How to hire a program finance analyst

How to hire a program finance analyst, step by step

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

What does a program finance analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The program finance 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 a program finance 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 program finance analyst that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of program finance analyst salaries for various roles:

   Type of Program Finance Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Program Finance Analyst	Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.	$20-36
   Analyst	Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes... Show more	$25-47
   Equity Analyst	An equity analyst's role is to help clients navigate through stocks and bonds using their expertise. In a company setting, their responsibilities revolve around performing extensive research and analysis on areas such as the stock market, coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, identifying new opportunities, preparing and analyzing the company's financial records, and creating forecast models... Show more	$32-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Analysis
   • Variance Analysis
   • Program Management
   • Financial Data
   • Earned Value Management
   • Strong Analytical
   • EAC
   • Hyperion
   • Deltek
   • Reconciliations
   • Financial Planning Analysis
   • Pivot Tables
   • Financial Performance
   • Treasury

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
   • Prepare monthly accounts payable accruals as well as researching and analyzing account variances.
   • Provide monthly and quarterly accruals of channel programs and MDF to revenue accounting team.
   • Ensure accurate forecasting in using Hyperion.
   • Perform monthly contract invoicing/billings, program account reconciliations, and sales forecasting.
   • Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.

   More program finance analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $57,254yearly

   $27.53 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level program finance analyst salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average program finance analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$74,179	$36
   2	Arizona	$60,895	$29
   3	Oregon	$60,600	$29
   4	Washington	$60,599	$29
   5	District of Columbia	$60,239	$29
   6	New York	$60,137	$29
   7	Maryland	$59,876	$29
   8	Virginia	$58,870	$28
   9	North Carolina	$58,490	$28
   10	South Carolina	$56,880	$27
   11	Colorado	$56,802	$27
   12	Utah	$56,759	$27
   13	Indiana	$56,588	$27
   14	Minnesota	$56,239	$27
   15	Connecticut	$55,788	$27
   16	Georgia	$55,570	$27
   17	Massachusetts	$55,208	$27
   18	Florida	$54,082	$26
   19	Texas	$54,070	$26
   20	Alabama	$51,829	$25

   Average program finance analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$108,251	$52.04	131
   2	Western Alliance Bank	$90,881	$43.69	10
   3	Deutsche Bank	$87,455	$42.05	8
   4	Zurich	$84,301	$40.53	40
   5	ServiceNow	$80,567	$38.73	2
   6	Lucid Motors	$80,117	$38.52	18
   7	Booz Allen Hamilton	$79,430	$38.19	69
   8	University of California-Berkeley	$74,526	$35.83
   9	Guidehouse	$69,726	$33.52	175
   10	Delphi Holdings, LLC	$69,583	$33.45
   11	Eaton	$69,487	$33.41	34
   12	Reckitt Benckiser	$69,215	$33.28	3
   13	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$69,210	$33.27	13
   14	Lenovo	$66,529	$31.99	6
   15	Teksouth	$66,018	$31.74
   16	Raymond James Financial	$65,825	$31.65	123
   17	McCormick & Company	$65,441	$31.46	9
   18	L3Harris	$65,344	$31.42	64
   19	Cubic	$64,856	$31.18	3
   20	CEXEC	$64,791	$31.15	2

4. Writing a program finance analyst job description

   A program finance 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 program finance analyst job description:

   Program finance analyst job description example

   Your Career Begins at Timken
   If you're ready for a challenging career that provides you with the ability to advance personally and professionally, look to Timken. Our associates make the world more productive by improving the efficiency and reliability of the machinery that keeps industry in motion. Finance College Graduate Program Overview The Timken Company's Finance College Graduate Program (FCGP) develops incoming professionals within the Finance organization. The 24-month program consists of three 8-month rotations with exposure to a variety of critical Finance functions including Financial Planning & Analysis, Plant Controlling, Accounting, Audit, Tax, Treasury and Investor Relations. Rotations are located at our World Headquarters in North Canton, Ohio and at various manufacturing plants across the United States. Through mentoring, cross-functional development, special projects and exposure to Finance and executive leadership, you will be able to hone your skills within the Finance streams, gain valuable hands on experience and develop as a future Finance leader at Timken. Responsibilities may include the preparation of financial reports, financial analysis, communication of financial results, account reconciliations, tax law compliance, costing methods, and planning and profitability reporting.
   Upon completion of the rotational program, associates will graduate into a variety of progressive roles within the organization. Minimum Qualifications

   • Bachelor of Science in Accounting or Finance (graduation no later than May 2023)
   • Cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above, 3.0 or above preferred
   • Prior Finance internship/co-op experiences
   • Leadership skills demonstrated through academic, extra-curricular, military service or employment experiences
   • Ability to relocate within the United States
   • Legally authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship All qualified applicants shall be treated equally according to their individual qualifications, abilities, experiences and other employment standards. There will be no discrimination due to gender or gender identity, race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran/military status or any other basis protected by applicable law.
     
     

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find program finance 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 program finance analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level program finance 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 program finance analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality program finance analyst candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit program finance analysts, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 program finance analyst

   Once you've found the program finance 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.

   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 program finance 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 a program finance analyst?