How to hire a validation analyst

How to hire a validation analyst, step by step

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

What does a validation analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your validation analyst job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a validation analyst for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect validation analyst also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of validation analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Validation Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Validation Analyst		$31-51
   System Validation Engineer	The pioneering person to manage, inspect, calibrate, test, and modify an operating system is referred to as a System Validation Engineer. Such a person does ensure all systems are running smoothly.	$33-58
   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:

   • QC
   • Regression
   • SQL
   • Validation Documentation
   • Corrective Action
   • Validation Process
   • Test Scripts
   • Summary Reports
   • FDA
   • Test Cases
   • IQ/OQ/PQ
   • QA
   • Test Procedures
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop requirements and lead computer software FDA validation project for a diabetes management system utilize by nursing homes and physicians.
   • Involve in performing GUI, functional, integration, regression and system testing using QC.
   • Interpret, compile and review QC data adhering to strict guidelines for documentation of test procedures; reporting of scientific results.
   • Create IQ/OQ/PQ scripts for validation system.
   • Validate Glasswasher utilizing new detergent CIP 100 and CIP 200.
   • Participate in the authoring of IQ/OQ/PQ protocols for the impacted systems.

   More validation analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $84,626yearly

   $40.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level validation analyst salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average validation analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,581	$50
   2	Maryland	$86,168	$41
   3	New Jersey	$84,759	$41
   4	New York	$83,306	$40
   5	Massachusetts	$81,289	$39
   6	Florida	$80,440	$39
   7	North Carolina	$79,486	$38
   8	Minnesota	$78,962	$38
   9	Alabama	$78,916	$38
   10	Pennsylvania	$76,801	$37
   11	Georgia	$75,754	$36
   12	Illinois	$74,847	$36
   13	Michigan	$73,830	$36
   14	Indiana	$71,159	$34

   Average validation analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bank of the West	$104,440	$50.21
   2	Bloomberg	$104,245	$50.12	5
   3	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$100,039	$48.10
   4	Frost Bank	$99,403	$47.79
   5	Barclays	$98,221	$47.22
   6	NYISO	$97,285	$46.77
   7	AIG	$93,938	$45.16
   8	City National Bank	$93,834	$45.11
   9	Fusion LLC	$93,360	$44.88
   10	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$92,786	$44.61
   11	Citi	$92,150	$44.30	1
   12	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$91,283	$43.89	40
   13	East West Bank	$90,765	$43.64	6
   14	RiskSpan	$90,562	$43.54
   15	New York Community Bank	$89,328	$42.95
   16	Cyma Systems	$88,923	$42.75
   17	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$88,675	$42.63	12
   18	U.S. Bank	$88,585	$42.59	15
   19	Compass Group USA	$88,405	$42.50	2
   20	HCL Global Systems	$88,263	$42.43

4. Writing a validation analyst job description

   A job description for a validation 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 validation analyst job description:

   Validation analyst job description example

   Sr Quantitative Model Validation Analyst
   
   Location
   Headquarters-Troy, MI
   
   Job Summary
   The senior analyst will conduct model validation activities as required per interagency guidance OCC 2011-12 and SR 11-7. The senior analyst will perform technical assessment of adequacy of the modeling data and assumptions, conceptual soundness, mathematical formulation, and model performance, as well as the assessment of using the model for regulatory and business applications. The senior analyst will accomplish this by performing quantitative validation testing and developing challenger models, discussing and remediating findings, writing validation reports, and assessing ongoing model performance monitoring. The senior analyst will also mentor junior staff validators and act as a project manager for validations performed by external validation service providers. The analyst will also support the Volcker Compliance Oversight function at the Bank.
   
   Job Responsibilities:
   Leverage advanced quantitative skills (like applied statistics) to perform model validations for models used for managing interest rate, market, margin, credit and operational risks; valuing securities portfolios and financial instruments; performing econometric forecasting and capital stress testing; monitoring customer activities for fraud and anti-money laundering; and analyzing opportunities for marketing campaigns. Validation includes providing effective challenge to model assumptions, mathematical formulation, and model implementation, writing reports documenting the results, communicating validation results to senior and executive management, and tracking the resolution and remediation of validation issues.Manage model risk for the Bank as per regulatory guidance (OCC 2011-12; SR 11-7). The role requires managing model risk by continual tracking of models in use at the bank, proper application and use of model in order to not subject the Bank to undue or unidentified risks. The role requires maintaining and enhancing the Bank's internal policies and procedures to comply with the Model Risk Management guidance and performing model risk and ongoing monitoring assessments. The role also requires mentoring junior staff, including reviewing and approving their work and to act as a project manager for any third party validations.Support the Bank's Volcker Compliance oversight functions as needed. The task requires a general working knowledge of the Volcker Rule and how it pertains to the Bank and testing of operational risk controls.Adhoc initiatives (as required) Ensures compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Completes all required compliance training. Maintains knowledge of and adhere to Flagstar's internal compliance policies and procedures. Takes responsibility to keep up to date with changing regulations and policies.
   
   Job Requirements:
   Bachelors Degree: Finance, Accounting or Economics RequiredMasters degree in Finance, Accounting or Economics is strongly desired Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM) or working towards other similar certification strongly desired Model Development, Usage, or Validation required
   
   Required:
   3 to 5 years of Model Risk Management3 to 5 years of strategic planning, forecasting, financial analysis, or econometric modeling in the Banking Industry Advanced quantitative skills, especially in applied statistics (through a Masters or a certification program) Bachelor's degree in Economics, Finance, Mathematics or similar education Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines and competing priorities Capability to produce clear, concise written work products (e.g., validation reports, white papers, memos and presentations) and communicate the results to senior and executive management.Credit, treasury, or statistical modeling exposure Demonstrated critical thinking and analytical skills Outstanding written and verbal communications skills Ability to work autonomously, handle multiple projects simultaneously and consistently meet deadlines Ability to collaborate closely with model owners and other members of the team Strong organizational skills with close attention to detail Mentor junior staff validators and review their work.Act as a Project Manager for validation performed by external validation service providers
   
   Desired:
   Advanced degree in Economics, Finance, Mathematics or similar education Background in Mortgage Banking, Community Banking, Enterprise Risk, or Internal AuditModel validation experience in the following functional areas: Mortgage Originations, Mortgage Servicing, Retail Banking, Commercial Lending, Treasury, Enterprise RiskPrior experience in collaborating with regulators, auditors, and compliance including familiarity with OCC 2011-12Technical background with ability to comprehend model source code in a multiple coding languages General familiarity of the Volcker RuleWorking knowledge of financial markets
   
   Internal Use Only: Band E

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find validation analysts for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any validation analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level validation analysts with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your validation analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality validation analyst candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit validation 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a validation analyst applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 validation analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect validation 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.

   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.

   To prepare for the new validation analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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