How to hire an associate design engineer

How to hire an associate design engineer, step by step

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

What does an associate design engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the associate design engineer you need to hire. Certain associate design 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an associate design engineer 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 associate design engineer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of associate design engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Associate Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Design Engineer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$27-45
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Staff Engineer	Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations... Show more	$33-80

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Design Engineering
   • CAD
   • Autocad
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Solidworks
   • GD
   • FEA
   • Engineering Support
   • Mechanical Systems
   • Creo
   • Product Development
   • HVAC
   • CATIA
   • Engineering Documentation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
   • Maintain BOM, schematic implementation, and maintenance
   • Design for high volume mold and manufacture using SolidWorks.
   • Create BOM and machine documentations for assemblies to get efficient procurement.
   • Implement an application that reads data from the meter and transmit data over RF module.
   • Calculate electrical requirements using MATLAB, and determine the best material and manufacturing processes.

   More associate design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate design engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An associate design engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, associate design engineers' average salary in arkansas is 35% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate design engineers 39% less than senior-level associate design engineers.
   • Certifications. An associate design engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an associate design engineer's salary.

   Average associate design engineer salary

   $74,791yearly

   $35.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate design engineer salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average associate design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$95,454	$46
   2	New York	$86,678	$42
   3	Washington	$84,964	$41
   4	Arizona	$82,688	$40
   5	Illinois	$80,327	$39
   6	Massachusetts	$79,971	$38
   7	Texas	$77,894	$37
   8	Colorado	$76,212	$37
   9	Virginia	$75,300	$36
   10	New Hampshire	$73,782	$35
   11	Georgia	$73,672	$35
   12	Pennsylvania	$73,093	$35
   13	North Carolina	$69,385	$33
   14	Indiana	$67,325	$32
   15	South Carolina	$64,176	$31
   16	Ohio	$63,785	$31

   Average associate design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Silicon Labs	$102,920	$49.48	2
   2	Analog Devices	$89,678	$43.11	107
   3	SMUD	$88,525	$42.56
   4	Medline	$84,871	$40.80	9
   5	Tesla	$84,141	$40.45	163
   6	Medtronic	$79,711	$38.32	57
   7	Vicor	$79,263	$38.11	7
   8	Lucid Motors	$78,288	$37.64	59
   9	Boeing	$78,200	$37.60	313
   10	Columbus McKinnon	$77,709	$37.36	6
   11	City of Tacoma	$76,836	$36.94
   12	B. Braun Medical	$76,645	$36.85
   13	Fluor Corporation	$76,600	$36.83	38
   14	Safran	$76,342	$36.70	50
   15	Michael Baker	$75,925	$36.50	16
   16	Itron	$75,879	$36.48
   17	Eversource Energy	$75,787	$36.44	46
   18	Schaeffler	$75,607	$36.35	5
   19	Kids II	$75,308	$36.21
   20	Teleflex	$75,211	$36.16	5

4. Writing an associate design engineer job description

   An associate design engineer 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 associate design engineer job description:

   Associate design engineer job description example

   L3Harris is seeking a FPGA Engineer to join our talented team supporting the design and manufacturing of products that provide critical information anytime, anywhere. As an FPGA engineer you will be directly involved in the design, integration, and test of advanced satellite communication links, digital telemetry, signal processing, and encryption technology. Please review our posting and learn more about what L3Harris can offer you and your career!
   Essential Functions:
   
   + Understand and document requirements for FPGA designs
   
   + Perform FPGA design: Architecture development, algorithm implementation, synthesizable VHDL code generation
   
   + Perform FPGA design verification: Testbench development, scripting, VHDL simulation
   
   + Generate design review and deliverable documentation including: review packages, block diagrams, interface control documents, and test plans/procedures.
   
   + Conduct design peer reviews at various phases in the development process.
   
   + Integrate and test the FPGA on the circuit card assembly
   
   Required:
   
   + Bachelor Degree with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.
   
   + Experience with VHDL, the FPGA design process, and the tools used to generate the FPGA designs.
   
   Preferred Additional Skills:
   
   + An active Secret or TS/SCI clearance
   
   + Experience with DSP theory and implementation
   
   + Experience with SPI, I2C, 1553B, SpaceWire, XAUI, Serial RapidIO interfaces
   
   + Experience with Xilinx and Microsemi development tools
   
   + Self-motivated individual with the ability to work alone and in a development group.
   
   L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug-free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting associate design engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 associate design engineer

   Once you've selected the best associate design 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.

   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 associate design engineer. 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 associate design engineer?