How to hire a programmer analyst

How to hire a programmer analyst, step by step

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

What does a programmer analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   The following list breaks down different types of programmer analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Programmer Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Programmer 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.	$26-43
   Systems Analyst Programmer	A Systems Analyst Programmer provides technical expertise and recommendations in evaluating new IT software projects. They also indentify solutions and opportunities that can enhance the efficiency of business processes.	$27-53
   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:

   • SQL Server
   • C++
   • Java
   • JavaScript
   • Data Warehouse
   • Web Services
   • HTML
   • CSS
   • Technical Support
   • XML
   • Unix
   • Linux
   • Mainframe
   • Application Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Use scripting languages (shell, PERL) to automate routine data management tasks and reporting.
   • Develop and manage voice network trouble diagnosis and resolution matrices base on GUI interfaces base on HTML coding and XML mapping.
   • Manage code repository structure and environment for various application using TFS.
   • Manage to increase company productivity by implementing digital scanning system to replace handwriting practices while being responsible for entire SDLC process.
   • Develop web-based application using MVC and HTML5, CSS, JQUERY, JavaScript.
   • Implement JavaScript functionality in front end designing and rich user interface.

   More programmer analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the programmer analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A programmer analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a programmer analyst in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level programmer analyst. Additionally, a programmer analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average programmer analyst salary

   $71,563yearly

   $34.41 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level programmer analyst salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average programmer analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$89,541	$43
   2	Washington	$83,561	$40
   3	District of Columbia	$74,769	$36
   4	New York	$74,052	$36
   5	Arizona	$72,527	$35
   6	New Jersey	$71,811	$35
   7	Massachusetts	$71,534	$34
   8	Delaware	$71,026	$34
   9	Virginia	$69,711	$34
   10	Minnesota	$69,548	$33
   11	North Carolina	$69,531	$33
   12	Georgia	$69,427	$33
   13	Arkansas	$69,161	$33
   14	Illinois	$68,766	$33
   15	Texas	$68,221	$33
   16	Ohio	$67,837	$33
   17	Indiana	$67,428	$32
   18	Wisconsin	$67,061	$32
   19	Kentucky	$65,523	$32
   20	Mississippi	$65,412	$31

   Average programmer analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Western Digital	$117,655	$56.56	11
   2	Apple	$110,129	$52.95	349
   3	NetApp	$109,293	$52.54	42
   4	Genentech	$109,102	$52.45	6
   5	Biogen	$107,144	$51.51	1
   6	Oracle	$107,066	$51.47	8,875
   7	American Century Investments	$106,839	$51.36
   8	Mayo Clinic	$106,684	$51.29	29
   9	NVIDIA	$106,536	$51.22	41
   10	City National Bank	$106,403	$51.16	10
   11	Pacific Gas and Electric	$106,188	$51.05
   12	AllianceBernstein	$106,035	$50.98
   13	StoneX Group	$105,568	$50.75	6
   14	Icma-rc	$105,532	$50.74
   15	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$105,429	$50.69	869
   16	Brocade Services Corporation	$105,302	$50.63
   17	Novartis	$105,289	$50.62	2
   18	William Blair	$105,254	$50.60	1
   19	AIG	$105,229	$50.59	16
   20	Citi	$103,692	$49.85	56

4. Writing a programmer analyst job description

   A job description for a programmer 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 programmer analyst job description:

   Programmer analyst job description example

   PPD’s mission is to improve health. It starts as an idea to find a cure. It becomes a life saved. All in-between, it’s you! We know that meaningful results not only require the right approach, but also the right people. We invite you to re-imagine health promoting protocols with us, working alongside our talented, bright and energetic teams.
   
   We are passionate about being data and technically agile and driving enhanced value for our clients and patients. Determined to improve patient health, we help PPD provide industry-leading statistical, programming and clinical pharmacology contributions through global delivery, consistent quality adherence and scientific insight.
   
   At PPD we hire the best, develop ourselves and each other, and recognize the power of being one team. We offer continued career advancement opportunities, award winning training and benefits focused on the health and wellbeing of our employees.
   This amazing opportunity is within our BITS team! More information on this group below. See below for an exciting opportunity to join our Bios Infrastructure, Tools, and Standards (BITS) Team as Principal Programmer Analyst Responsibilities: * Collaborate with other BITS members on process improvement initiatives. * Develop, refine, and maintain .NET applications that will streamline Biostatistics and Programming deliveries. * Incorporate feedback from users into existing applications. * Assess current applications to determine where they can be improved and extended. * Train project teams on how to optimize their use of BITS applications.
   Qualifications : * BS degree in degree in computer science, statistics, biostatistics, mathematics, or related field and at least 8 years of experience; or MS/MA degree and at least 6 years of experience Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: * .NET application development experience in Windows is required. * Experience with these is desired: o Windows Services o SAS o Active Directory and NTSF file permissions o XML o SQL Databases o TortoiseSVN * Ability to collaborate with other application developers to achieve on-time releases * Ability to provide mentorship and promote teamwork in a multi-disciplinary team setting * Proven performance of required tasks, as evidenced in outstanding performance in current tasks and/or documented record of accomplishments * Evidence of strong management skills, as shown through management of multiple projects and/or staff members * Excellent written and verbal communications skills * Good organizational skills with the ability to adapt and adjust to changing priorities * Positive attitude and the ability to work well with others LI-KF1
   Job: **Statistical Programming*
   Organization: **US BU*
   Title: Principal Programmer Analyst- BITS.NET Developer (home or office-based)
   Location: NC-Wilmington-Wilmington NC HQ
   Other Locations: US-New Jersey, US-Texas, US-North Carolina, US-Michigan PPD is an affirmative action employer that values diversity as a strength fosters and environment of mutual respect. PPD provides equal employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, pregnancy, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or other status within any other protected group

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right programmer 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 programmer analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit programmer 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 programmer analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit programmer analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with programmer analyst candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with programmer 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 programmer analyst

   Once you've selected the best programmer analyst candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new programmer analyst. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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