How to hire a senior gis analyst

How to hire a senior gis analyst, step by step

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

What does a senior gis analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior gis 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 senior gis analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior gis 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 senior gis analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior GIS Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior GIS 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.	$27-50
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Geospatial
   • Esri
   • Desktop
   • Infrastructure
   • Visualization
   • Arcgis Online
   • GPS
   • Database Design
   • Data Management
   • Technical Support
   • Map Production
   • SQL Server
   • CAD

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and administrate SDE database and tune up database for maximum performance.
   • Manage administration and supervise development of logistics policies and programs to ensure they meet the changing conditions in program requirements.
   • Present research and provide advice and guidance to program officials involving data analysis and visualization.
   • Design and maintenance of department SharePoint site.
   • Integrate remediation strategies with GRC business compliance objectives for PCI/DSS and HIPAA.
   • Design, develop, and deploy GIS web applications using ArcGIS JavaScript API.

   More senior gis analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior gis analyst job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior gis analyst can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior gis analysts' average salary in idaho is 33% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior gis analysts 44% less than senior-level senior gis analysts.
   • Certifications. A senior gis analyst with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior gis analyst's salary.

   Average senior gis analyst salary

   $78,218yearly

   $37.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior gis analyst salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior gis analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$90,719	$44
   2	Hawaii	$89,309	$43
   3	Massachusetts	$88,747	$43
   4	California	$85,233	$41
   5	Ohio	$82,475	$40
   6	Virginia	$82,077	$39
   7	District of Columbia	$81,832	$39
   8	Oregon	$81,184	$39
   9	Pennsylvania	$80,815	$39
   10	New York	$80,365	$39
   11	Illinois	$78,496	$38
   12	Colorado	$77,474	$37
   13	Missouri	$77,449	$37
   14	Louisiana	$76,505	$37
   15	Washington	$72,773	$35
   16	Tennessee	$71,784	$35
   17	Arizona	$71,690	$34
   18	Kansas	$69,221	$33
   19	Florida	$69,074	$33
   20	Arkansas	$67,931	$33

   Average senior gis analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Florida Power and Light	$101,491	$48.79	5
   2	BGC Partners	$98,698	$47.45
   3	Pace Inc	$95,766	$46.04
   4	Walgreens	$95,312	$45.82	1
   5	Newmark Grubb Knight Frank	$94,525	$45.44	4
   6	Whirlpool	$94,102	$45.24	4
   7	U.S. Venture	$92,382	$44.41
   8	Aegion	$85,623	$41.16
   9	UDC	$85,531	$41.12
   10	Snc-lavalin Project Services, Inc.	$84,618	$40.68
   11	EN Engineering	$83,571	$40.18
   12	Peraton	$83,318	$40.06	33
   13	C&S Engineers	$82,937	$39.87
   14	HERE Holding Corporation	$81,931	$39.39
   15	Veolia Water Tech	$79,132	$38.04
   16	Altice USA	$73,649	$35.41	1
   17	Woolpert	$72,338	$34.78
   18	Boston Consulting Group	$72,289	$34.75	2
   19	Houston-Galveston Area Council	$70,848	$34.06
   20	Halff Associates	$70,065	$33.69

4. Writing a senior gis analyst job description

   A senior gis 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 senior gis analyst job description:

   Senior gis analyst job description example

   SAIC, a leading provider of systems development & deployment, targeting & intelligence analysis, systems engineering & integration for the Intelligence Community, is seeking creative and dedicated professionals to fulfill their career goals and objectives while delivering mission excellence on programs of national importance. Join our team today!
   
   SAIC seeks a Geospatial Analyst (GEOINT) analyst with a data engineering background to visually portray, integrate, and correlate diverse georeferenced information found in text, images, and databases using statistical techniques to fulfill US Intelligence and counterintelligence community requirements in support of Counterintelligence Operations such as the identification and location of facilities from raw intel/imagery and source/asset validation.
   In this role, you will:
   
   + Model map layers, performs spatial analysis, generates reports, and performs quality control procedures using GIS software
   
   + Design and generate maps by specifying coordinate systems, scales, legends, and other cartographic techniques
   
   + Researche and compile data from various sources including maps, surveys, parcel, subdivision maps, thematic mapping, and topographic and maps associated descriptive data created and maintained by other agencies
   
   + Gather, organize, and evaluate complex data, draw logical conclusions, and make effective recommendations for database and application development
   
   + Present analysis results derived from spatial databases, and external tables using GIS software and visual media tools
   
   + Perform formal GIS needs assessments, describes the benefits of using GIS
   
   + Advise client regarding the evaluation of feasibility of applying GIS technologies to specific workflow processes
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Required:**
   
   + Active TS/SCI cleared with CI polygraph
   
   + 3-10 years of experience technical engineering, drafting, cartographic experience or other GIS related field
   
   + Working knowledge of ArcGIS VBA scripting languages, ESRI software, data visualization, SQL and virtualization databases
   
   **Desired**
   
   + 3-5 years' Intelligence Community - CI GIS experience
   
   Covid Policy: SAIC does not require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Customer site vaccination requirements must be followed when work is performed at a customer site.
   REQNUMBER: 2212514
   
   SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working at SAIC. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior gis analyst 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.

   To find senior gis analyst candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior gis 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior gis analyst candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 senior gis analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior gis analyst 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior gis 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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