How to hire an operations analyst

How to hire an operations analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step operations analyst hiring guide:

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

What does an operations analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The operations 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an operations 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 an operations analyst that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of operations analysts.

   Type of Operations Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Operations Analyst	Operations research analysts use advanced mathematical and analytical methods to help organizations investigate complex issues, identify and solve problems, and make better decisions.	$21-43
   Analyst Internship	An analyst internship is a student program where an intern is assigned to assist analyst professionals by analyzing business goals, objectives, and needs. Analyst interns assist in the planning and designing of business processes and suggest recommendations for improvement... Show more	$13-25
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • SQL
   • Data Analysis
   • Project Management
   • Process Improvement
   • Strong Analytical
   • Power Bi
   • Windows
   • Salesforce
   • Data Entry
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Work Ethic
   • Troubleshoot
   • Excellent Organizational

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage EDI error processing and exception reporting and interface with the state exchanges to facilitate resolution.
   • Excel in liaising between business and technical areas to achieve on-time, on-budget and on-spec project completions.
   • Develop VBA macros to automate various data intensive processes
   • Manage IP distribution services domestically and globally to enterprise and broadband customers.
   • Manage small-scale projects from inception to implementation following BCUS SDLC project methodology.
   • Manage the month-end financial statement reporting process, including journal entry preparation, and account reconciliations.

   More operations analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your operations analyst job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An operations analyst salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, operations analysts' average salary in idaho is 45% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level operations analysts earn 51% less than senior-level operations analysts.
   • Certifications. An operations analyst with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an operations analyst's salary.

   Average operations analyst salary

   $63,082yearly

   $30.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level operations analyst salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average operations analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$75,631	$36
   2	District of Columbia	$75,467	$36
   3	California	$74,980	$36
   4	Virginia	$74,572	$36
   5	Maine	$74,029	$36
   6	New York	$69,734	$34
   7	Maryland	$68,892	$33
   8	Delaware	$68,440	$33
   9	North Carolina	$65,308	$31
   10	Illinois	$65,199	$31
   11	Washington	$63,536	$31
   12	Ohio	$62,951	$30
   13	Texas	$62,821	$30
   14	Pennsylvania	$62,168	$30
   15	Connecticut	$62,082	$30
   16	Massachusetts	$60,326	$29
   17	Minnesota	$59,001	$28
   18	Arizona	$58,389	$28
   19	Colorado	$58,245	$28
   20	Oregon	$57,106	$27

   Average operations analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Intuitive Surgical	$102,013	$49.04	5
   2	Centerbridge Partners	$101,104	$48.61
   3	TechnipFMC	$100,826	$48.47	1
   4	PayPal	$99,502	$47.84	6
   5	Genentech	$96,130	$46.22
   6	Icma-rc	$96,063	$46.18	1
   7	The Citadel	$95,679	$46.00	5
   8	Meta	$95,460	$45.89	169
   9	Best Buy	$93,789	$45.09	1
   10	Virtu Financial	$93,365	$44.89	1
   11	TD Bank	$92,987	$44.71	17
   12	eBay	$92,674	$44.55	5
   13	Ross Stores	$92,241	$44.35	26
   14	HSBC Bank	$91,874	$44.17
   15	Burlington	$91,140	$43.82	12
   16	Google	$90,730	$43.62	104
   17	Uber Technologies	$90,724	$43.62
   18	Dropbox	$90,663	$43.59	1
   19	Nike	$90,502	$43.51	6
   20	Invesco	$90,456	$43.49	8

4. Writing an operations analyst job description

   An operations 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 an operations analyst job description:

   Operations analyst job description example

   This position supports the B2B eCommerce platform as a member of the Demand Solutions Team. The Demand Solutions team's focus is on designing, creating and maintaining direct eCommerce & digital capabilities that are easy to use, and that provide customers with the functionality they need to make doing business easy, while at the same time remaining competitive and profitable for Royal Canin.
   
   The B2B Operations Analyst will lead and oversee the overall day to day site activities for the B2B eCommerce website to identify trends and optimizations that can bring efficiency to the website operations along with providing second level support. Additionally, this role will support the B2B product team to implement new features and enhancements to existing and new digital products.
   What are we looking for? Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university 1-2 years of previous experience Basic - Intermediate knowledge of eCommerce software platforms and aptitude to learn Insite eCommerce & Salesforce Commerce Knowledge of project management practices and tools Ability to influence others to gain support and commitment for shared projects Basic industry experience as an eCommerce analyst or administrator Basic Experience on product backlog management and CIP Basic Experience working in project management methodologies Basic Experience gathering and documenting business requirements Experience working on the business side or closely with business partners in addition to IT experience Desirable: Basic Experience working in the pet food and/or pet health industry Basic Experience working on the business side or closely with business partners in addition to IT High volume, high availability, digital system design and analysis experience Product management and life cycle experience preferred Basic technical knowledge of systems: architecture, design patterns, and Data modelling Basic working knowledge of eCommerce, Order Management Systems (OMS) and CRM platforms Process basic technical understanding of web-based application architecture and environments
   
   What will be your key responsibilities? Manages the overall day to day site activities and operations for the B2B eCommerce platform which includes managing data exceptions as well as maintaining all necessary site settings. Collaborates with product teams to drive product performance by defining and analyzing metrics that support user journeys, providing proactive product feedback and challenging existing product capabilities. Analyzes and provides input needed for any requested system change/modification as well as the overall impact to the digital products. Develops an understanding and becomes SME of digital products to help define Royal Canin's current and future digital capabilities product roadmap, this includes evaluating existing digital products and comparing them against industry trends. Collect and monitor all issues reported through ticketing system as well as reporting trends to business and IT for future system and process enhancements Participate in the UAT and release management of changes to or new applications through thorough testing, debugging and user acceptance before planning and executing deployment into Production. Develop user documentation and conduct training for the business as required.
   
   What can you expect from Mars? Work with over 130,000 like-minded and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles. Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today. Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University. An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
   
   #LI-AS1
   
   #LI-Hybrid

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find operations 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 operations analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit operations analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting operations 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.

   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 operations 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 operations analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect operations analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 operations 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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How much does it cost to hire an operations analyst?