How to hire a senior investigator

How to hire a senior investigator, step by step

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

What does a senior investigator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior investigator 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 investigator 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 investigator that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior investigators.

   Type of Senior Investigator	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Investigator	Police officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.	$16-50
   Officer	An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises... Show more	$12-49
   Deputy	The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat... Show more	$14-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Senior Level Management
   • Local Law Enforcement
   • Claims Handling
   • Court Proceedings
   • Data Analysis
   • Management System
   • Excellent Time Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • BSA/AML
   • Criminal Justice
   • Background Checks
   • SIU
   • HR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Investigate allegations of suspect FWA / prioritize and manage case load / maintain comprehensive case files.
   • Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
   • Create budget friendly evidence collection boxes for investigations and patrol officers.
   • Send specimens to laboratory to obtain DNA.
   • Participate on committees and teams supporting GMP compliance programs.
   • Collect possible DNA samples from the scene, victims, and suspects.

   More senior investigator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior investigators' average salary in south carolina is 63% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior investigators earn 67% less than senior-level senior investigators.
   • Certifications. A senior investigator 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 investigator's salary.

   Average senior investigator salary

   $61,240yearly

   $29.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior investigator salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior investigator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$93,941	$45
   2	Washington	$92,489	$44
   3	California	$91,127	$44
   4	Oregon	$83,885	$40
   5	District of Columbia	$80,762	$39
   6	New York	$77,946	$37
   7	Massachusetts	$77,117	$37
   8	New Jersey	$72,656	$35
   9	Virginia	$71,422	$34
   10	Connecticut	$71,084	$34
   11	Pennsylvania	$66,852	$32
   12	Utah	$64,932	$31
   13	Colorado	$63,707	$31
   14	Illinois	$62,053	$30
   15	Arizona	$61,037	$29
   16	Minnesota	$52,878	$25
   17	Texas	$51,818	$25
   18	Missouri	$50,456	$24
   19	North Carolina	$43,752	$21
   20	Arkansas	$42,729	$21

   Average senior investigator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	DLA Piper	$129,762	$62.39
   2	Novartis	$117,180	$56.34
   3	Mintz	$116,869	$56.19	2
   4	Intuit	$108,284	$52.06
   5	Standard Chartered	$104,821	$50.39	1
   6	Sutter Health	$98,820	$47.51
   7	LendingClub	$90,113	$43.32
   8	AIG	$88,529	$42.56	2
   9	CVS Health	$88,240	$42.42	95
   10	General Electric	$85,427	$41.07
   11	Edward Jones	$84,737	$40.74	1
   12	The Travelers Companies	$84,235	$40.50
   13	Accenture	$82,330	$39.58
   14	Roivant Sciences	$81,281	$39.08
   15	Medtronic	$80,537	$38.72
   16	Aetna	$79,966	$38.45
   17	National Institutes of Health	$78,811	$37.89
   18	Teva Pharmaceuticals	$77,890	$37.45
   19	Ericsson	$76,951	$37.00	4
   20	Highmark	$76,887	$36.96	3

4. Writing a senior investigator job description

   A good senior investigator job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior investigator job description:

   Senior investigator job description example

   If you’re a seasoned investigative reporter with exceptional skill at public record requests, data analysis, source development, navigating court cases, turning complexity into compelling narrative and tirelessly checking under every rock, you’re going to love this job doing deep-dive work about the state of California.
   
   Follow the money? California has a $286 billion budget and it received $657 billion in federal COVID assistance. Billions were spent on no-bid contracts to questionable vendors including a $1.7 billion renewal for a problem-plagued company. Meanwhile, the state’s troubled Employment Development Department acknowledged at least $20 billion in fraudulent uninsurance claims. And the state’s dysfunctional licensing process left nursing home residents vulnerable to troubled owners. And that’s just what we’ve reported recently. This state requires much more accountability journalism to reveal important stories with high stakes for public cost and the well-being of Californians.
   
   CalMatters, launched seven years ago, is an award-winning nonprofit, nonpartisan news venture dedicated to explaining the policy and politics of America’s biggest state and the world’s fifth largest economy. We produce vivid, original journalism and data-driven news analyses and watchdog reporting that’s distributed to more than 250 media partners on calmatters.org and NPR partners statewide.
   
   Our senior investigative reporter will work with a growing I-team at CalMatters that has already won awards for work on unseized guns and extreme incarceration. The team is also supported by our data team and a Pulitzer Prize winning editor. Responsibilities for the job include:
   
   Deep-dive research into California’s three branches of government to find and report the stories that hold state government officials accountable for the programs and oversight that protect and serve Californians as well as any conflicts or malfeasance related to special interests and other issues.
   
   Extensive use of court records, public documents and public record requests as well as work with the state budget, legislative records and other state documents.
   
   Source development in the California state Capitol and keen awareness of the legislative, budget and regulatory process.
   
   Collaboration with other parts of the newsroom: beat reporters and the newsletter, photo, data, engagement, product and production teams.
   Public speaking at private and public events as well as broadcast media. Required At least 10 years of professional reporting experience, preferably including coverage of government and the policy-making process. Track record of successful investigative reporting work Exceptional writing skills, particularly for longform stories but also crisp and insightful news analysis. Compensation and Benefits The base salary for this position is $100,000 per year; higher compensation may be available for someone with advanced skills and/or experience. CalMatters offers a complete benefits package with medical, dental and vision insurance (we cover 90% of the cost for employees and 70% for dependents) from a range of HMO and PPO providers. We’ll match contributions of up to 4% of your salary to our 401(k) program, provide life insurance at no cost, and give you an allowance for personal use of your cell phone and a budget for professional development opportunities like classes and conferences. We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to reflecting the people of the state we serve and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply. If you’re interested, please provide a resume, a cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job, and links to at least six online samples of your work. Powered by JazzHR CqsqQQyrsa

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior investigators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior investigator job on Zippia to find and recruit senior investigator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior investigators, 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 investigator

   Once you've selected the best senior investigator 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior investigator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 senior investigator?