How to hire a consulting engineer

How to hire a consulting engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step consulting engineer hiring guide:

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

What does a consulting engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a consulting engineer, 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

   Hiring the perfect consulting engineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of consulting engineers.

   Type of Consulting Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Consulting 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.	$34-62
   Team Lead Engineer	A team leads engineer is in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts of an engineering team, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although the duties may depend on one's industry of employment, it typically includes designing and developing systems according to project requirements, setting objectives and construction guidelines, delegating tasks, managing budgets and schedules, and monitoring the workflow, performing corrective measures as needed... Show more	$40-75
   Lead Design Engineer	A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.	$39-68

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • C #
   • Linux
   • Project Management
   • Azure
   • Troubleshoot
   • Emerging Technologies
   • R
   • API
   • Data Analysis
   • Product Development
   • IP
   • Jenkins
   • Unix

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Implement a scanner in Perl to perform periodic data quality checks.
   • Plan for new install, migration with other equipments, or decommission networks and switches.
   • Design new mechanical concept for fixtures to interface existing and new products with existing customers PCB test boards.
   • Research and develop the new legal litigation support department that increase revenue from $100k/month to $300k/month.
   • Retain to improve poor systems performance in ClearCase development environment of Solaris, HP-UX, AIX and NT systems.

   More consulting engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average consulting engineer salary

   $97,746yearly

   $46.99 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level consulting engineer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average consulting engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$121,525	$58
   2	Washington	$114,002	$55
   3	Massachusetts	$106,599	$51
   4	Delaware	$103,606	$50
   5	District of Columbia	$101,256	$49
   6	Maryland	$100,104	$48
   7	Arizona	$97,981	$47
   8	Connecticut	$96,495	$46
   9	New York	$96,115	$46
   10	Colorado	$95,967	$46
   11	Texas	$94,341	$45
   12	Missouri	$92,663	$45
   13	Ohio	$90,880	$44
   14	Georgia	$89,534	$43
   15	Illinois	$88,744	$43
   16	Pennsylvania	$87,953	$42
   17	Indiana	$87,885	$42
   18	Utah	$87,706	$42
   19	Michigan	$87,089	$42
   20	North Carolina	$86,316	$42

   Average consulting engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$144,957	$69.69	451
   2	PDF Solutions	$131,383	$63.16	1
   3	Slalom	$128,184	$61.63	199
   4	MongoDB	$127,258	$61.18	25
   5	TD Ameritrade	$123,093	$59.18
   6	Chef Software	$122,995	$59.13
   7	Palo Alto Networks	$122,960	$59.12	88
   8	Juniper Networks	$120,787	$58.07
   9	Adobe	$120,288	$57.83	62
   10	Ciena	$119,783	$57.59	4
   11	Cisco	$119,190	$57.30	86
   12	Nokia	$118,152	$56.80	32
   13	Occidental Petroleum	$117,934	$56.70	13
   14	Connors & Sullivan, Attorneys at Law, PLLC	$115,659	$55.61
   15	Dell	$115,018	$55.30	13
   16	Kronos Incorporated	$108,609	$52.22
   17	CyberCoders	$108,001	$51.92	4
   18	Hitachi Vantara	$107,862	$51.86
   19	Verizon Data Services Inc	$106,995	$51.44
   20	Intralinks	$106,877	$51.38	2

4. Writing a consulting engineer job description

   A good consulting engineer 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 consulting engineer job description:

   Consulting engineer job description example

   • Design and prepare engineering drawings using CAD/GIS software for municipal engineering projects.
   • Perform quantity and cost estimate calculations.
   • Perform engineering related tasks such as sanitary sewer and waterline design, roadway improvement design, technical plan review, right-of-way permitting, floodplain management, stormwater management, preparation of project reports, construction administration, and project funding coordination.
   • Prepare construction specifications.
   • Handle client relations as needed.
   • Work closely with other V3 divisions on multi-discipline projects.

   Qualifications:

   • Civil or Environmental Engineering degree required. P.E. registration preferred.
   • 2+ years of related municipal experience required. Municipal consulting experience desired.
   • 2+ years of related experience in civil, sanitary, environmental, public works, public administration, and/or a related field is required.
   • CAD/GIS proficiency.

   How about Benefits?

   We offer a competitive salary and robust benefits package including medical, dental, vision, health savings account (with funding contribution from V3), 401(k) with up to 6% match, flexible spending account, life/disability Insurance, paid time off, volunteer paid time off, and holidays.

   We also offer customized employee focused programs too such as our High5! Employee Recognition Program, our Career Charter Program where you meet regularly with your supervisor to craft a career that meets your goals and drives your passion, our award-winning REVITALIZE Wellness Program with individual and team walking/wellness challenges and our VSR Social Responsibility Program where you can get paid for volunteering with our partner charitable organizations.

   If you are interested in joining our growing team, please submit your resume. Be sure to visit our website at www.v3co.com to learn even more about us!

   V3 IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right consulting engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with consulting engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit consulting engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your consulting engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit consulting engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit consulting engineers, 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.

   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 consulting engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect consulting engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   To prepare for the new consulting engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 a consulting engineer?