How to hire a senior program analyst

How to hire a senior program analyst, step by step

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

What does a senior program analyst do?

Post a senior program analyst job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Type of Senior Program Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Program 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.	$32-60
   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
   Information Analyst	Information Analysts are employees who collect data and analyze the information from the data they collected. They are usually found in companies with information technology departments... Show more	$26-50

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • DOD
   • Logistics
   • SR
   • Data Analysis
   • Earned Value Management
   • Management System
   • Risk Management
   • Cycle Management
   • Financial Management
   • C++
   • Financial Analysis
   • SharePoint
   • Process Improvement

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create and manage document repositories and user permissions in Microsoft SharePoint.
   • Design system architecture for managing and deploying distribute databases to sales representatives.
   • Brief the local media on system specifications and upgrades as the resident SME.
   • Subject matter expert (SME) concerning company fund projects /RFP s and general training resource.
   • Develop and present a business case analysis to the director on options for DOD EMALL to become self-fund.
   • Maintain knowledge of DOD, DA, and ASC missions and functions to provide authoritative advice and guidance to others.

   More senior program analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior program analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior program analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior program analyst in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior program analyst. Additionally, a senior program analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior program analyst salary

   $93,415yearly

   $44.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior program analyst salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior program analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$120,106	$58
   2	District of Columbia	$107,064	$51
   3	New Jersey	$101,376	$49
   4	Massachusetts	$99,598	$48
   5	Pennsylvania	$99,029	$48
   6	New York	$95,875	$46
   7	Virginia	$94,726	$46
   8	Arizona	$94,570	$45
   9	North Carolina	$92,315	$44
   10	Alabama	$92,238	$44
   11	South Carolina	$90,621	$44
   12	Connecticut	$89,280	$43
   13	Maryland	$89,068	$43
   14	Texas	$87,617	$42
   15	Illinois	$87,134	$42
   16	Arkansas	$87,028	$42
   17	Georgia	$84,666	$41
   18	Colorado	$83,215	$40
   19	Florida	$80,103	$39
   20	Indiana	$74,680	$36

   Average senior program analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Varian Medical Systems	$124,569	$59.89
   2	Edwards Lifesciences	$116,213	$55.87	41
   3	Autodesk	$115,876	$55.71	8
   4	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$115,305	$55.44	4
   5	Latham & Watkins	$115,286	$55.43
   6	Pacific Gas and Electric	$114,900	$55.24
   7	Biogen	$113,596	$54.61
   8	BNY Mellon	$113,507	$54.57	25
   9	Citi	$112,030	$53.86	72
   10	NRG Energy	$110,877	$53.31	9
   11	Rivian	$108,848	$52.33	16
   12	Techop Solutions International	$108,046	$51.95	4
   13	Systems Technology Forum	$106,757	$51.33	1
   14	Blue Shield of California	$106,006	$50.96	9
   15	Extreme Networks	$104,941	$50.45	1
   16	Cadence Design Systems	$104,698	$50.34
   17	Precise Systems	$103,966	$49.98
   18	Enel X	$103,541	$49.78
   19	AmeriGas Propane	$103,503	$49.76
   20	Amgen	$103,037	$49.54	2

4. Writing a senior program analyst job description

   A senior program 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior program analyst job description:

   Senior program analyst job description example

   About Supermicro:
   
   Supermicro® is a Top Tier provider of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/ Big Data, Hyperscale, HPC and IoT/Embedded customers worldwide. We are the #5 fastest growing company among the Silicon Valley Top 50 technology firms. Our unprecedented global expansion has provided us with the opportunity to offer a large number of new positions to the technology community. We seek talented, passionate, and committed engineers, technologists, and business leaders to join us.
   
   Job Summary:
   
   We are seeking a skilled Senior Incentive Program Analyst to join our team. This position will report to Senior Accounting Manager and is expected to drive the Company's business incentive programs and plans for sales, field application engineers ("FAE"), business managers ("BM") and etc. This Person must be highly motivated to perform a wide variety of tasks with a high degree of accuracy and process thinking and attention to detail are a must.
   
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
   •Manage the Sales, FAE and BM incentive program processes as well as the development of ongoing and new plans as required
   •Prepare the monthly/quarterly business incentive program calculation and reports
   •Manage all the business incentive programs reporting and provide supports to the executive management for the business incentive programs related review
   •Liaise with IT Department regarding the business incentive programs reporting changes and the development of new programs
   •Prepare the quarterly accrual journal entries for the business incentive program related costs
   •Support Accounts Payable team for the month end closing process
   •Special projects as requested.
   
   Qualifications:
   •B.S. or B.A. in Finance, Accounting or similar discipline preferred
   •3 to 5 year's business incentive program management/development or similar experience preferred
   •Prior experience in manufacturing environment is preferred
   •Excellent oral and written communication skills
   •Must be self-motivated and able to work with limited supervision
   •Ability to manage priorities/multiple projects, understand deadlines and process requests in a timely manner is a must
   •Knowledge of US GAAP
   •Proficient in Microsoft Excel
   
   EEO Statement
   
   Supermicro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population. It is the policy of Supermicro to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or special disabled veteran, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior program 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 program analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit senior program analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior program 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior program 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 program analyst

   Once you've found the senior program analyst candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

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

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior program analyst?