How to hire a senior analyst

How to hire a senior analyst, step by step

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

What does a senior analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior 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 senior 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 senior analyst that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Senior Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior 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.	$30-53
   Business Analyst-Consultant	A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals... Show more	$31-58
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Analytics
   • Data Analysis
   • Tableau
   • Project Management
   • Strong Analytical
   • Power Bi
   • Portfolio
   • Visualization
   • Customer Service
   • SAS
   • Data Collection
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • BI
   • Process Improvement

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and lead a team through the verification and validation process to ensure ISO audit findings are permanently resolve.
   • Experience with the PMI methodology for project managing.
   • Lead developers with complex DB2 coding efforts reducing system overhead.
   • Ensure adequate liquidity in each fund while managing WAM exposure across treasury bills.
   • Manage all monthly and quarterly reporting for the pump segment of the company (PMI).
   • Manage reconciliations of accounts on monthly basis.

   More senior analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior analysts' average salary in arkansas is 39% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior analysts earn 44% less than senior-level senior analysts.
   • Certifications. A senior analyst 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 senior analyst's salary.

   Average senior analyst salary

   $84,799yearly

   $40.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior analyst salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average senior analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$100,881	$49
   2	New Jersey	$96,373	$46
   3	District of Columbia	$94,348	$45
   4	Maryland	$94,113	$45
   5	New York	$93,974	$45
   6	Massachusetts	$89,935	$43
   7	North Carolina	$89,489	$43
   8	Washington	$89,137	$43
   9	Virginia	$88,013	$42
   10	Texas	$86,052	$41
   11	Connecticut	$85,227	$41
   12	Illinois	$84,057	$40
   13	Michigan	$83,129	$40
   14	Ohio	$82,909	$40
   15	Colorado	$81,767	$39
   16	Pennsylvania	$81,581	$39
   17	Georgia	$81,575	$39
   18	Minnesota	$80,794	$39
   19	Wisconsin	$80,592	$39
   20	Missouri	$80,246	$39

   Average senior analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Citadel	$145,373	$69.89	4
   2	Credit Karma	$137,674	$66.19
   3	Roku	$129,082	$62.06	4
   4	Bunge	$124,659	$59.93	2
   5	PayPal	$119,107	$57.26	3
   6	Levi Strauss & Co.	$118,314	$56.88	2
   7	Apple	$118,252	$56.85	35
   8	NRG Energy	$117,906	$56.69	26
   9	Brex	$117,675	$56.57
   10	ConocoPhillips	$116,468	$55.99	2
   11	PitchBook Data	$116,343	$55.93	1
   12	Constellation Brands	$115,449	$55.50	5
   13	Zendesk	$115,412	$55.49	3
   14	Florida Power and Light	$115,146	$55.36	32
   15	Cargill	$114,678	$55.13	9
   16	Airbnb	$114,108	$54.86
   17	Yahoo	$113,383	$54.51
   18	Wegmans Food Markets	$113,233	$54.44
   19	Atlassian	$112,329	$54.00	3
   20	Google	$112,293	$53.99	65

4. Writing a senior analyst job description

   A senior 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior analyst job description:

   Senior analyst job description example

   This role will function as key collaborator with the plan CFO and other departments in the local market in order to achieve plan financial results. This employee will ensure that all financial reporting, internal or external, are accurately reported and maintain financial and operational control of the business. Also, a major contributor to planning and forecasting processes. Ensures that all cost center leads participate in the planning and forecasting process and manage to the budget/forecast that was created through collaboration. Collaborate with constituent areas including Actuarial, Underwriting, Network and Medical Economics for analysis purposes on financials and strategic business opportunities proposed throughout the plan.1. Prepare monthly medical expense trend reporting; collaborate with actuaries, medical economics or any other operational to address any concerning trends.2. Address any provider payment or standard provider settlements in conjunction with the provider network team.3. Oversee the monthly capitation processing.4. Represent the Finance team in all plan/provider meetings requiring Finance participation5. Prepare monthly membership trend analysis for delivery to plan management team.6. Review monthly SG&A spend, ensuring all invoices are paid and/or accrued.7. Assist in the development of the plan SG&A budget/forecasting.8. Oversee the information system expense charges for all plan employees.9. Crosstrain on the preparation of monthly LA financial reporting for the Aetna Medicaid CEO.10. Reconcile all claims check runs, including to the data used within the monthly IBNR models (this includes oversight of the annual 1099 reconciliation of payments).11. Oversight of the EFT set up process for the LA plan.
   Pay Range
   
   The typical pay range for this role is:
   
   Minimum: 43,700
   
   Maximum: 97,400
   
   Please keep in mind that this range represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual salary offer will take into account a wide range of factors, including location.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   3 or more years experience in financial planning and analysis
   
   COVID Requirements
   
   COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
   
   CVS Health requires certain colleagues to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including any booster shots if required), where allowable under the law, unless they are approved for a reasonable accommodation based on disability, medical condition, religious belief, or other legally recognized reasons that prevents them from being vaccinated.
   
   You are required to have received at least one COVID-19 shot prior to your first day of employment and to provide proof of your vaccination status or apply for a reasonable accommodation within the first 10 days of your employment. Please note that in some states and roles, you may be required to provide proof of full vaccination or an approved reasonable accommodation before you can begin to actively work.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   CPA/FSA/MBA preferred Project management and process improvement skills preferred.Experience in FP&A within healthcare/managed care, insurance industry Demonstrated proficiency with personal computer,keyboard navigation, and MS Office Suite applications.
   
   Education
   
   Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required; Bachelors degree in Finance, Accounting, Actuarial Science or similar disciplines preferred
   
   Business Overview
   
   Bring your heart to CVS HealthEvery one of us at CVS Health shares a single, clear purpose: Bringing our heart to every moment of your health. This purpose guides our commitment to deliver enhanced human-centric health care for a rapidly changing world. Anchored in our brand - with heart at its center - our purpose sends a personal message that how we deliver our services is just as important as what we deliver.Our Heart At Work Behaviors™ support this purpose. We want everyone who works at CVS Health to feel empowered by the role they play in transforming our culture and accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver solutions to make health care more personal, convenient and affordable. We strive to promote and sustain a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging every day. CVS Health is an affirmative action employer, and is an equal opportunity employer, as are the physician-owned businesses for which CVS Health provides management services. We do not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, promotion, or any other personnel action based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior 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 senior analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior 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 senior analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit senior analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior 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.

   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 senior analyst

   Once you've selected the best senior 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 senior 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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