How to hire a finance planning analyst

How to hire a finance planning analyst, step by step

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

What does a finance planning analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The finance planning analyst hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

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

   This list shows salaries for various types of finance planning analysts.

   Type of Finance Planning Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Finance Planning Analyst	Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.	$26-50
   Cost Analyst	Cost Analysts are employees with a strong background in finance or accounting. They are in charge of collecting financial data and analyzing the entries... Show more	$18-35
   Treasury Analyst	A treasury analyst is a professional who manages and analyses the financial activities of an organization that can include cash flows, liability obligations, and assets. Treasury analysts are required to execute the daily cash management of the organization such as cash forecasting, investing of excess cash, and running a hedging program in interest rates... Show more	$25-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Analysis
   • PowerPoint
   • Financial Planning Analysis
   • Financial Performance
   • Financial Models
   • Hyperion
   • Variance Analysis
   • Financial Data
   • Ad-Hoc Analysis
   • SQL
   • Financial Statements
   • Balance Sheet
   • KPIs
   • Pivot Tables

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead an initiative to improve high and low level user communication regarding company forecasting and reporting software, IBM Cognos TM1.
   • Manage complex securities and investment portfolio reporting.
   • Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
   • Facilitate month-end close process by delegating the preparation of journal entries and reconciliations.
   • Used SQL and QMF query languages to audit data.
   • Work with the accounting department to ensure proper GAAP compliance and reporting methods.

   More finance planning analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your finance planning analyst job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A finance planning analyst 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 finance planning analyst in Oklahoma may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level finance planning analyst usually earns less than a senior-level finance planning analyst. Additionally, a finance planning analyst 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 finance planning analyst salary

   $77,027yearly

   $37.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level finance planning analyst salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average finance planning analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$95,367	$46
   2	New Jersey	$89,000	$43
   3	Washington	$88,010	$42
   4	New York	$86,972	$42
   5	Pennsylvania	$84,021	$40
   6	Virginia	$80,097	$39
   7	Massachusetts	$77,826	$37
   8	Connecticut	$76,463	$37
   9	North Carolina	$76,176	$37
   10	Arizona	$75,147	$36
   11	District of Columbia	$74,238	$36
   12	Texas	$73,615	$35
   13	Maryland	$71,990	$35
   14	Oregon	$71,548	$34
   15	Georgia	$71,184	$34
   16	Colorado	$71,050	$34
   17	Illinois	$69,185	$33
   18	Utah	$68,900	$33
   19	Maine	$66,576	$32
   20	Florida	$65,229	$31

   Average finance planning analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$123,473	$59.36	88
   2	Citicorp North America, Inc	$114,297	$54.95
   3	Western Digital	$113,254	$54.45	10
   4	JCPenney	$111,792	$53.75	2
   5	F5	$111,202	$53.46	6
   6	Edelman Financial Engines	$110,829	$53.28	52
   7	Citi	$109,806	$52.79	96
   8	Koppers	$109,548	$52.67	1
   9	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$107,276	$51.58
   10	AbbVie	$107,155	$51.52	55
   11	Cargill	$106,781	$51.34	2
   12	Texas Instruments	$106,732	$51.31	2
   13	Thumbtack	$104,345	$50.17
   14	Nomura Securities	$104,286	$50.14	23
   15	PVH	$100,339	$48.24	18
   16	Marcus & Millichap	$99,694	$47.93	6
   17	The Children's Place	$99,399	$47.79
   18	Vista Equity Partners	$98,923	$47.56	1
   19	ServiceNow	$98,769	$47.49	21
   20	Nucor	$97,840	$47.04	5

4. Writing a finance planning analyst job description

   A good finance planning 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 finance planning analyst job description:

   Finance planning analyst job description example

   ISP India Private Limited
   
   We are a Great, Effective & Flexible TEAM working with the same GOALS:Provide in-time a dynamic reporting Analysis in order for the Management to drive the best Decision and Create Value to our Company.
   
   Hiring for FP&A candidate having 4-5 years of experience.
   Support actively the FP&A Manager within the BU Specialty Additives and BU IntermediatesPrepare, analyse, and communicate accurate monthly financial reports including regional performance Focus : Business performance KPI and Costing Analysis Analysis and reporting on forecasting, forecast versus actuals, budgets vs forecasts.Organize and Manage a “reporting-in-Time” structure Be involved in data refinements and cleanups for better analysis Analyse business units financial data, highlight areas of concern and participate in solutions recommendation.Special Projects - Be available to participate in any ad hoc requests from functional and business leadership.
   
   Criteria
   
   Excellent written/verbal communication skills and a positive attitude.Ability to work independently and within a team structure in a dynamic and tight deadline-driven environment.Possess strong analytical and project management skills and be detail oriented. Be a keen learner.Strong technical and operational systems / accounting background Familiarity with SAP, BW. Power BIAbility to learn and use financial software and applications for the extraction and analysis of information Knowledge and skilled use of Excel and Smartsheet and Dynamic File-Sharing processes. Be based in Hyderabad, India and the ability to travel (less than 10%) The candidate must demonstrate a high degree of flexibility, adaptability and demonstrate a pro-active mindset.The ideal candidate must be a trusted business partner for the Financial Planning & Analysis teams The individual must demonstrate a high degree of integrity and maturity in working with confidential and sensitive information.
   
   In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland LLC. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care and pharmaceutical. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer. At Ashland our vision is to be a leading, global specialty chemicals company whose inspired and engaged employees add value to all we touch. In fact our people, employees, customers and vendors define who we are. They are the driving force behind everything we do. Not only do we value our customers but we value our employees, and we work to offer them a dynamic and challenging environment. We hold ourselves to high standards at Ashland, and we value integrity and honesty. Ashland has a history of attracting the best people and keeping them. The reasons are simple: industry competitive salary and benefits, pay-for-performance incentive plans and a diverse work environment where employees feel challenged and valued. People come to Ashland and stay. As a growing Fortune 500 specialty chemicals company, we offer opportunities for development and advancement throughout our global organization. Our values define who we are and what we care about as a company. If you are looking for a relationship with a company instead of simply a job, this may be a great fit.
   Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. NOTE: We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find finance planning 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 finance planning analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit finance planning analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit finance planning analysts, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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.

   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 finance planning analyst

   Once you've selected the best finance planning analyst candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been 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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