How to hire an automotive designer

How to hire an automotive designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step automotive designer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an automotive designer, 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 automotive designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, automotive designers 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 automotive designers.

   Type of Automotive Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Automotive Designer	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.	$21-51
   Mechanical Engineering Internship	One of the primary responsibilities in a mechanical engineering internship is to follow directives from engineers and managers while gaining practical experience. There are instances when an intern must take part in crafting various materials under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, produce reports and paperwork, operate tools and devices, and provide assistance should anyone need... Show more	$15-25
   Lead Engineer	A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly... Show more	$28-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Industrial Design
   • Sketch
   • Powertrain
   • FEA
   • Cost Reduction
   • Catia V5
   • Interior Trim
   • Unigraphics
   • Autocad
   • Assembly Drawings
   • Automotive Interiors
   • BOM

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
   • Design of brackets and torsion bar components are validated using FEA inSolidworks.
   • Designate as group training mentor during transition from CADAM to Unigraphics V9.
   • Complete several fully fillet and draft angle solid models on Unigraphics for direct manufacturing.
   • Perform mechanical engineering design for facilities including calculate building HVAC requirements to ensure adequate capacity of system air flow.
   • Release drawings and BOMs in PDM/Link Windchill.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your automotive designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An automotive designer 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 automotive designer in North Dakota may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level automotive designer usually earns less than a senior-level automotive designer. Additionally, an automotive designer 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 automotive designer salary

   $69,782yearly

   $33.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level automotive designer salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average automotive designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$86,255	$41
   2	California	$84,438	$41
   3	New York	$82,768	$40
   4	North Carolina	$79,232	$38
   5	California	$77,050	$37
   6	California	$77,018	$37
   7	California	$76,978	$37
   8	California	$76,537	$37
   9	California	$76,512	$37
   10	California	$76,001	$37
   11	California	$75,881	$36
   12	California	$75,823	$36
   13	California	$74,662	$36
   14	Michigan	$74,325	$36
   15	Michigan	$74,278	$36
   16	Michigan	$74,119	$36
   17	California	$73,785	$35
   18	Ohio	$71,749	$34

   Average automotive designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$133,037	$63.96	515
   2	SiriusXM	$88,482	$42.54
   3	Populus Group	$87,336	$41.99
   4	Volkswagen Group of America	$84,867	$40.80
   5	AvL Technologies	$71,279	$34.27
   6	Mercedes-Benz of Sarasota	$70,500	$33.89	1
   7	Vintech Management Services	$68,272	$32.82
   8	Jegs High Performance	$50,550	$24.30

4. Writing an automotive designer job description

   A job description for an automotive designer 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 automotive designer job description:

   Automotive designer job description example

   Nissan Automotive - Virtual Garage Data Prep, Maya modeling
   
   Individual Data Prep Team members are responsible for prepping 3D data by removing nonvisible data, B-siding data, tessellation of NURBS data, UV mapping, and material application. All vehicle parts are prepped in the department and sent on to assembly for logic application.
   
   Data Prep Team responsibilities:
   
   + Conversion of NURBS CAD to Polygon Maya data
   
   + Work within timelines for on-time deliveries
   
   + Deliver low error datasets to the assembly team
   
   + Read complex feedback documents from global markets and apply changes/fixes/updates
   
   Skills Required:
   
   + Bachelor of Fine Arts highly preferred
   
   + 0-6 Years industry experience (flexible)
   
   + Autodesk Maya experience is REQUIRED
   
   + UV Mapping
   
   + Outliner Hierarchy
   
   + Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)
   
   + Dassault DeltaGen is a nice to have skill.
   
   **Why Kelly** ** ** **Engineering?**
   
   Your engineering skills are in demand, but how do you find the right fit? Easy. At Kelly Engineering, our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world's most critical challenges. We connect you with leading organizations where you can collaborate on innovative projects, work with cutting-edge technologies and accelerate your growth. Whether you prefer the variety and flexibility of short-term projects or are looking for a long-term opportunity, we're here to guide you to the next step in your engineering career.
   
   **About Kelly** ** **
   
   At Kelly, we're always thinking about what's next and advising job seekers on new ways of working to reach their full potential. In fact, we're a leading advocate for temporary/nontraditional workstyles, because we believe they allow flexibility and tremendous growth opportunities that enable a better way to work and live (plus, did we mention we provide a ton of benefits ?). Connecting great people with great companies is what we do best, and our employment opportunities span a wide variety of workstyles, skill levels, and industries around the world.
   
   Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity at all levels and are committed to building a team that is inclusive of a variety of backgrounds, communities, perspectives, and abilities. At Kelly, we believe that the more inclusive we are, the better services we can provide. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to Kelly's Human Resource Knowledge Center.
   Kelly complies with the requirements of California's state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment.

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5. Post your job

   To find automotive designers 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 automotive designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level automotive designers 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 automotive designer job on Zippia to find and recruit automotive designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting automotive designers 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 automotive designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the automotive designer 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new automotive designer. 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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