How to hire a director, hardware engineering

How to hire a director, hardware engineering, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director, hardware engineering hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the director, hardware engineering you need to hire. Certain director, hardware engineering roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A director, hardware engineering's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors, hardware engineering 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 director, hardware engineering salaries for various roles:

   Type of Director, Hardware Engineering	Description	Hourly rate
   Director, Hardware Engineering	Architectural and engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architectural and engineering companies.	$61-125
   Research And Development Director	A research and development director spearheads and oversees the research and development initiatives and projects in a company. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, establish timelines and budgets, direct and manage different departments, liaise with internal and external parties, gather and analyze data to implement solutions against problem areas, and utilize expertise in developing strategies to optimize company operations... Show more	$45-96
   Research And Development Manager	A research and development manager is responsible for supervising project development procedures to support business operations and identify business opportunities that would pave the way for more revenue resources and profits. Research and development managers monitor the production plans from the conceptualization to the final outputs, inspecting inconsistencies and flaws in every phase and revising strategies as needed to achieve the required specifications and requirements... Show more	$37-83

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • RF
   • Product Development
   • Hardware Development
   • Firmware
   • Mechanical Engineering
   • Hardware Products
   • PCB
   • HW
   • EE
   • FPGA
   • Analog
   • Mechanical Design
   • FCC
   • Ethernet

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead contract purchasing, PCB fabrication, contract board assembly, and ICT test fixture fabrication.
   • Select and manage contract resources for industrial design, mechanical design and fabrication, and PCB layout.
   • Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
   • Hire to build world-class hardware development team including RF engineers.
   • Train subordinates to use FEA.
   • Involve in the design of a chip tray which incorporates RF antennas.

   More director, hardware engineering duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average director, hardware engineering salary

   $182,954yearly

   $87.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director, hardware engineering salary

   $128,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average director, hardware engineering salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$185,175	$89
   2	California	$184,666	$89
   3	California	$184,579	$89
   4	Massachusetts	$184,548	$89
   5	California	$184,487	$89
   6	California	$184,411	$89
   7	California	$184,078	$89
   8	California	$184,037	$88
   9	California	$183,964	$88
   10	California	$183,869	$88
   11	California	$183,861	$88
   12	California	$183,834	$88
   13	California	$183,766	$88
   14	California	$183,501	$88
   15	California	$176,093	$85
   16	California	$174,492	$84
   17	Illinois	$173,072	$83
   18	California	$173,065	$83
   19	Illinois	$172,575	$83
   20	Oregon	$169,337	$81

   Average director, hardware engineering salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$232,111	$111.59	12
   2	Juniper Networks	$202,481	$97.35
   3	Honeywell	$196,762	$94.60	83
   4	Samsara	$196,181	$94.32	4
   5	X Cafe	$195,714	$94.09
   6	Mojo Vision	$195,340	$93.91
   7	Rigetti Computing	$192,965	$92.77
   8	Synaptics	$192,725	$92.66	1
   9	Synergys Biotherapeutics	$191,465	$92.05	3
   10	Cadence Design Systems	$188,551	$90.65	8
   11	Intelsat	$187,402	$90.10
   12	Agility	$186,408	$89.62
   13	Amd	$184,394	$88.65	17
   14	Qualcomm	$178,784	$85.95	21
   15	Philips	$177,901	$85.53	5
   16	Oni Press	$176,455	$84.83
   17	Applied Materials	$163,641	$78.67	31
   18	Western Digital	$157,778	$75.85	4
   19	Abbott	$156,809	$75.39	11
   20	Zebra Technologies	$156,719	$75.35	2

4. Writing a director, hardware engineering job description

   A director, hardware engineering job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a director, hardware engineering job description:

   Director, hardware engineering job description example

   At Mojo, we're inventing the future of computing - Invisible Computing - which imagines a world where information is there when you need it, technology fades away, and you can freely connect with others in a more meaningful and confident way. Our team includes talented professionals with expertise in product design, user experience, applied physics, hardware, software, optics, photonics, electronics, chemistry, biology and vision science. Together, we're building Mojo Lens, a smart contact lens with a built-in display that gives you timely information without interrupting your focus. Mojo Lens elevates your vision by providing the information you need exactly when it's needed - all while letting you look like you.
   
   We are a well-funded startup founded by technology experts with decades of experience developing pioneering products and platforms and backed by some of the world's leading technology investors. We are located in Saratoga, CA.
   
   We are looking for an experienced hardware manager to lead the hardware and embedded system development for Mojo Lens accessory devices. These companion devices include a body-worn compute module, lens charging and cleaning systems.
   
   ResponsibilitiesManage the full life cycle of boards and systems: from concept, design, manufacturing, bring-up, QA, bug tracking & issue management Manage embedded system development including FPGA and real-time operating systems Comfortable in wearing multiple hats. Comfortable in being totally hands-on in all aspect of HW/PCB design, bring-up and debug when needed. You are in charge of the team and yourself.Establish a company-wide standardized design process & design life-cycle management Ability to excel in a team environment. Ability to clearly articulate design constraints and trade-offs to a diverse cross-functional team, including SW, ID, mechanical, and ASIC design teams
   
   QualificationsB.S. in Electrical Engineering with 10+ years experience in hardware design10+ years of people management experience Proven track record in designing high-volume, consumer electronics/communication devices/wearables from concept to production Deep experience with the system development process including concept creation, schematics and board development, as well as board and system bring up and debugging Deep experience with embedded software development flow, including real-time OS, embedded LINUX and FPGAExperience with designing electronics around an industrial design concept and mechanical form factor Design experience with embedded system technologies including FPGAs, MCUs and SoCsExperience with signal integrity simulation and debug, dealing with sensitive analog and RF signals
   
   Preferred QualificationsExperience with FMEA, regulatory compliance standard (FDA, FCC,EMI) Experience working with & managing contract manufacturers, external PCB design houses Working experience with any of these is a plus:Experience with wireless system design and sensitive RF circuits Experience with motion sensing, navigation & location tracking systems Experience with 3D graphics, embedded vision systems, video and image processing pipelines
   If solving challenging problems and shaping the future interests you, come join us at our offices in Saratoga, CA just outside of San Jose. Along with competitive compensation employee perks include flexible time off, access to full health benefits and a stocked fridge and pantry in the office. Even if you don't see your dream job on our openings page, you can still apply for it with the “Create your own position” option.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right director, hardware engineering for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director, hardware engineering job on Zippia to find and recruit director, hardware engineering candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors, hardware engineering, 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 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 director, hardware engineering

   Once you've decided on a perfect director, hardware engineering 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new director, hardware engineering. 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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