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level cognos developer usually earns less than a senior-level cognos developer. Additionally, a cognos developer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average cognos developer salary

   $92,012yearly

   $44.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cognos developer salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average cognos developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Oregon	$110,516	$53
   2	California	$109,433	$53
   3	Washington	$103,982	$50
   4	Arizona	$98,315	$47
   5	District of Columbia	$96,436	$46
   6	Florida	$94,953	$46
   7	New York	$94,274	$45
   8	North Carolina	$91,438	$44
   9	Virginia	$91,217	$44
   10	Massachusetts	$89,853	$43
   11	Ohio	$89,711	$43
   12	New Jersey	$89,185	$43
   13	Texas	$87,208	$42
   14	Pennsylvania	$87,029	$42
   15	Georgia	$86,107	$41
   16	Michigan	$84,726	$41
   17	Arkansas	$84,624	$41
   18	Connecticut	$83,810	$40
   19	Illinois	$82,429	$40
   20	Tennessee	$80,262	$39

   Average cognos developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$120,574	$57.97	38
   2	Airlines Reporting Corporation	$116,141	$55.84
   3	TechSpace	$112,103	$53.90
   4	Populus Group	$112,014	$53.85
   5	DIVERSANT	$108,970	$52.39
   6	NRT	$108,026	$51.94
   7	NEC Corporation of America	$107,988	$51.92
   8	Randstad North America, Inc.	$106,546	$51.22	57
   9	GM Financial	$105,490	$50.72	5
   10	iTech US	$104,330	$50.16
   11	Ally Financial	$104,306	$50.15
   12	Troy	$104,255	$50.12
   13	Abbott	$104,066	$50.03	7
   14	Pace Inc	$103,995	$50.00	3
   15	21st Century Oncology	$103,437	$49.73
   16	International Medical Corps	$102,955	$49.50
   17	icon Mechanical	$102,249	$49.16
   18	George's	$101,969	$49.02	1
   19	Ferguson Enterprises	$101,256	$48.68	2
   20	Independent Health	$101,100	$48.61

4. Writing a cognos developer job description

   A cognos developer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a cognos developer job description:

   Cognos developer job description example

   Time Type: Full time
   Minimum Clearance Required to Start: None
   
   Employee Type: Regular
   
   Percentage of Travel Required: Up to 10%
   
   Type of Travel: Continental US
   
   What You'll Get to Do:
   
   * Develop and maintain Cognos Reports that interface primarily with Deltek Costpoint Modules.
   * Work with business analysis team and report users to define and document requirements for new reports and modifications to existing reports.
   * Manage report security and report distribution.
   * Define and maintain Configuration management of the reporting portfolio.
   * Support Cognos software upgrades and upgrades to Deltek Costpoint Modules.
   * Create and maintain a standard reporting library and delivery schedule to meeting customer and operational needs.
   * Work independently and with a team to solve problems involving complex and large data sets.
   
   More About the Role:
   
   * Accounting/Finance, Costpoint and ancillary system users
   * Develop Stored Procedures, Views and Database Staging Tables
   * Develop BI Solutions across multiple business platforms
   * Develop reporting solutions on Deltek Costpoint Modules:
   * Accounts Receivable
   * General Ledger
   * GL Expense and Invoice Burdens
   * Tax Reporting
   * Contracts
   * Framework Manager Package Development & Maintenance
   * Cognos Application Security Model Development and Administration
   * Report software development lifecycle management
   * Oracle - P- SQL Reporting
   * SQL Server - T-SQL Reporting
   
   You'll Bring These Qualifications:
   
   * Minimum 3 years' experience Oracle SQL
   * Minimum 3 years' experience Software Development
   * Minimum 5 years' experience in business intelligence solutions
   * Minimum 3 years' experience developing Cognos reports
   * Experience with Deltek Costpoint Accounting System database schema
   * Excellent verbal/written communication skills
   * Analytical and independent problem-solving skills
   * Organizational skills to balance and prioritize work
   
   These Qualifications Would be Nice to Have:
   
   * Microsoft Excel Expertise
   * College/University degree in data analytics, data science, or equivalent work experience
   
   What We Can Offer You:
   
   * We've been named a Best Place to Work by the Washington Post.
   * Our employees value the flexibility at CACI that allows them to balance quality work and their personal lives.
   * We offer competitive benefits and learning and development opportunities.
   * We are mission-oriented and ever vigilant in aligning our solutions with the nation's highest priorities.
   * For over 60 years, the principles of CACI's unique, character-based culture have been the driving force behind our success.
   
   Company Overview: At CACI, you will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact by providing information solutions and services in support of national security missions and government transformation for Intelligence, Defense, and Federal Civilian customers. CACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.
   
   As a federal contractor, CACI is subject to any federal vaccine mandates or other customer vaccination requirements. All new hires are required to report their vaccination status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right cognos developer 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.

   To find cognos developer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit cognos developers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with cognos developer applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 cognos developer

   Once you've found the cognos developer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 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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