How to hire a senior planner

How to hire a senior planner, step by step

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

What does a senior planner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior planner, 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior planner 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 planner that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior planners.

   Type of Senior Planner	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Planner	Meeting, convention, and event planners coordinate all aspects of events and professional meetings. They arrange meeting locations, transportation, and other details.	$23-52
   Urban Design Consultant	An urban design consultant is in charge of many projects, and so they have to oversee tasks and plan assignments. They are skilled in creating interior design solutions, space planning, sketching, and product selection... Show more	$24-37
   Urban Renewal Manager	An urban renewal manager has a multitude of roles he/she performs in the organization he/she finds himself in. They conduct detailed economic and statistical analysis of market trends... Show more	$26-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Customer Service
   • Autocad
   • Logistics
   • MRP
   • Critical Path
   • GIS
   • Regional Planning
   • Master Plan
   • ERP
   • Business Development
   • Purchase Orders
   • Production Planning
   • Sigma

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage logistics functions to achieve metrics for service level and inventory control assessing risks and ensuring resolution of constraints.
   • Manage applicable OEM products, insuring adequate worldwide inventory.
   • Manage forecast and release of KANBAN orders to pertinent suppliers.
   • Review SLA monthly with internal / external customers; manage ISO audits.
   • Review ATP's, adjust destination breakdowns and POS to achieve an optimal sourcing target.
   • Manage multiple transportation planning and construction projects, including sidewalk, bike lanes and traffic calming devices.

   More senior planner duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior planners' average salary in arkansas is 58% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior planners 56% less than senior-level senior planners.
   • Certifications. A senior planner 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 planner's salary.

   Average senior planner salary

   $73,327yearly

   $35.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior planner salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average senior planner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$117,854	$57
   2	Washington	$98,353	$47
   3	Oregon	$96,596	$46
   4	Utah	$90,046	$43
   5	New York	$88,719	$43
   6	District of Columbia	$88,698	$43
   7	Nevada	$78,257	$38
   8	Virginia	$75,142	$36
   9	Arizona	$74,609	$36
   10	Massachusetts	$73,909	$36
   11	Colorado	$70,710	$34
   12	Illinois	$68,580	$33
   13	Alaska	$66,422	$32
   14	Pennsylvania	$63,145	$30
   15	Ohio	$62,284	$30
   16	Texas	$61,662	$30
   17	Maryland	$61,657	$30
   18	Minnesota	$60,082	$29
   19	Indiana	$60,077	$29
   20	Oklahoma	$57,760	$28

   Average senior planner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PVH	$156,514	$75.25	4
   2	Apple	$148,105	$71.20	7
   3	Genentech	$147,522	$70.92	1
   4	Microsoft	$140,605	$67.60	24
   5	Boehringer Ingelheim	$136,185	$65.47	3
   6	Nike	$133,925	$64.39	23
   7	Pacific Gas and Electric	$132,518	$63.71
   8	Amd	$128,023	$61.55	1
   9	TBWA Worldwide	$126,221	$60.68
   10	Gap Inc.	$125,432	$60.30
   11	Revlon	$123,941	$59.59
   12	ConocoPhillips	$122,444	$58.87
   13	Technip USA Corporation	$122,429	$58.86
   14	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$119,919	$57.65	13
   15	OraSure Technologies	$114,959	$55.27
   16	Pacifi	$112,817	$54.24	1
   17	Vicor	$111,360	$53.54
   18	Grey Group	$110,676	$53.21
   19	Parsons	$110,371	$53.06	2
   20	Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide Inc	$109,274	$52.54

4. Writing a senior planner job description

   A senior planner 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 planner job description:

   Senior planner job description example

   * Please note, this role sits partially onsite in our Dover, Ohio location.
   
   Zimmer Biomet is a global medical technology leader. Our team members are part of a company with a heritage of leadership, a focus on shaping the future, and a mission dedicated to alleviating pain and improving the quality of life for people around the world.
   
   Manage all elements of Master Production Schedule (MPS) to derive proper finished goods stock level for each item. Manage all elements of Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) System to generate all material requirements to support product plans.
   
   Principal Duties and Responsibilities
   
   * Plan production levels for major product groups based on forecast demand, production availability, material availability, and inventory requirements.
   * Release work orders and purchase requisitions to support build plans.
   * Measure performance of all critical factors to ensure compliance to plans. Work with Manufacturing and outside suppliers to ensure proper shelf dates are achieved in order to meet customer demand.
   * Take the lead in resolving issues when products are behind schedule.
   * Build detailed plans for introduction of new products and report progress to plan.
   * Develop inventory plans to maintain target inventory levels.
   * Identify inactive and obsolete items and take appropriate action to discontinue and dispose of inventory. Manage weekly replenishment issues for assigned items.
   * This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all of the "essential functions" for purposes of the ADA.
   
   Expected Areas of Competence
   
   * Ability to work in collaboration with Marketing, Engineering, Purchasing, Production, and others to adequately meet market needs of new products.
   * Ability to manage conflict situations and to solicit and influence supporting actions of other functional areas.
   * Effective oral and written communication and presentation skills.
   * Advanced understanding of business and manufacturing processes and production systems.
   * Advanced understanding of interdependencies of supply chain and ability to manage many variables to achieve result.
   * Demonstrates accountability for the total planning process for assigned area.
   * Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Excel; advanced knowledge of MRP and computer-based information systems.
   * Ability to manage several projects at one time with ability to prioritize.
   * Working knowledge of products assigned.
   * High level of analytical skills.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior planners 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 planner job on Zippia to find and recruit senior planner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior planners, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 planner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior planner 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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 senior planner?