How to hire an aeronautical engineer

How to hire an aeronautical engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step aeronautical engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an aeronautical engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new aeronautical engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an aeronautical engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the aeronautical engineer you need to hire. Certain aeronautical engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An aeronautical engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, aeronautical engineers 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 aeronautical engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Aeronautical Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Aeronautical Engineer	Aerospace engineers design primarily aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. In addition, they test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design.	$28-52
   Stress Analyst	A stress analyst is a type of aerospace engineer; they design, construct, and test aircraft. They may also work on missiles or spacecraft... Show more	$30-54
   Engineering Scientist	An engineering scientist is responsible for designing new technological systems through the evaluation of scientific methods and innovative solutions. Engineering scientists analyze technical parts and components, researching the current engineering trends to meet public demands and interests... Show more	$31-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • MATLAB
   • Airframe
   • CAD
   • Stress Analysis
   • Catia V5
   • Structural Analysis
   • CFD
   • Fortran
   • Aeronautical Engineering
   • Design Changes
   • Engineering Support
   • Structural Specifications
   • Data Analysis
   • Landing Gear

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead development of MATLAB base software tool for flight and grind handling loads estimation.
   • Manage the fuel supply and aircraft electrical distribution system on board ship, including radar tank gauging and filtration systems.
   • Analyze and compare the requirements to the FAA standards.
   • Incorporate MATLAB algorithms into the model and export simulation results to MATLAB for further analysis.
   • Network multiple flight deck simulators into a Nextgen FAA air traffic control simulator to perform proof of concept human factors experiments.
   • Audit technical documentation relate to launch window and trajectory design to meet NASA contract specifications for safety mission requirement constraints.

   More aeronautical engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the aeronautical engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. An aeronautical engineer 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 an aeronautical engineer in Mississippi may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level aeronautical engineer. Additionally, an aeronautical engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average aeronautical engineer salary

   $80,442yearly

   $38.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level aeronautical engineer salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average aeronautical engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$97,664	$47
   2	Massachusetts	$89,537	$43
   3	Ohio	$88,615	$43
   4	Michigan	$84,687	$41
   5	Texas	$81,049	$39
   6	Connecticut	$78,802	$38
   7	New York	$76,443	$37
   8	Georgia	$73,373	$35
   9	Utah	$71,482	$34
   10	Kansas	$71,088	$34
   11	Florida	$65,278	$31

   Average aeronautical engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Terrafugia	$90,757	$43.63
   2	Northrop Grumman	$85,561	$41.14	69
   3	AEROSONIC	$84,909	$40.82
   4	Calspan	$84,693	$40.72	3
   5	CTS Corporation	$83,821	$40.30	1
   6	Neany	$82,428	$39.63
   7	Banyan Air Service	$82,332	$39.58
   8	Apollo Professional Solutions	$82,135	$39.49	7
   9	Lockheed Martin	$81,925	$39.39	205
   10	Air Pro Inc	$80,770	$38.83
   11	TAD PGS	$80,257	$38.59	1
   12	Datrose	$79,790	$38.36
   13	L3Harris	$79,258	$38.10	37
   14	Pacific Aviation	$78,257	$37.62
   15	Wipro Limited	$71,286	$34.27	1

4. Writing an aeronautical engineer job description

   A job description for an aeronautical engineer 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 an aeronautical engineer job description:

   Aeronautical engineer job description example

   This position is for an Airframe Structure Design Engineer for an Advanced Development Programs (ADP) effort in Palmdale, CA. A successful candidate will apply technical expertise in developing solutions to aircraft structural design problems. This position will require a successful applicant to develop airframe design solutions under general direction and independently. They will coordinate efforts across a wide range of functional organizations, such as Quality Assurance, Planning, Tooling, Structural Analysis, Materials & Processes, Flight Sciences, Production Operations, Flight Test, and various other engineering disciplines.
   
   Candidate will be responsible for testing and developing data structures to assure accurate testing of Design and Support of the production and flight test fluid conveyance routing and installation, Electrical Wire Harness Installation and Equipment Installation and structural design. Verify the aerosource tool will support shop floor, flight line, and off-site aircraft build and operations. Will support validation that aerosource will allow for data management in the areas of creating layouts, creating new drawings and revising existing drawings using CATIA V5 to support aircraft fluid systems installations, harness installations and equipment installations. Will work production floor support from receipt of problem, coordination of answer to release of engineering change. Designs, develops, and tests a variety of power plants, aircraft, missiles, and parts, taking into consideration the most efficient use of the natural laws affecting flight. Establishes structural specifications, performs stress analysis, and conducts performance tests. '
   Desired Skills:
   * Experience with 3D Experience or CATIA V5
   * Experience with metallic and composite design
   * Experience with mechanism design
   * Experience with subsystem installation design
   * Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
   * Experience with structural analysis for preliminary sizing Skills:
   
   JOB DESCRIPTION EEO Statement Apollo Professional Solutions, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability status, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, protected veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other status or characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right aeronautical engineer 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 aeronautical engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit aeronautical engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with aeronautical engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 aeronautical engineer

   Once you've selected the best aeronautical engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new aeronautical engineer. 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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How much does it cost to hire an aeronautical engineer?