HR Analyst Job Description, KRAs and Skills

An HR Analyst turns HR data into reports people can act on. The role prepares the monthly HR MIS on headcount, joiners, exits, attrition, hiring, attendance and leave, builds dashboards for HR and business leaders, checks data quality and answers ad hoc questions from management. It usually reports to the HR Operations Manager or HR Head. A good HR analyst delivers numbers that match payroll and finance, on time, with a short note on what changed and why.

Detail	For this role
Department	Human Resources
Level	Mid level
Reports to	HR Operations Manager
Direct reports	None
Experience	2 to 5 years in HR MIS, HR operations or data reporting

HR Analyst job description template

Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.

Job title: HR Analyst

Department: Human Resources

Reports to: HR Operations Manager

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Prepare the monthly HR MIS covering headcount, joiners, exits, attrition, open positions and people cost by department and location.
Build and maintain dashboards in Excel or Power BI for the HR Head, business heads and finance.
Reconcile headcount and salary data between HR records, payroll and finance each month, and explain every difference.
Analyse attrition by tenure, grade, manager and exit reason, and write up the patterns in a short note.
Report attendance and leave trends such as late marks, absenteeism and leave usage by team.
Track recruitment data including open requisitions, ageing, source mix, offers and joinings.
Answer ad hoc data requests from leadership quickly, stating the method and assumptions used.
Check HR data for missing fields, wrong mappings and duplicates, and send corrections to the data owners.
Prepare data for audits, board reports, salary surveys and returns when requested.
Document report definitions, such as how attrition is calculated, so numbers stay consistent over time.

Requirements

Graduate in statistics, commerce, economics or engineering; an MBA in HR is an advantage
Certification in Excel, Power BI or data analytics is an advantage
2 to 5 years in HR MIS, HR operations or data reporting

KRAs and KPIs for a HR Analyst

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
MIS timeliness	Monthly HR MIS published by the 5th working day
Reconciliation	HR and payroll headcount reconciled with zero unexplained differences each month
Data quality	Data errors below 1 percent of records at the monthly check
Ad hoc requests	Routine data requests answered within 2 working days
Dashboard upkeep	Leadership dashboards refreshed on schedule before every monthly review
Metric definitions	Every recurring metric documented with its formula and data source

Skills and tools

Advanced Excel with Power QueryPower BI or TableauHR metrics such as attritionData cleaningReconciliationBasic SQLWritten summariesAttention to detailCuriosityConfidentiality

Tools used day to day: Advanced Excel, Power BI, HRMS reports, SQL, Google Sheets.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: HR Executive, MIS Executive, HRIS Executive
Next roles: People Analytics Analyst, HRIS Manager, HR Business Partner

Interview questions for a HR Analyst

How do you calculate monthly and annualised attrition? Walk us through the formula.
HR shows 1,210 employees and payroll shows 1,196. How do you reconcile them?
Which charts would you put on a one-page HR dashboard for the CEO?
Give an example of an insight from HR data that changed a decision.
How do you respond to a request for data that includes named employees' salaries?
What checks do you run before publishing a report?

Managing a HR Analyst in ZeniaHR

AttendanceDesk-based role on the General shift, with web punches from the office network. MIS deadlines in the first week of the month can mean longer days; many companies allow a WFH day within the monthly limit once the MIS is published.LeaveAvoid leave in the first five working days of the month, when the MIS and reconciliations are due. Report definitions and templates should be documented well enough that a colleague can run the month during an absence.Performance and KRAsMonthly deadlines make a quarterly cycle with KPI goals for MIS timeliness, reconciliation and data quality a natural fit. The analyst can cross-check headcount and absence figures against the ready reports for headcount by department and for lateness and absence.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an HR analyst do?

An HR analyst prepares HR reports and dashboards on headcount, hiring, attrition, attendance, leave and people cost. They reconcile HR data with payroll and finance, check data quality, answer data requests from leadership and explain what the numbers mean in short written notes.

What is the difference between an HR analyst and a people analytics analyst?

An HR analyst mainly produces regular MIS, dashboards and reconciliations that describe what happened. A people analytics analyst goes further, using statistics to explain why things happen and what is likely next, such as which factors predict attrition, and often works with survey and performance data as well.

What skills do you need to become an HR analyst?

You need advanced Excel, including pivot tables, lookups and Power Query, and ideally Power BI or Tableau. Basic SQL helps. You also need to understand HR metrics such as attrition, time to hire and absenteeism, check data carefully, keep it confidential and write short, clear explanations of what changed.