How to hire a circuit designer

How to hire a circuit designer, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a circuit 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

   A circuit designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, circuit 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 circuit designers.

   Type of Circuit Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Circuit Designer	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).	$37-66
   Engineering Trainee	An engineering trainee is responsible for shadowing engineers in their duties and performing administrative tasks as needed. Engineering trainees assist the engineers in inspecting construction sites and conducting field research... Show more	$20-39
   Control Systems Engineer	Control systems engineers are interdisciplinary engineers managing the company's control systems. They are expected to be familiar with different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, industrial, and computer science, among others... Show more	$34-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cadence
   • Analog
   • RF
   • MATLAB
   • IP
   • CMOS
   • Ethernet
   • Circuit Board Design
   • CAD
   • IC
   • PCB
   • T1
   • Provisioning
   • Extraction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and assign company facilities and assets through the use of: circuit reports, manual logs and PC generate reports.
   • Configure, document, and support routers, switches, and VPN.
   • Used handheld computers and pressure gauges.
   • Test and measurement of various RF circuits.
   • Develop schematic & PCB footprints for component library.
   • Transition to in-circuit testing of complete circuit boards.

   More circuit designer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average circuit designer salary

   $105,618yearly

   $50.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level circuit designer salary

   $79,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average circuit designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$124,884	$60
   2	Nevada	$116,871	$56
   3	Texas	$109,123	$52
   4	Washington	$105,787	$51
   5	Massachusetts	$101,077	$49
   6	Alaska	$101,075	$49
   7	New Mexico	$100,378	$48
   8	Oklahoma	$98,702	$47
   9	Maryland	$98,414	$47
   10	New Hampshire	$97,656	$47
   11	Colorado	$95,915	$46
   12	Arizona	$94,790	$46
   13	Georgia	$94,048	$45
   14	Oregon	$90,954	$44
   15	Wyoming	$90,050	$43
   16	Louisiana	$89,888	$43
   17	North Dakota	$87,479	$42
   18	New York	$85,987	$41
   19	South Carolina	$84,664	$41
   20	Ohio	$78,424	$38

   Average circuit designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$142,720	$68.62	78
   2	Nokia	$113,870	$54.75	7
   3	Sandia National Labs	$107,897	$51.87
   4	Uniti	$106,226	$51.07	2
   5	Alcatel Networks Inc	$106,226	$51.07
   6	Anduril	$105,447	$50.70	7
   7	MediaTek	$105,201	$50.58	2
   8	Qualcomm	$104,922	$50.44	19
   9	Micron Technology	$104,805	$50.39	6
   10	Astreya	$104,698	$50.34
   11	Texas.gov - State of Texas Official Website	$104,632	$50.30
   12	Zayo Group	$103,055	$49.55	1
   13	Intel	$101,842	$48.96	12
   14	TEKsystems	$101,760	$48.92	11
   15	Intelliswift	$101,240	$48.67	2
   16	Luxtera	$100,521	$48.33
   17	Digital Prospectors	$100,429	$48.28
   18	Draper	$98,379	$47.30	3
   19	Western Digital	$96,868	$46.57	2
   20	IBM	$96,759	$46.52	23

4. Writing a circuit designer job description

   A good circuit designer 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 a circuit designer job description:

   Circuit designer job description example

   The Circuit Board Designer will have the opportunity to develop a variety of innovative solutions for defense and commercial aerospace applications. These development efforts will generally be small, focused design teams which will require an experienced Designer to use skills and design tools.
   
   Complete development of CAD layout including symbol creation, layout planning, component placement, constraints management, and routing
   
   Responsible for design releases requiring the generation of artwork files, ODB++, fabrication and assembly drawings, and electronic PCB documentation
   
   Determine layer stack up, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB)
   Interface with Manufacturing to produce designs that meet DFM guidelines Library creation and maintenance Create and release documentation for fabrication of PCBs Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints, design for test, and manufacture guidelines Utilize PCB design tools, maintain and evaluate new tools, and train team members to use tools
   Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience):
   10+ years of experience using tools such as PADS, Orcad/Cadence Capture, PCB Designer, and GerbTool Knowledge of IPC standards and ANSI Y14.5M Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing and mechanical manufacturing and assembly processes Experience working closely with PCB fabricators Knowledge of types and manufacturers of dielectric materials Experience designing multilayer stack ups (up to 8 layers) Proficient with signal integrity design techniques Experience with low noise design and minimization of EMI/EMC Must be a team player, collaborate effectively, and have a can-do attitude Familiarity with office software and computer-based productivity tools Able to excel in a fast paced, deadline-driven environment
   Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies:
   IPC CID, CID+ certification a plus Hands on design/build experience P-WLH-005

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find circuit designers 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 circuit designer job on Zippia to find and recruit circuit designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit circuit designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 circuit designer

   Once you've selected the best circuit designer 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 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 circuit designer. 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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