How to hire a design/applications engineer

How to hire a design/applications engineer, step by step

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

Post a design/applications engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your design/applications engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a design/applications engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A design/applications engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, design/applications engineers 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.

   Here's a comparison of design/applications engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Design/Applications Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Design/Applications 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.	$27-55
   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:

   • Solidworks
   • RF
   • Product Design
   • Technical Support
   • Aerospace
   • Linux
   • UL
   • BOM
   • FEA
   • Assembly Drawings
   • Mechanical Design
   • Perl
   • QA
   • Post Sales

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and manage new aerospace products line.
   • Engineer, manage and implement configuration and installation of complex Ethernet network backbones.
   • Ensure adherence to UL electrical design standards.
   • Perform & train FEA stress analysis with various company.
   • Work with chip designers to ensure quality PCB design.
   • Lead the QA reconciliation team to ensure that the data conversion is accurate.

   More design/applications engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your design/applications engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A design/applications engineer 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 a design/applications engineer in South Dakota may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level design/applications engineer usually earns less than a senior-level design/applications engineer. Additionally, a design/applications engineer 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 design/applications engineer salary

   $81,822yearly

   $39.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level design/applications engineer salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average design/applications engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$109,957	$53
   2	Washington	$105,884	$51
   3	New York	$95,806	$46
   4	Oregon	$91,628	$44
   5	Massachusetts	$91,188	$44
   6	Arizona	$90,486	$44
   7	New Jersey	$85,327	$41
   8	Louisiana	$82,806	$40
   9	Illinois	$82,769	$40
   10	Texas	$82,663	$40
   11	Georgia	$76,419	$37
   12	Michigan	$72,081	$35
   13	North Carolina	$72,007	$35
   14	Iowa	$69,303	$33
   15	Tennessee	$68,775	$33
   16	Florida	$67,620	$33
   17	Wisconsin	$63,735	$31
   18	Arkansas	$60,508	$29

   Average design/applications engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$156,848	$75.41	470
   2	Microsoft	$141,557	$68.06	192
   3	Xilinx	$141,099	$67.84
   4	Apple	$136,601	$65.67	621
   5	Amd	$126,928	$61.02	142
   6	Cadence Design Systems	$125,724	$60.44	86
   7	Synopsys	$120,933	$58.14	23
   8	Arista Networks	$114,745	$55.17	11
   9	Tesla	$109,658	$52.72	26
   10	Infineon Technologies	$107,365	$51.62	21
   11	GCOM	$102,595	$49.32
   12	Randstad North America, Inc.	$102,272	$49.17	9
   13	FCA US LLC	$102,002	$49.04	38
   14	Semtech	$98,076	$47.15	5
   15	DXC Technology	$96,882	$46.58	4
   16	SBP Holdings	$96,514	$46.40
   17	PEAK Technical Staffing USA	$91,163	$43.83
   18	Qorvo	$90,807	$43.66
   19	Acro Service	$90,017	$43.28	1
   20	Alstom	$89,693	$43.12	23

4. Writing a design/applications engineer job description

   A job description for a design/applications engineer 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 a design/applications engineer job description:

   Design/applications engineer job description example

   Be part of a team that unleashes the power of leading-edge technologies to help improve the health and well-being of those most vulnerable in our country and communities. Working at Gainwell carries its rewards. You'll have an incredible opportunity to grow your career in a company that values work flexibility, learning, and career development. You'll add to your technical credentials and certifications while enjoying a generous, flexible vacation policy and educational assistance. We also have comprehensive leadership and technical development academies to help build your skills and capabilities.
   
   As an Advisor Application Designer at Gainwell, you can contribute your skills as we harness the power of technology to help our clients improve the health and well-being of the members they serve - a community's most vulnerable. Connect your passion with purpose, teaming with people who thrive on finding innovative solutions to some of healthcare's biggest challenges. Here are the details on this position.
   Your role in our mission
   
   Discover career satisfaction by design in this challenging position, where you will:
   
   * Head up technical teams and workstreams as you design, develop, test and install complex database applications software - with server, client and web components
   * Keep the team on the same page by overseeing relationships between application architects and developers to ensure design requirements result in flexible, reusable system components
   * Create more satisfied clients by writing highly complex design, coding and testing documentation that yields purpose-built technical products that meet real needs
   * Shine as an SME in the areas of development, domain, application design and database methodologies and best practices
   * Show your know-how as you provide clients with technical consulting on highly complex projects by refining existing apps and designing new application modules and components
   * Exercise your expertise by mentoring and guiding less experienced application designers
   
   What we're looking for
   
   * 9 or more years of application, web and product design and support experience across the development life cycle, with 3 or more years experience preferred working with Medicaid and Medicare technologies
   * Expertise in software and product design methodologies, programming languages, operating systems, web development and application implementation across the development life cycle
   * Expertise in application development policies, procedures and analyzing costing/budgets to determine financial feasibility
   * Strong executive presence and excellent communication skills across application developers, customers, support personnel and management
   * Effective leadership and motivational skills, as well as the ability to mentor individual contributors
   
   What you should expect in this role
   
   * Opportunities to travel through your work (0-10%)
   
   The pay range for this position is $86,800.00 - $124,000.00 per year, however, the base pay offered may vary depending on geographic region, internal equity, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. Put your passion to work at Gainwell. You'll have the opportunity to grow your career in a company that values work flexibility, learning, and career development. All salaried, full-time candidates are eligible for our generous, flexible vacation policy, a 401(k) employer match, comprehensive health benefits, and educational assistance. We also have a variety of leadership and technical development academies to help build your skills and capabilities.
   
   We believe nothing is impossible when you bring together people who care deeply about making healthcare work better for everyone. Build your career with Gainwell, an industry leader. You'll be joining a company where collaboration, innovation, and inclusion fuel our growth. Learn more about Gainwell at our company website and visit our Careers site for all available job role openings.
   
   Gainwell Technologies is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find design/applications engineers 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 design/applications engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit design/applications 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 design/applications 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 design/applications engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the design/applications engineer 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new design/applications engineer. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a design/applications engineer?