How to hire a planning assistant

How to hire a planning assistant, step by step

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

What does a planning assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Type of Planning Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Planning Assistant		$15-28
   Planning Coordinator	As planning coordinators, there are certain skills that this job requires to accomplish their responsibilities. They mostly work at the non-profits and health care facilities... Show more	$16-32
   Planning Internship	When it comes to planning an internship, an intern's duties will depend on the directives of supervising staff or a manager. Typically, an intern's responsibilities will revolve around performing clerical tasks such as processing documents, producing reports and presentations, responding to calls and correspondence, and managing schedules... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Social Work
   • Financial Reports
   • Discharge Planning
   • Client Data
   • Logistics
   • Purchase Orders
   • Data Analysis
   • Schedule Appointments
   • GIS
   • Client Service
   • Autocad
   • Front Desk
   • Administrative Tasks

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain expansive parkland data sets using ArcGIS software to attain accountability for government databases.
   • Perform financial analysis on various securities to support senior leadership with investment planning.
   • Generate MRP reports and update information in order entry system.
   • Help meet IEP base goals objective for the school year.
   • Keep inventory of all the merchandising that will go to VIP guests
   • Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to VIP individuals.

   More planning assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, planning assistants' average salary in texas is 37% less than in virginia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level planning assistants earn 46% less than senior-level planning assistants.
   • Certifications. A planning assistant 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 a planning assistant's salary.

   Average planning assistant salary

   $43,826yearly

   $21.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level planning assistant salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average planning assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$49,117	$24
   2	Connecticut	$48,373	$23
   3	Nevada	$46,317	$22
   4	Massachusetts	$45,818	$22
   5	California	$45,497	$22
   6	New Jersey	$43,478	$21
   7	South Carolina	$43,334	$21
   8	New York	$43,225	$21
   9	Minnesota	$41,423	$20
   10	Utah	$40,012	$19
   11	Pennsylvania	$39,982	$19
   12	Illinois	$39,508	$19
   13	Michigan	$39,171	$19
   14	Florida	$38,022	$18
   15	Colorado	$37,859	$18
   16	New Mexico	$36,558	$18
   17	Washington	$36,403	$18
   18	Wisconsin	$36,127	$17
   19	Georgia	$35,447	$17
   20	Tennessee	$35,378	$17

   Average planning assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Earthjustice	$82,756	$39.79
   2	Quest Global	$66,117	$31.79
   3	City of Los Angeles	$64,825	$31.17
   4	Gainesville Regional Utilities	$57,898	$27.84
   5	The Culinary Institute of America	$55,640	$26.75
   6	Alcon	$53,139	$25.55	4
   7	Texas Roadhouse	$51,829	$24.92
   8	West Suburban Medical Center	$51,449	$24.74
   9	Ramsey County	$48,757	$23.44
   10	ALDI USA	$48,203	$23.17	2
   11	Ameriprise Financial	$46,826	$22.51
   12	Rent the Runway	$45,505	$21.88	2
   13	Save the Children US	$44,943	$21.61
   14	Medical Facilities of America	$44,929	$21.60
   15	HM Electronics	$43,516	$20.92
   16	Ultradent Products	$43,405	$20.87	3
   17	Virginia's Community Colleges	$43,206	$20.77
   18	City of Pacific	$43,024	$20.68
   19	Boston Planning & Development Agency	$42,644	$20.50
   20	Hantz Group	$42,543	$20.45	36

4. Writing a planning assistant job description

   A planning assistant 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 planning assistant job description:

   Planning assistant job description example

   • Associate degree or equivalent years’ experience plus 1-2 years of experience in Planning or Retail related functions
   • Microsoft Office; highly proficient in Excel
   • Experience with Power Pivot, Power Query, and Power BI a plus
   • Ability to multitask and prioritize work effectively in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines
   • Demonstrates an appropriate sense of urgency
   • Strong analytical and retail math skills
   • Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
   • Must be comfortable with handling large excel spreadsheets and datasets

   Main tasks

   • Gather and consolidate weekly sales and inventory data to prepare sales and stock report
   • Manage weekly open order reports
   • Manage all copy information and images retail partners
   • Assist in preparation of quarterly business strategies and market/planning decks
   • Facilitate pre-line and market zoom call set up and assist with market presentations

   "What's in it for me?"

   A real sense of work-life balance, coworkers that will make you feel that you’ve found your people, and A+ benefits (401k, medical, dental, vision, paid vacation and holidays, flexible spending account, employee discount program, etc.). And that’s not all. At BRAHMIN, you will find a culture that is shaped by motivated, curious, generous, and confident people who believe in creating high-quality moments through fashion.

   Join an environment that allows you to do great things

   At BRAHMIN, we believe that detail makes all the difference: at home, at work, and in your everyday life. That’s why we make unique high-quality leather handbags and accessories that celebrate self-expression and character. Our environment is designed for top-level individuals who get things done quickly, and who celebrate the beauty of passion, creativity, diversity, and respect. We firmly believe that the only thing greater than a big idea is the team who makes it a reality, so we embrace different perspectives and experiences to keep making things that bring joy and confidence to people.

   Want to work on exciting projects with an inspiring team? Send your application today!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right planning assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your planning assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit planning assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit planning assistants, 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.

   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.

   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 assistant

   Once you've found the planning assistant 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new planning assistant. 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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How much does it cost to hire a planning assistant?