How to hire a planning analyst

How to hire a planning analyst, step by step

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

What does a planning analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a planning analyst, 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 planning analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, 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 presents planning analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type of Planning Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Planning Analyst	Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve the efficiency of an organization. They advise managers on how to make organizations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.	$23-44
   Business Operations Analyst	A business operations analyst is a professional who identifies and solves issues related to the performance of the business operations. Together with the management and engineering departments, business operations analysts must analyze and review a vast amount of data to identify business opportunities... Show more	$21-42
   Administrative Analyst	An administrative analyst specializes in analyzing the company's processes and operations to come up with the best practices for the business. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis through site inspections, surveys, interviews, and assessments... Show more	$17-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Customer Service
   • Data Analysis
   • Logistics
   • Strong Analytical
   • SQL
   • Management System
   • Visualization
   • Earned Value Management
   • ERP
   • Financial Analysis
   • Process Improvement
   • Pivot Tables
   • IMS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage 160 footwear SKUs across 3700 stores to ensure optimal inventory depths during peak time frames.
   • Reduce work in process inventory by use of KANBAN system which also lead to improve customer service.
   • Manage suppliers (KPI's) to deliver target cost, service and quality levels in each operating center.
   • Manage cross-functional team which successfully create a manual for ISO 9000 certification and develop a training program for new hires.
   • Lead monthly and quarterly EAC forecasting and consolidate forecasts in support of corporate financial reporting.
   • Prepare requests for quotes (RFQ) and requests for improvement (RFI) for distribution to existing and potential suppliers.

   More planning analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $68,137yearly

   $32.76 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level planning analyst salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average planning analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$77,647	$37
   2	Massachusetts	$75,632	$36
   3	New York	$75,580	$36
   4	California	$75,421	$36
   5	Maryland	$73,108	$35
   6	Connecticut	$72,568	$35
   7	Virginia	$72,464	$35
   8	Illinois	$70,482	$34
   9	Washington	$70,161	$34
   10	Wisconsin	$69,662	$33
   11	North Carolina	$69,225	$33
   12	Michigan	$68,290	$33
   13	Pennsylvania	$67,038	$32
   14	Texas	$64,737	$31
   15	Oregon	$64,163	$31
   16	Colorado	$63,140	$30
   17	Ohio	$61,273	$29
   18	Georgia	$61,015	$29
   19	Missouri	$60,877	$29
   20	Arizona	$60,412	$29

   Average planning analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$115,305	$55.44	140
   2	Genentech	$105,273	$50.61	6
   3	Apple	$104,983	$50.47	17
   4	Citi	$104,694	$50.33	55
   5	Nike	$104,565	$50.27	9
   6	Intuitive Surgical	$103,917	$49.96	3
   7	Ropes & Gray	$102,542	$49.30	3
   8	Boehringer Ingelheim	$102,267	$49.17	1
   9	Amazon	$102,039	$49.06	85
   10	Pacific Gas and Electric	$101,460	$48.78
   11	Macy's	$101,452	$48.77	4
   12	Uber Technologies	$101,206	$48.66
   13	Watson Wyatt	$100,933	$48.53
   14	Ross Stores	$99,786	$47.97	27
   15	Texas Instruments	$99,763	$47.96
   16	Levi Strauss & Co.	$99,564	$47.87	3
   17	Burlington	$98,947	$47.57	7
   18	CrowdStrike	$97,691	$46.97	4
   19	Chewy	$97,560	$46.90	3
   20	Michaels Stores	$97,538	$46.89	3

4. Writing a planning analyst job description

   A job description for a planning analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a planning analyst job description:

   Planning analyst job description example

   As one of the nation’s premier humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross is dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world. We depend on the many generous contributions of time, blood, and money from the American public to support our lifesaving services and programs.
   
   By joining the American Red Cross, you will enjoy a collaborative work culture committed to the diversity of our people, programs, and services. You will touch millions of lives every year and experience the greatness of the human spirit at its best.
   
   Are you ready to be part of the world's largest humanitarian network? If you share our passion for helping people, Join us- Where your Career is a Force for Good!
   
   The American Red Cross is searching for self-motivated and independent Strategy and Process Improvement Analyst to work
   VIRTUALLY Monday- Friday 8am-530pm EST hours , to support the Biomedical Services Business Systems Integrations modernization efforts. This is a multi-year initiative focusing on large-scale software implementation and data management projects in a highly regulated environment. The individual will work on a wide variety of projects with tight timelines. Therefore, the right candidate must have strong analytical expertise, solid verbal and written communication skills, tactical & strategic strengths, proven academic track record and a keen attention to detail. And lastly, you must be a self-starter who can come up to speed quickly on new technologies and business acumen. Position is term-limited, benefits eligible: 18 months to 24 months with possibility of extension. Responsibilities:
   1. Conduct business process analyses, needs assessments, and preliminary
   cost/benefits analyses in an effort to align solutions with business initiatives
   improving processes by understanding and controlling variation, thus improving
   predictability of business processes.
   2. Formulate strategies working with Business Stakeholders, BSI leads, IT leadership and Third-Party Vendors around strategic planning to replace or enhancing current technologies in Biomedical Services. 3. Conduct business process analyses, needs assessments, and preliminary cost/benefits analyses in an effort to align solutions with business initiatives improving processes by understanding and controlling variation, thus improving predictability of business processes. 4. Identify processes for improvement, documents existing processes, identifies and analyzes gaps between current processes and the desired state, designs new processes, develops process performance measures and participates in planning the transition to a new process. Assist in defining the roadmap for executing strategic plans and monitoring progress against plan 5. Prepare business cases, key decision slides and white paper -presentation materials to support large spend requests or key decision support.
   Requirements: Education: 4-year college degree or equivalent combination of education and experience Business, engineering, or related field, MBA is preferred Experience: 3-5+ years of overall experience with a professional consulting service, conducting strategic assessments and processes or working on large-scale software implementations. Ability to think strategically and creatively while making data-driven decisions. Analytical minded with problem-solving aptitude. Experience working across corporate functions. Excellent organizational capabilities, written and verbal communication skills, Strong MS Excel and PowerPoint skills, capable of creating formal PowerPoint presentations and data visualizations in executive briefings.
   Essential Functions/Physical Requirements : Depending on work assignment, may require ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations; or the ability to stand, walk and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of up to 20 pounds. Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read technical information. Overall mobility is essential. May include sitting for long periods of time, driving a vehicle and working under challenging conditions. Work Conditions: Work is performed indoors with some potential for exposure to safety and health hazards related to emergency services relief work. May travel and participate in meetings and conferences throughout chapter jurisdiction, state and Red Cross system. Because the Red Cross is a disaster response organization, staff may be asked to be on 24-hour call during period of major disaster. Company DescriptionAs one of the nation’s premier humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross is dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world. We depend on the many generous contributions of time, blood, and money from the American public to support our lifesaving services and programs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

   Post your job online:

   • Post your planning analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit planning analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting planning 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.

   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 planning analyst

   Once you've found the planning analyst 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.

   To prepare for the new planning 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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