How to hire a senior policy analyst

How to hire a senior policy analyst, step by step

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

What does a senior policy analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Here's a comparison of senior policy analyst salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Policy Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Policy 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.	$23-45
   Subject Matter Expert	A subject matter expert is someone who has special knowledge and expertise about a specific process or service, providing advice to other team members or directly assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns. Subject matter experts coordinate on planning strategic procedures to improve the work processes and ensure customer satisfaction... Show more	$35-70
   Business Consultant	A business consultant is a professional who works directly with business owners on developing a business plan and identifying their marketing needs. Business consultants offer business owners a wide range of services, such as supplementing existing staff, provide expertise in a specific market, and influencing other people... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Public Policy
   • Policy Issues
   • Project Management
   • Policy Analysis
   • Data Analysis
   • Public Health
   • Policy Development
   • Medicaid
   • Medicare
   • DOD
   • Data Collection
   • Subject Matter Expertise
   • External Stakeholders
   • CMS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and manage junior staff collecting quantitative and qualitative data on health outcomes among Medicare and Medicaid dual eligible populations.
   • Lead a cross-team project to deliver state fact sheets highlighting the importance of social security and Medicare.
   • Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
   • Conduct detailed reviews of DOD CI/HUMINT doctrine, strategies and policies.
   • Present analysis to the CMS via public comments, legal memorandums, and in person presentations.
   • Propose changing the TSA MD 2810.1and eventually the DHS MD 11056.1 to reflect these legal concerns.

   More senior policy analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior policy analyst job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior policy 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 policy analyst in New Mexico may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level senior policy analyst usually earns less than a senior-level senior policy analyst. Additionally, a senior policy 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 policy analyst salary

   $68,774yearly

   $33.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior policy analyst salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average senior policy analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$94,259	$45
   2	Virginia	$90,662	$44
   3	Illinois	$88,731	$43
   4	Texas	$88,156	$42
   5	California	$84,817	$41
   6	Maryland	$82,725	$40
   7	Oregon	$82,408	$40
   8	Massachusetts	$82,386	$40
   9	New York	$82,269	$40
   10	Washington	$81,761	$39
   11	Delaware	$80,198	$39
   12	North Carolina	$73,447	$35
   13	Minnesota	$72,372	$35
   14	Colorado	$71,638	$34
   15	Pennsylvania	$70,259	$34
   16	Iowa	$67,655	$33
   17	Georgia	$64,417	$31
   18	Missouri	$62,525	$30
   19	Mississippi	$59,043	$28
   20	Ohio	$58,093	$28

   Average senior policy analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$115,987	$55.76	27
   2	First Republic Bank	$100,731	$48.43
   3	NAIC	$95,419	$45.87
   4	National Governors Association	$91,720	$44.10
   5	Amazon	$88,325	$42.46	21
   6	Citi	$86,359	$41.52	43
   7	Booz Allen Hamilton	$85,547	$41.13	65
   8	Child Trends	$84,494	$40.62
   9	Silicon Valley Bank	$83,076	$39.94
   10	Fifth Third Bank	$82,310	$39.57	6
   11	Community Health Center	$80,816	$38.85
   12	International Flavors & Fragrances	$80,452	$38.68	1
   13	RTI International Metals	$80,398	$38.65
   14	CalOptima	$80,317	$38.61
   15	KeyBank	$80,243	$38.58	10
   16	York	$79,978	$38.45
   17	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$79,899	$38.41	1
   18	Oscar	$79,819	$38.37	7
   19	Environmental Defense Fund	$79,530	$38.24
   20	Global Atlantic Financial Group Limited	$78,347	$37.67	10

4. Writing a senior policy analyst job description

   A good senior policy analyst 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 policy analyst job description:

   Senior policy analyst job description example

   **This position is currently telework eligible due to COVID, with in person meetings happening approximately 2-3 days per week. When the Pentagon re-opens fully, this position may be 100% onsite.

   Tasks for the Technical Policy Analyst, Senior position include:

   • Reviewing and evaluating the impact of national, DOD, JCS, and civil government acquisition security policies and other technical policies that affect Air Force acquisition programs and capability areas.
   • Analyzing and evaluating Air Force acquisition security and program protection policies and processes for Air Force acquisition programs.
   • Recommending and designing strategies to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of Air Force acquisition security policy and processes.
   • Providing programmatic guidance to Air Force acquisition programs on the implementation of acquisition security and program protection policies.
   • Developing and recommending HAF acquisition security and program protection procedures and policies.
   • Attending OSD and HAF forums; ensuring Air Force acquisition/acquisition security interests are fully articulated within DOD.

   Qualifications

   Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility.

   Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business Management or Technical Management.

   10 years of related experience in government/industry acquisition, system development or testing.

   Desired: Acquisition security, program protection, policy development, and/or IT system development experience is preferred.

   Security Clearance Top Secret with SCI eligibility Company Information

   COVID Policy: Prospective and/or new employees will be required to adhere with OBXtek's COVID-19 policy. Employees working onsite at a customer location must comply with customer COVID-19 policy which may include any or all the following: social distancing, masks, vaccination, mandatory statements regarding one's vaccination status and mandatory testing .

   Headquartered in McLean, Virginia and founded in 2009, OBXtek is a fast-growing leader in the government contracting field. Our mission is Our People…Our Reputation. Our people are trained professionals who enhance our customers' knowledge and innovation using technology, collaboration, and education.

   We offer a robust suite of benefits including comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, Flexible Spending Accounts, matching 401K, paid time off, tuition reimbursement plans and much more.

   As a prime contractor for 93% of our current work, OBXtek pairs lessons learned across disciplines with industry standard quality practices such as CMMI-Dev Level III, ITIL, 6Sigma, PMI, and ISO. Our rapid growth has been recognized by INC500, the Washington Business Journal, and Washington Technology magazine.

   OBXtek is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, gender identity, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior policy analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior policy analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior policy analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior policy analysts, 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 policy analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior policy 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been 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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