How to hire a senior planning analyst

How to hire a senior planning analyst, step by step

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

What does a senior planning analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   This list presents senior planning analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Planning Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Planning 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.	$29-49
   Program Management Analyst	The job of a program management analyst involves optimizing business operations and analyzing organizational processes to increase productivity and maximize efficiency and profits. Program management analysts help track every company's schedule, budget, and delivery of goods and/or services... Show more	$26-54
   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:

   • PowerPoint
   • Project Management
   • SR
   • Customer Service
   • SQL
   • Strong Analytical
   • Data Analysis
   • Logistics
   • Financial Analysis
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Power Bi
   • Capacity Planning
   • Executive Leadership
   • HR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the transition to one multi-site ISO certification from 13 individually certify DCs for project annual savings of $36K.
   • Lead the customer logistics professional development program.
   • Manage cross-functional teams responsible for network infrastructure, enterprise applications, servers, capacity and business continuity planning.
   • Use knowledge of GAAP accounting to validate models.
   • Reconcile reserve accounts for IFRS and U.S. GAAP.
   • Collect, analyze, and interpret data and information from various data sources using Cognos.

   More senior planning analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior planning analyst job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior planning analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior planning analyst in Kansas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level senior planning analyst usually earns less than a senior-level senior planning analyst. Additionally, a senior planning analyst with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior planning analyst salary

   $79,238yearly

   $38.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior planning analyst salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average senior planning analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$99,245	$48
   2	District of Columbia	$97,513	$47
   3	Oregon	$91,861	$44
   4	Massachusetts	$87,184	$42
   5	Michigan	$84,074	$40
   6	New Hampshire	$83,246	$40
   7	New York	$82,793	$40
   8	Virginia	$82,184	$40
   9	Connecticut	$80,439	$39
   10	Washington	$79,845	$38
   11	North Carolina	$79,763	$38
   12	Illinois	$78,728	$38
   13	Ohio	$75,712	$36
   14	Colorado	$75,237	$36
   15	Pennsylvania	$74,639	$36
   16	Georgia	$74,539	$36
   17	Arizona	$73,563	$35
   18	Texas	$71,492	$34
   19	Minnesota	$68,510	$33
   20	Florida	$68,334	$33

   Average senior planning analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$110,037	$52.90	34
   2	Varian Medical Systems	$108,497	$52.16
   3	BNY Mellon	$106,836	$51.36	12
   4	Intuitive Surgical	$106,498	$51.20	3
   5	Nike	$106,370	$51.14	9
   6	Uber Technologies	$106,030	$50.98
   7	Toys"R"Us	$105,418	$50.68
   8	Southern California Edison	$104,876	$50.42	4
   9	AbbVie	$103,362	$49.69	13
   10	Biogen	$102,961	$49.50	1
   11	Pacifi	$101,940	$49.01
   12	Alaska Airlines	$99,370	$47.77	8
   13	Grainger	$98,792	$47.50	5
   14	Gap Inc.	$98,371	$47.29	3
   15	Carter's	$98,191	$47.21	2
   16	Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.	$97,658	$46.95	2
   17	American Electric Power	$96,947	$46.61	7
   18	United	$96,596	$46.44	10
   19	CITGO Petroleum	$96,202	$46.25
   20	Portland General Electric	$95,905	$46.11

4. Writing a senior planning analyst job description

   A job description for a senior planning analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior planning analyst job description:

   Senior planning analyst job description example

   Who We Are
   Point32Health is a leading health and wellbeing organization, delivering an ever-better personalized health care experience to everyone in our communities. At Point32Health, we are building on the quality, nonprofit heritage of our founding organizations, Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where we leverage our experience and expertise to help people find their version of healthier living through a broad range of health plans and tools that make navigating health and wellbeing easier.
   
   We enjoy the important work we do every day in service to our members, partners, colleagues and communities.
   
   Job Summary
   The Senior Health Care Analyst is responsible for leading analytical support including data and business analytics to improve the business performance of the Public Plans division. The analyst works closely with the appropriate Company staff to accurately analyze and report division and industry trends through effective planning, analysis, and project support. The primary focus of the role is to design, develop and deploy data driven information solutions to facilitate performance improvement opportunity identification. Responsibilities also include creating analytical solutions to monitor and track successful execution of the performance improvement strategies. This is a cross functional role that interacts with finance, clinical services, network management, operations, and external clients.
   
   Key Responsibilities/Duties - what you will be doing
   Identify, research, extract, analyze, validate, reconcile, and interpret data for business performance improvement activities through programming and statistical model building.Consult with appropriate Tufts Health Plan staff and managers to refine research questions and analytic approaches.Provide complex data and reporting solutions using understanding of business operations and a consultative approach with stakeholders Use data visualization techniques to aggregate data and create succinct presentations for relevant stakeholders.Automate regular analytic processes to improve accuracy and efficiency.Contributes to best practices and standardization for programming activities. This includes developing macros and implementing a standardized reporting system to generate data reports.Make recommendations for business actions and future analysis.Applies knowledge of grouping or stratification tools (e.g., DxCGs, CDPS, DRGs) for health risk-based identification, stratification, or adjustment.Creates appropriate documentation for programs, projects and reports.Successfully manages multiple tasks to keep projects on track.Takes initiative, manages timelines for assigned tasks while being mindful of the team's priorities and timelines.Support the overall goals of the business performance team and identifies areas for improvement in data gathering and organization.Assists in identifying and recommending protocols for evaluation of state-mandated initiatives and reports.Write reports in memo, executive summary, business, and scientific report formats, as appropriate to the specific project and audience.Prepare and conduct oral presentations of findings to project work groups and THPP senior management.Performs other duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications - what you need to perform the job
   Analytical and creative problem-solving skills.Knowledge of SAS or other programming language (SQL).Advanced computer skills including Microsoft Office package.Ability to plan and execute an analysis while working with stakeholders to ensure project targets are met.Ability to work across teams and maintain relationship and mentor junior staff.Must be able to work independently, be highly organized and able to manage multiple activities simultaneously. Demonstrate an ability to handle projects simultaneously.Must be able to write and speak clearly and effectively to all levels of staff. Must be able to maintain a high degree of professionalism in difficult situations.Ability to ensure project quality by maintaining standards, reviewing team member's work, and verifying.
   
   #LI-JA1
   #LI-Remote
   
   Disclaimer
   The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Management retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.
   
   Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
   Point32Health is committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do-from product design to the workforce driving that innovation. Our DEI strategy is deeply connected to our core values and will evolve as the changing nature of work shifts. Programming, events, and an inclusion infrastructure play a role in how we spread cultural awareness, train people leaders on engaging with their teams and provide parameters on how to recruit and retain talented and dynamic talent. We welcome all applicants and qualified individuals, who will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
   
   COVID Policy
   Please note: As of January 18, 2022, all employees - including remote employees - must be fully vaccinated. This position will require the successful candidate to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. Point32Health is an equal opportunity employer, and will consider reasonable accommodation to those individuals who are unable to be vaccinated consistent with federal, state, and local law.

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5. Post your job

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

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior planning analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit senior planning analyst 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 planning analysts, 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 planning analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior planning analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior planning analyst. 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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