How to hire a hris analyst

How to hire a hris analyst, step by step

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

What does a hris analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your hris analyst job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a hris analyst for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a hris analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a hris analyst that fits the bill.

   This list presents hris analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type of Hris Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Hris Analyst	Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.	$25-48
   Business Analyst/Quality Analyst	A business analyst/quality analyst is responsible for evaluating business outputs and operational processes to ensure that everything adheres to the quality standards and business regulations. Business analysts/quality analysts support senior management in determining solutions to improve the company's services and provide the highest satisfaction for the customers and clients... Show more	$27-46
   Systems Analyst Programmer	A Systems Analyst Programmer provides technical expertise and recommendations in evaluating new IT software projects. They also indentify solutions and opportunities that can enhance the efficiency of business processes.	$27-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Process Improvement
   • Project Management
   • Troubleshoot
   • Data Integrity
   • Business Processes
   • Data Analysis
   • System Upgrades
   • System Changes
   • SQL
   • Strong Analytical
   • System Issues
   • Performance Management
   • Data Entry
   • Hr

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage headcount data in COGNOS application.
   • Manage ACA data extraction & 1095-C reporting
   • Manage setup of accruals for PTO and vacation and sick time company wide.
   • Manage support and upgrade of desktop PC hardware, application software and OS.
   • Manage benefits programs, including plan design, pricing, system implementation, and ACA compliance.
   • Create and manage various SharePoint sites that allow for data to be more efficiently capture and share.

   More hris analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $74,380yearly

   $35.76 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hris analyst salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average hris analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,454	$52
   2	Utah	$93,179	$45
   3	Washington	$89,606	$43
   4	Delaware	$89,447	$43
   5	Oregon	$89,130	$43
   6	Nevada	$87,697	$42
   7	Massachusetts	$83,282	$40
   8	Arizona	$82,000	$39
   9	Texas	$79,011	$38
   10	New York	$78,081	$38
   11	Pennsylvania	$77,765	$37
   12	Virginia	$75,244	$36
   13	District of Columbia	$74,889	$36
   14	Illinois	$74,061	$36
   15	Florida	$72,632	$35
   16	Maryland	$72,381	$35
   17	New Jersey	$72,365	$35
   18	Indiana	$72,080	$35
   19	Colorado	$69,992	$34
   20	Georgia	$68,280	$33

   Average hris analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$127,442	$61.27	7
   2	PayPal	$124,897	$60.05
   3	Safeway	$120,872	$58.11
   4	eBay	$107,016	$51.45
   5	Smartsheet	$105,695	$50.81
   6	New Relic	$104,895	$50.43	2
   7	Lam Research	$99,609	$47.89
   8	Michaels Stores	$98,854	$47.53
   9	RingCentral	$97,486	$46.87
   10	T.D. Williamson	$97,329	$46.79
   11	NetApp	$97,071	$46.67	5
   12	W. R. Berkley	$96,614	$46.45	3
   13	The Washington Post	$96,167	$46.23	1
   14	Forever 21	$95,998	$46.15
   15	OSIsoft	$95,571	$45.95
   16	Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC	$94,478	$45.42
   17	Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.	$93,170	$44.79
   18	Santander Bank	$93,161	$44.79	1
   19	Alarm.com	$92,961	$44.69	1
   20	Howard University	$92,926	$44.68

4. Writing a hris analyst job description

   A hris 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 hris analyst job description:

   Hris analyst job description example

   Installed Building Products (IBP) is seeking a talented, dependable and dedicated Payroll HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) Analyst ready to look at the bigger picture and instigate change . IBP is an installation contractor with over 9,500 employees at 210 locations throughout the lower 48 U.S. states. Our commitment to quality and dedication to providing customers unparalleled service each and every day is shared by every IBP employee, from our branches across the country to our regional offices and our Support Group office in Columbus, Ohio.

   Why we love it here: remote and in-office work flexibility, robust benefits package (medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, accident and critical illness, company paid life, retirement plans), paid time off, and plenty of opportunities for growth and advancement! We pride ourselves in supporting our teammates' quest for additional training and certifications outside of what we provide by paying for those opportunities.

   What You Can Expect

   As part of the Payroll Human Resources Information Systems team, you will leverage your technical skills to create payroll reports, gather data, and analyze HRIS metrics to support optimal Human Capital Management use by the Payroll team. In addition, your self-starter initiative will support the Payroll HRIS Manager in overall system performance and maintenance, including information security, testing updates, and improving current processes to maximize technological capabilities.

   Join the Payroll HRIS team's efforts to identify solutions, instigate change, and develop new system users.

   To Be Successful

   • Minimum of 3-5 years experience as an HRIS Analyst or in a functional payroll role
   • Bachelor's Degree or some college classwork in payroll, accounting or related subject matter preferred

   For Your Safety

   The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   • Must be able to sit for extended periods of time
   • Must be able to drive a car and lift light to moderate weight.

   EEO Statement IBP is an equal opportunity employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find hris analysts 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 hris analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level hris analysts 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.

   To find hris analyst 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 hris 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.

   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 hris 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.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new hris analyst

   Once you've selected the best hris 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new hris analyst. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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