How to hire an air support operations operator

How to hire an air support operations operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step air support operations operator hiring guide:

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

What does an air support operations operator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The air support operations operator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an air support operations operator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an air support operations operator that fits the bill.

   This list presents air support operations operator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Air Support Operations Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   Air Support Operations Operator	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$11-25
   Computer Technician	Computer technicians are skilled information technology professionals who handle concerns related to computers. They are responsible for assisting clients in software installations, troubleshooting needs, and repair needs... Show more	$13-26
   Systems Support	A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables... Show more	$21-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Management System
   • Inventory Control
   • Data Entry
   • Cranes
   • Windows
   • SharePoint
   • Security Clearance
   • Combat
   • Situational Awareness
   • HR
   • Troubleshoot
   • Telephone Procedures
   • Hoists

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead testing for all new store openings to ensure all POS and systems which support the retail team are fully operational.
   • Advise client management on data manipulation strategy to implement SQL reports via SharePoint.
   • Support and troubleshoot the MPE system.
   • Experience with SQL store procedures and tables.
   • Prepare IRS files and transmit to the IRS.
   • Used scripting language and UNIX to facilitate various tasks.

   More air support operations operator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your air support operations operator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An air support operations operator 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 an air support operations operator in Wyoming may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level air support operations operator usually earns less than a senior-level air support operations operator. Additionally, an air support operations operator 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 air support operations operator salary

   $36,243yearly

   $17.42 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level air support operations operator salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average air support operations operator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$51,027	$25
   2	Maryland	$49,410	$24
   3	New York	$48,888	$24
   4	Virginia	$46,905	$23
   5	California	$44,343	$21
   6	Pennsylvania	$42,439	$20
   7	Arkansas	$36,529	$18
   8	Texas	$33,771	$16
   9	Ohio	$33,116	$16
   10	South Carolina	$31,462	$15
   11	Washington	$30,382	$15
   12	Oregon	$30,338	$15
   13	Florida	$29,467	$14
   14	Nebraska	$27,359	$13
   15	Utah	$26,784	$13

   Average air support operations operator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$84,564	$40.66	115
   2	Google	$70,485	$33.89	56
   3	Southcoast Health	$40,427	$19.44
   4	Rich Logistics	$37,639	$18.10
   5	Leidos	$36,317	$17.46	55
   6	FirstEnergy	$34,647	$16.66	8
   7	The State of Oregon	$34,142	$16.41	15
   8	Mid-Atlantic Surgical Systems	$33,726	$16.21
   9	Randstad North America, Inc.	$33,689	$16.20	22
   10	Sweeping Corporation of America	$33,320	$16.02	3
   11	Huntington Ingalls Industries	$33,320	$16.02	18
   12	P3I, Incorporated	$33,257	$15.99
   13	Oxford Solutions	$32,770	$15.75
   14	Kelly Services	$32,505	$15.63	85
   15	Berry Global	$32,383	$15.57
   16	ITA Group	$32,224	$15.49	6
   17	Robert Half	$31,921	$15.35	78
   18	Gypsum Management and Supply	$30,479	$14.65
   19	Adecco	$29,895	$14.37	210
   20	Molex	$29,573	$14.22	1

4. Writing an air support operations operator job description

   An air support operations operator 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 an air support operations operator job description:

   Air support operations operator job description example

   Barbaricum is a rapidly growing government contractor providing leading-edge support to federal customers, with a particular focus on Defense and National Security mission sets. We leverage more than 14 years of support to stakeholders across the federal government, with established and growing capabilities across Intelligence, Analytics, Engineering, Mission Support, and Communications disciplines. Founded in 2008, our mission is to transform the way our customers approach constantly changing and complex problem sets by bringing to bear the latest in technology and the highest caliber of talent.
   
   Headquartered in Washington, DC's historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, Barbaricum also has a corporate presence in Tampa, FL and Dayton, OH, with team members across the United States and around the world. As a leader in our space, we partner with firms in the private sector, academic institutions, and industry associations with a goal of continually building our expertise and capabilities for the benefit of our employees and the customers we support. Through all of this, we have built a vibrant corporate culture diverse in expertise and perspectives with a focus on collaboration and innovation. Our teams are at the frontier of the Nation's most complex and rewarding challenges. Join us.
   
   Barbaricum seeks an Infrastructure Support SME for an Air Force program enabling operational test, evaluation, and range support to the 346th Test Squadron and 318 Range Squadron, 67th Cyberspace Wing. This individual will integrate with a team of cyber security professionals to ensure instrumented cyber ranges, capable of stimulating operational networks, are provisioned to support the Air Force's cyber mission.
   
   This Infrastructure Support SME will provides technical support to customers who need assistance utilizing client-level hardware and software in accordance with established or approved organizational process components.
   
   ResponsibilitiesProvide Cooperative Vulnerability and Penetration Assessment (CVPA) input.Perform CVAs on computers, infrastructure, applications, data, and cyber operations.Perform embedded operational evaluations.Coordinate with external partners to ensure adequate system administration and infrastructure needs are met.Deliver technical/engineering/maintenance support to configure Government-provided hardware/software to conduct CVPA operations. Ensure compliance with NIST SP 800-181.
   
   QualificationsActive DoD TS/SCI clearance required Bachelor's degree in a relevant field required (Master's preferred) At least 3 years of relevant experience Must possess one of the following IAT Level III certifications: CISSP (preferred); CASP+ CE; CCNP Security; CISA; GCED; GCIH; CCSP; CEHNetwork penetration testing skills Possess familiarity with cloud service provider features such as compute, containers, storage, networking, database, big data, identity & access, monitoring, serverless deployment, and dev tools Possess understanding of at least one of the major cloud platforms
   , please visit our website at www.barbaricum.com. We will contact candidates directly to schedule interviews. No phone calls please.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find air support operations operators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your air support operations operator job on Zippia to find and recruit air support operations operator 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 air support operations operators, 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 air support operations operator 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 air support operations operator

   Once you've found the air support operations operator 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new air support operations operator. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire an air support operations operator?