How to hire an automation lead

How to hire an automation lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step automation lead hiring guide:

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

What does an automation lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an automation lead, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An automation lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, automation leads 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of automation leads.

   Type of Automation Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Automation Lead		$39-65
   Test Analyst	The duties of a test analyst depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a test analyst is responsible for testing computer software or hardware to ensure its quality before being released in the market... Show more	$26-42
   Quality Assurance Analyst	Quality Administrators are responsible for managing the quality processes of an organization. Their duties include creating data collection processes, conducting data cleansing, tracks quality milestones, and develop training programs for internal teams... Show more	$27-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Python
   • C++
   • C #
   • Automation Framework
   • Jenkins
   • UI
   • API
   • JavaScript
   • QA
   • Scrum
   • Continuous Integration
   • Business Process
   • HTML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help manage and keep track of products through entire SDLC.
   • Manage coding of automate tests including unit, code UI and load testing.
   • Perform inter-departmental audits documenting ISO compliant results with associate corrective action requests in order to achieve company-wide certification.
   • Execute the regression scripts and send the HTML reports for functional team in each sprint cycle.
   • Work with Html results with snapshots.
   • Install devices and PLC on salt water disposals.

   More automation lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your automation lead job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An automation lead 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 automation lead in Indiana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level automation lead usually earns less than a senior-level automation lead. Additionally, an automation lead 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 automation lead salary

   $106,261yearly

   $51.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level automation lead salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average automation lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$139,333	$67
   2	Arizona	$116,064	$56
   3	Oregon	$113,982	$55
   4	Washington	$113,514	$55
   5	New York	$113,037	$54
   6	District of Columbia	$110,876	$53
   7	Michigan	$105,661	$51
   8	Illinois	$105,361	$51
   9	Minnesota	$103,812	$50
   10	New Jersey	$103,755	$50
   11	North Carolina	$99,762	$48
   12	Texas	$97,149	$47
   13	Colorado	$96,948	$47
   14	Maryland	$96,509	$46
   15	Ohio	$96,287	$46
   16	Massachusetts	$94,409	$45
   17	Pennsylvania	$94,205	$45
   18	Georgia	$93,948	$45
   19	Louisiana	$93,905	$45
   20	Florida	$82,919	$40

   Average automation lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$153,176	$73.64	24
   2	California Resources	$146,068	$70.22
   3	Chewy	$135,137	$64.97
   4	Varian Medical Systems	$133,924	$64.39
   5	Neuberger Berman	$132,243	$63.58
   6	Amazon	$132,160	$63.54	176
   7	SiFive	$131,010	$62.99
   8	Cisco	$126,496	$60.82	65
   9	Citi	$126,041	$60.60	2
   10	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$122,129	$58.72	69
   11	Micron Technology	$121,306	$58.32	5
   12	HIMSS	$121,015	$58.18
   13	Koch Industries	$118,090	$56.77
   14	Flight Centre	$117,992	$56.73	1
   15	Autodesk	$117,642	$56.56	1
   16	Columbia Sportswear	$117,632	$56.55	1
   17	The Coca-Cola Company	$117,568	$56.52	2
   18	Kroger	$117,272	$56.38	5
   19	Salesforce	$116,300	$55.91	13
   20	Nike	$115,671	$55.61

4. Writing an automation lead job description

   A good automation lead job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an automation lead job description:

   Automation lead job description example

   The position requires a good understanding of common developer tools such as JIRA, Git and Jenkins with a clear understanding of how to apply them to ALM processes. The candidate must be comfortable working in a Unix/Linux environment with experience in scripting automation. Must have good communication skills as the candidate will be required to liaise with and support developers, gather requirements, document support and user guides and assist with on-boarding to engineered solutions.
   Job Skills/Qualifications:
   Experience with CI tools (Jenkins) Hands-on development experience in one or more programming languages Java/J2EE, Unix shell scripting, Python and Groovy. Experience in Pipelines and Shared Libraries. Hands on with Docker, Containers and OpenShift/Kubernetes. Experience with REST web services Experience with build tools maven, msbuild, gradle. Experience with spring modules is a plus Experience with binary repository managers such as Artifactory and Nexus a plus
   
   Job Family Group:
   Technology
   
   Job Family:
   Systems & Engineering
   
   Time Type:
   Full time
   
   Citi is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
   
   Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
   
   Citigroup Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Citi") invite all qualified interested applicants to apply for career opportunities. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi .
   
   View the " EEO is the Law " poster. View the EEO is the Law Supplement .
   
   View the EEO Policy Statement .
   
   View the Pay Transparency Posting
   
   Effective November 1, 2021, Citi requires that all successful applicants for positions located in the United States or Puerto Rico be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and provide proof of such vaccination prior to commencement of employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find automation leads 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 automation leads they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level automation leads 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 automation lead job on Zippia to find and recruit automation lead 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

   Recruiting automation leads 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with an automation lead 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 automation lead

   Once you have selected a candidate for the automation lead position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new automation lead. 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 automation lead?