How to hire a lead project analyst

How to hire a lead project analyst, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The lead project 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 lead project analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead project 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 presents lead project analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type of Lead Project Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Project 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.	$39-67
   Analyst Lead	The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials... Show more	$35-58
   Project Manager/Team Lead	Project Managers are responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of a project from inception to completion. Their duties include defining project scope, developing a project plan, creating work breakdown structures to distribute resources, and communicating responsibilities to all project team members and vendors... Show more	$39-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Process Improvement
   • Status Reports
   • Java
   • Project Plan
   • Business Process
   • Data Warehouse
   • SQL Server
   • DB2
   • Technical Specifications
   • Windows
   • Project Scope
   • COBOL
   • PMO
   • Unix

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage site content, create and edit HTML pages, maintain the functionality value and make require updates.
   • Manage internal team's SharePoint site to include maintaining the file structure, project deliverables, and user permissions and roles.
   • Manage business requirements gathering for functionality development and interface definition from the legacy systems to the CRM and SA management applications.
   • Work on BRE business logic and written coding using java.
   • Incorporate Unix scripts into running of jobs and truncating database tables.
   • Develop QA testing strategies for deployments of new and enhance processes.

   More lead project analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead project analysts' average salary in kentucky is 40% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead project analysts 42% less than senior-level lead project analysts.
   • Certifications. A lead project 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 lead project analyst's salary.

   Average lead project analyst salary

   $107,900yearly

   $51.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead project analyst salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average lead project analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$135,978	$65
   2	North Carolina	$113,466	$55
   3	Connecticut	$108,524	$52
   4	Pennsylvania	$103,225	$50
   5	New Jersey	$102,913	$49
   6	Colorado	$101,841	$49
   7	Texas	$97,455	$47
   8	Tennessee	$89,349	$43

   Average lead project analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$139,000	$66.83	107
   2	BNY Mellon	$136,894	$65.81	14
   3	Ralph Lauren	$125,085	$60.14
   4	Randstad North America, Inc.	$119,044	$57.23	20
   5	*n/a*	$115,824	$55.68	3
   6	Capgemini	$115,102	$55.34	151
   7	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$114,260	$54.93	23
   8	Cigna	$109,244	$52.52	16
   9	Smith & Nephew	$106,679	$51.29	3

4. Writing a lead project analyst job description

   A good lead project 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 lead project analyst job description:

   Lead project analyst job description example

   Leidos has an opening for an experienced and self-starting scientific ASW Project Lead and Analyst in the High-Fidelity Simulation business area, located at a US Government facility in Bethesda, MD; to support the development and delivery of synthetic training systems and tactical decision aids systems.
   Primary Responsibilities
   
   The candidate manages the delivery of Sonar Tactical Decision Aids (TDAs) for the US Navy with a focus on Sonar Tactical Decision Aid (STDA) for Advanced Processor Build (APB) systems along related components. Candidate supports the development and testing of STDA, within a matrix organization, that are used onboard submarines. Candidate's responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:
   
   + Managing the delivery of STDA requirements working with an Integrated Product Team.
   
   + Participating in activities necessary to the delivery acoustic STDA capabilities. These activities include one or more of the following: Requirements Definition, Funding Requirements; Analysis and Engineering; System Analysis and Design; System Integration and Test; Validation and Verification; System and Operational Performance Analysis; and Decision Analysis and Resolution.
   
   + Communicating the status of the deliverable to program management and government customer(s) within an agile development framework.
   
   + Conducting integration testing of STDA products to verify the quality of deliverables.
   
   + Communicating with system integrators during the evaluation and testing of STDA capabilities.
   
   + Communicating requirements to system engineers within the matrix organization to establish Engineering Data Models (EDMs) to facilitate testing at NSWCCD.
   
   + Interacting with internal developers; as well as external tactical development team members, military personnel, and civilian DoD customers, to ensure that STDA requirements are captured and designed into the system.
   
   Basic Qualifications
   
   + Fifteen years of experience directly related to ASW operations, systems, and theory; including approximately 12 years of fleet experience related to the evaluations, operation, or utilization at-sea sonar systems (e.g., BQQ-10, SQQ-89, etc.)
   
   + Must have subject matter expertise in at least one of the following subject areas: sonar system operation, underwater acoustics, underwater sound propagation, or tactical oceanography.
   
   + Must demonstrate the ability to guide a team in the completion of a project.
   
   + Must be able to work with minimal supervision and work well under deadlines.
   
   + Must demonstrate an ability to learn and apply new skills, a commitment to excellence, and a dedication to producing quality work results.
   
   + Must be comfortable communicating with software developers.
   
   + Must be able to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing, be courteous and professional when interacting with colleagues and customers, demonstrate a solid ability to identify and solve problems, and be able to work successfully in a team environment.
   
   + Must be committed to customer service, well organized, able to plan and prioritize assignments, and able to effectively handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
   
   + Must be able to utilize Microsoft Windows and Office products.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   + Associate degree from an accredited educational institution in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or Acoustics.
   
   + Comfortable working with computer terminals to provide information to the development team; including a willingness to learn basic Linux commands.
   
   + Familiar with software development and agile methodologies.
   
   + Incorporate new tools and processes to fulfill organizational goals and objectives.
   
   + Demonstrate a general commitment to excellence and a dedication to see a project to completion.Able to work successfully in a team environment of 40+ personnel.
   
   Pay Range:Pay Range $74,750.00 - $115,000.00 - $155,250.00
   
   The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
   
   REQNUMBER: R-00090617
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Leidos will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in accordance with relevant Laws. Leidos is an equal opportunity employer/disability/vet.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right lead project analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with lead project analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit lead project analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead project analysts 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a lead project analyst applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 lead project analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the lead project 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new lead project analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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