How to hire a health inspector

How to hire a health inspector, step by step

Here's a step-by-step health inspector hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a health inspector, 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 health inspector's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, health inspectors 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 health inspectors.

   Type of Health Inspector	Description	Hourly rate
   Health Inspector	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$15-33
   Safety Representative	A safety representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing... Show more	$15-37
   Traffic Safety Administrator	The job of a Traffic Safety Administrator is to oversee all administrative duties that involve making safety traffic policies. He/She has diverse responsibilities that include developing safety procedures compliant with OSHA, performing accident investigations, and supervising the company's OSHA report... Show more	$17-36

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Home Health
   • Food Establishments
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Health Care Facilities
   • State Regulations
   • Medicare
   • Medicaid
   • Swimming Pools
   • Federal Regulations
   • FDA
   • Inspection Reports
   • Food Code
   • Code Violations
   • Food Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
   • Ensure compliance of HACCP regulations.
   • Experience in Medicare surveys of end stage renal disease facilities.
   • Review and evaluates documents, licensure applications and site plans/drawings for compliance.
   • Assist in licensing and review of HACCP plans to meet codes and laws.
   • Train managers to edit and audit their employees' time for payroll processing.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your health inspector job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A health inspector can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, health inspectors' average salary in kansas is 38% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level health inspectors 54% less than senior-level health inspectors.
   • Certifications. A health inspector 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 health inspector's salary.

   Average health inspector salary

   $47,982yearly

   $23.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health inspector salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a health inspector job description

   A health inspector 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 health inspector job description:

   Health inspector job description example

   The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations, and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1 billion and launched more than 1,000 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 140 countries last year. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org.
   
   The CDC Foundation is seeking a Health Facilities Inspector I who will possess a background in epidemiology, understand disease prevention and control and utilize these skills to educate facilities to stop disease transmission within state licensed healthcare facilities.
   
   Job HighlightsPosition Title: Health Facilities Inspector I Location: This position requires residency in Las Vegas, Reno, or Carson City and will be working remotely for the foreseeable future. This position will be transitioning to 1-2 days in-office attendance after the first few weeks of employment.Position End Date: 12/31/2022Salary: $55,000 plus benefits
   
   Qualifications:Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a health science, behavioral science or closely related field application to the program area Three years of health-related experience which included at least two of the following areas:Researching, collecting and analyzing data and statistics, developing objectives, protocols and procedure Providing health education services to target groups of the general public Evaluating program effectiveness and accomplishment of desired outcomes to meet agency, federal or other standards and guidelines Providing prevention, identification or treatment services to individuals or populations who have been diagnosed or are at risk of contracting life and health threatening diseases and/or conditions OR one year of experience as a Health Program Specialist I in Nevada State service OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
   
   Responsibilities:Maintain a full-time work schedule, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or alternate work schedule as long as the Division needs are met. Facility coverage is required every day of the week. As such, some HFI's will be required to work on an occasional weekend day and flex a weekday off. Alternatively, if you would prefer a regular schedule that includes Saturday and/or Sunday, you can choose that and have two alternate weekdays off. CDC Foundation does not allow overtime, so coverage will be determined based off 40-hour work weeks.Participates in the development and implementation of new programs, or program changes as necessary, to meet goals and objectives of the Division and the Program.Prepares formal reports detailing the results of assessments in accordance with prescribed principles of documentation.Development and conducting trainings for healthcare associated infection prevention including COVID-19 prevention.Check and validate National Healthcare Safety Network data regarding COVID-19 and HAIsWork with local health authorities (LHA's) and utilize State antibiograms to educate healthcare professionals on Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Nevada and how to combat resistances and decrease rates.Perform gap assessments for various state licensed healthcare facility types utilizing the Tele-Infection Control Assessment and Response (Tele-ICAR) tool.Participate in the outbreak team through management of outbreaks in healthcare facilities.Identifies recommendations specific to facility infection prevention and control programs based upon CDC guidelines and recommendations.
   
   Special Notes:This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by both the CDC Foundation and Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, in order to best support the State of Nevada in their public health programming.This position is currently a remote position. CDC Foundation retains the right to make adjustments to this as required.
   
   The CDC Foundation requires all employees to be fully vaccinated* for COVID-19 as a condition of employment effective November 22, 2021. All offers of employment after that date are contingent upon proof of full-vaccination status as a part of the pre-employment process.
   
   *Fully vaccinated is defined as follows: At least two weeks have passed since receipt of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, or the second dose of the either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose vaccines.
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.
   
   We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.
   The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.
   
   Relocation expenses are not included.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find health inspectors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any health inspectors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level health inspectors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your health inspector job on Zippia to find and recruit health inspector candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting health inspectors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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.

   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 health inspector

   Once you've found the health inspector 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new health inspector. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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