How to hire a director of systems engineering

How to hire a director of systems engineering, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of systems 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 of systems engineering job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director of systems engineering
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of systems engineering do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your director of systems engineering 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 director of systems engineering 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 director of systems engineering's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of systems 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 of systems engineering salaries for various roles:

   Type of Director Of Systems Engineering	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Systems Engineering	Architectural and engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architectural and engineering companies.	$54-114
   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:

   • Systems Engineering
   • Infrastructure
   • Cloud
   • Project Management
   • C++
   • SAN
   • Program Management
   • Pre Sales
   • RF
   • AWS
   • System Design
   • DOD
   • System Architecture
   • Technical Leadership

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage various development groups including Linux/UNIX systems administrators, DBA's, and network engineers.
   • Lead the division ISO-9000 certification effort as the ISO management representative and are certified as an ISO-9000 internal auditor.
   • Manage consolidation and transformation of processes to deliver infrastructure services through a streamline process that provide better integration with all platforms.
   • Extend the corporate and development environments into the AWS cloud.
   • Enhance some third party Java applets used in some pages.
   • Migrate the help desk ticketing system to a cloud base solution.

   More director of systems engineering duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average director of systems engineering salary

   $165,127yearly

   $79.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of systems engineering salary

   $113,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average director of systems engineering salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$201,554	$97
   2	Oregon	$169,506	$81
   3	Washington	$165,715	$80
   4	Louisiana	$160,358	$77
   5	New York	$158,062	$76
   6	Ohio	$156,552	$75
   7	Utah	$155,835	$75
   8	Arizona	$155,076	$75
   9	Massachusetts	$154,103	$74
   10	Maine	$147,889	$71
   11	Texas	$146,441	$70
   12	North Carolina	$146,236	$70
   13	District of Columbia	$144,770	$70
   14	Michigan	$140,891	$68
   15	Colorado	$136,647	$66
   16	Rhode Island	$132,057	$63
   17	Florida	$131,941	$63
   18	Illinois	$131,472	$63
   19	Pennsylvania	$128,399	$62
   20	Georgia	$124,901	$60

   Average director of systems engineering salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$226,544	$108.92	176
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$212,633	$102.23	30
   3	LinkedIn	$210,725	$101.31	32
   4	Palo Alto Networks	$206,786	$99.42	22
   5	Cisco	$200,713	$96.50	335
   6	Western Digital	$199,769	$96.04	16
   7	Neiman Marcus Group	$198,589	$95.48
   8	Fortinet	$193,725	$93.14	15
   9	Amd	$191,016	$91.83	41
   10	Safran	$187,899	$90.34	41
   11	Infineon Technologies	$187,089	$89.95	14
   12	Rockstar Games	$186,840	$89.83
   13	Johnson & Johnson	$185,896	$89.37	28
   14	Methodist Hospital Of Henderson, Kentucky	$183,701	$88.32
   15	Applied Materials	$181,798	$87.40	38
   16	UTStarcom Inc	$180,005	$86.54
   17	Panavision	$179,903	$86.49
   18	Qualcomm	$179,821	$86.45	52
   19	Medtronic	$179,035	$86.07	55
   20	Verizon Data Services Inc	$176,902	$85.05

4. Writing a director of systems engineering job description

   A job description for a director of systems engineering 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 director of systems engineering job description:

   Director of systems engineering job description example

   • Minimum 15 years experience in the environmental field including the installation, maintenance and operation of fuel systems including a minimum of five years managing a high performing staff in the industry. In-house experience highly desirable.
   • Ability to negotiate with various entities including governmental officials and contractors. Management of capital projects in accordance with industry best practices.

   • Must have a solid understanding of NFPA30, 30A, IFC Ch. 57 as well as PEI RP 100, 200, 500, 700 and 1200.
   • High performer that is results driven and who can multi-task and effectively delegate.
   • Ability to solve problems, add value to the organization and develop effective processes using good judgement
   • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, including technical writing as well as having the ability to communicate with all levels within the organization and authorities having jurisdiction
   • Must be able to work independently with minimal daily supervision while maintaining superior productivity, Strong Organization skills a must.
   • ICC UST/AST certifications a plus
   • Proficient in Microsoft office products, especially Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, etc.
   • Position requires travel throughout North America.

   :

   At Hertz, we champion and celebrate a culture of diversity and inclusion. We take affirmative steps to promote employment and advancement opportunities. The endless variety of perspectives, experiences, skills and talents that our employees invest in their work every day represent a significant part of our culture – and our success and reputation as a company.

   Individuals are encouraged to apply for positions because of the characteristics that make them unique.

   Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Hertz is a drug free workplace.

   EOE, including disability/veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right director of systems engineering 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 directors of systems engineering they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of systems engineering 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 director of systems engineering job on Zippia to find and recruit director of systems engineering candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with director of systems engineering candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 of systems engineering

   Once you've selected the best director of systems engineering 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of systems engineering. 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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How much does it cost to hire a director of systems engineering?