How to hire a research consultant

How to hire a research consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step research consultant hiring guide:

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

What does a research consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the research consultant you need to hire. Certain research consultant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A research consultant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, research consultants 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 research consultants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Research Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Consultant	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$28-55
   Market Researcher	In businesses, a market researcher is primarily responsible for performing market research and analysis. Although the extent of their duties usually depends on their place of employment, it typically includes coordinating with other experts, gathering and analyzing data, identifying new business opportunities, studying market activities, creating questionnaires, and developing test structures... Show more	$15-40
   Marketing Research Internship	A marketing research intern assists a company with its marketing and advertising efforts. They are responsible for collecting data on consumers and competitors, consolidating information into an actionable report, designing the data collection methods to find out customer preferences, managing a company's social media accounts, writing content for marketing material, and offer administrative support to members of the marketing team through tasks like drafting memos.	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • Medicaid
   • Business Development
   • Study Design
   • Data Analysis
   • Survey Design
   • Research Projects
   • SPSS
   • Statistical Analysis
   • R
   • SAS
   • Research Studies
   • Market Research
   • Research Findings

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead research team in IRB transition from traditional hard copy submission to electronic submission.
   • Develop an SQL solution to automate performance attribution reports.
   • Attain and practice medical insurance information rapidly and correctly; including main carriers and Medicaid.
   • Design and oversee implementation of decision-analytic models and database analyses using SAS, SPSS, and STATA.
   • Pull, merge data by using SAS, and assign tags.
   • Isolate, purify and quantify DNA from human blood.

   More research consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the research consultant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A research consultant 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 research consultant in Wyoming may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level research consultant. Additionally, a research consultant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average research consultant salary

   $83,492yearly

   $40.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research consultant salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average research consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$109,451	$53
   2	New Jersey	$106,599	$51
   3	District of Columbia	$104,582	$50
   4	Delaware	$99,763	$48
   5	Washington	$99,076	$48
   6	California	$97,642	$47
   7	North Carolina	$94,003	$45
   8	Pennsylvania	$90,540	$44
   9	Virginia	$90,226	$43
   10	Massachusetts	$89,363	$43
   11	Minnesota	$86,313	$42
   12	Oregon	$85,839	$41
   13	Connecticut	$85,425	$41
   14	Illinois	$84,419	$41
   15	Georgia	$84,386	$41
   16	Ohio	$81,717	$39
   17	Texas	$81,453	$39
   18	Maryland	$81,160	$39
   19	Michigan	$78,955	$38
   20	Rhode Island	$77,116	$37

   Average research consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$125,957	$60.56	231
   2	eBay	$122,196	$58.75
   3	Slalom	$114,746	$55.17	9
   4	Excellus BCBS	$107,462	$51.66	1
   5	Wachovia Securities	$102,530	$49.29
   6	Certara	$98,400	$47.31
   7	Irex	$97,578	$46.91
   8	The Fin Exploration Company	$97,307	$46.78
   9	Dell	$97,167	$46.71
   10	Advisory Board	$97,149	$46.71
   11	CoStar Group	$97,083	$46.67	29
   12	Econet	$97,082	$46.67
   13	Optum	$97,027	$46.65
   14	Marsh & McLennan Companies	$96,916	$46.59	41
   15	Revenue Analytics	$96,275	$46.29
   16	Qral Group	$96,244	$46.27
   17	Directions Research	$96,143	$46.22
   18	Univera	$95,565	$45.94	1
   19	MassMutual	$92,213	$44.33	33
   20	TNS	$92,119	$44.29

4. Writing a research consultant job description

   A research consultant 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 research consultant job description:

   Research consultant job description example

   We are more than a health system. We are a belief system. We believe wellness and sickness are both part of a lifelong partnership, and that everyone could use an expert guide. We work hard, care deeply and reach further to help people uncover their own power to be healthy. We inspire hope. We learn, grow, and achieve more - in our careers and in our communities.
   
   Job Description Summary:
   
   The Consultant, RBS Pre-Award and Post-Award will perform specialized technical fiscal activities and financial reporting for pre-award and post-award activities for clinical trials and research projects to provide system-wide support OhioHealth research activities.
   
   Activities include a variety of complex and varied fiscal administrative support functions such as analyzing the study coverage analysis to develop study budgets, working closely with the Legal team on updating study contracts and establishing and maintaining study projects under their established cost centers.
   
   Minimum Qualifications:
   
   Bachelor's Degree (Required)
   Field of Study: accounting or business related field; knowledge of accounting or business principles knowledge of governmental requirements interfacing with research including but not limited to FDA and IRB; strong computer skills and knowledge of current word processing, spreadsheet software and access, as well as other computer applications; ability to interrelate with a diverse group of individuals along with a high level of interpersonal skills for problem resolution; good organizational and time management skills and ability to prioritize workload; a professional appearance along with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
   
   Work Shift:
   Day
   
   Scheduled Weekly Hours :
   40
   
   Department
   Research Administration
   
   Join us!
   ... if your passion is to work in a caring environment
   ... if you believe that learning is a life-long process
   ... if you strive for excellence and want to be among the best in the healthcare industry
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity
   
   OhioHealth is an equal opportunity employer and fully supports and maintains compliance with all state, federal, and local regulations. OhioHealth does not discriminate against associates or applicants because of race, color, genetic information, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, ancestry, national origin, veteran status, military status, pregnancy, disability, marital status, familial status, or other characteristics protected by law. Equal employment is extended to all person in all aspects of the associate-employer relationship including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, discipline, reduction in staff, termination, assignment of benefits, and any other term or condition of employment

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right research consultant 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 research consultant job on Zippia to find and attract quality research consultant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit research consultants, 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.

   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 research consultant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the research consultant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire a research consultant?