How to hire a defense analyst

Defense analyst hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring defense analysts in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire a defense analyst is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new defense analyst to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a defense analyst, step by step

To hire a defense analyst, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a defense analyst:

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

Post a defense analyst job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you start hiring a defense 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?

Hiring the perfect defense 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.

This list shows salaries for various types of defense analysts.

Type of Defense Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
Defense Analyst	Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.	$31-54
Information Security Engineer	An information security engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to protect company and customer data from hackers or any cyber attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, assess existing programs to identify any areas needing improvement, monitor network and system for any problems, and implement preventive measures for protection... Show more	$35-62
Information Security Officer	Information security officers are responsible for planning and implementing policies to safeguard an organization's computer network and data from different types of security breaches. Their duties typically include identifying computer network vulnerabilities, developing and executing a plan to secure and protect the network, and tracking computer network usage to ensure adherence to security policies... Show more	$45-91

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Incident Response
- DOD
- Windows
- Tcp Ip
- Network Security
- Network Traffic
- Computer Network Defense
- Wireshark
- Threat Analysis
- Linux
- Data Collection
- ArcSight
- PCAP
- Data Loss Prevention
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Program and troubleshoot system micro controllers, card readers, alarm inputs/outputs, and manage device IP communication.
- Utilize Wireshark to perform in depth intrusion analysis from packet capture (PCAP) files.
- Conduct INFOCON assessments and collaborate with clients to provide recommendations regarding network security operations on DoD systems.
- Review SourceFire events and perform analysis on events.
- Use Wireshark, a network protocol analyzer to conduct deep TCP and UDP packet analysis of all network events.
- Conduct firewall research and intrusion detection and determine false positives.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your defense analyst job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A defense analyst can vary based on:
- Location. For example, defense analysts' average salary in hawaii is 35% less than in california.
- Seniority. Entry-level defense analysts 43% less than senior-level defense analysts.
- Certifications. A defense analyst with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
- Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a defense analyst's salary.
Average defense analyst salary
$86,453yearly
$41.56 hourly rate
Entry-level defense analyst salary
$65,000 yearly salary
Updated December 16, 2025
Writing a defense analyst job description
A defense analyst 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a defense analyst job description:
Defense analyst job description example

3+ years consulting experience in relevant Defense and Security required, candidates with consulting experience strongly preferred
In lieu of consulting experience, 4+ years minimum industry experience required; 6-10+ years of industry experience strongly preferred
Bachelor's Degree required (advanced degree preferred)
Fluency in English
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills to interact with internal and external stakeholders while working in a global collaborative team environment
US citizenship required and ability to obtain a security clearance (active clearance preferred but not required)

The Knowledge Team (KT) is a group of functional and/or industry experts leveraging deep domain knowledge to enable insight for case teams and clients. KT members are affiliated to BCG Practice Areas, plugged into the strategic agenda and building and deploying leading edge IP data tools/assets to deliver insight.

BCG's Knowledge Team members have the opportunity to be staffed on cases and help co-create insights with case teams and clients through expert perspectives on industry trends, delivery of proprietary data or tools in a particular function and complex research and analysis of market information. KT members also support the PA’s business development and proposals and help to organize and codify the knowledge that enables BCG to deliver superior business value for its clients.

Candidates should be aware that BCG currently maintains a policy requiring all US & Canada based employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Newly hired employees must be fully vaccinated prior to their employment start date. BCG is an equal opportunity employer and will provide a reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under applicable federal, state, provincial and local law.

Post your job

There are a few common ways to find defense analysts for your business:

Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

Post your job online:

Post your defense analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality defense analyst candidates.
Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
Post a job on free websites.

Interview candidates

During your first interview to recruit defense analysts, 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.

You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

If your interviews with defense analyst 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.

Send a job offer and onboard your new defense analyst

Once you have selected a candidate for the defense 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.

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.

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.)

How much does it cost to hire a defense analyst?

There are different types of costs for hiring defense analysts. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new defense analyst employee.

The median annual salary for defense analysts is $86,453 in the US. However, the cost of defense analyst hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a defense analyst for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $31 and $54 an hour.

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Updated December 16, 2025

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How to hire a defense analyst