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How to hire an electrical design engineer

Electrical design engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring electrical design engineers in the United States:

  • There are a total of 80,332 electrical design engineers in the US, and there are currently 87,121 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire an electrical design engineer is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per electrical design engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Atlanta, GA, has the highest demand for electrical design engineers, with 37 job openings.

How to hire an electrical design engineer, step by step

To hire an electrical design engineer, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a electrical design engineer:

Here's a step-by-step electrical design engineer hiring guide:

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

What does an electrical design engineer do?

An electrical design engineer develops electrical systems for different applications. Electrical design engineers create system layouts and specifications. They test the systems and make some adjustments whenever necessary. The solutions they create range from component designs to large systems. The set of skills imperative for this job include good technical abilities, teamwork, motivation for extra work hours, ability to execute job under pressure, and enthusiasm. They should also be savvy in technology and innovation.

Learn more about the specifics of what an electrical design engineer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The electrical design engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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

    The following list breaks down different types of electrical design engineers and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Electrical Design EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Electrical Design EngineerElectrical 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).$30-52
    Radio Frequency EngineerA radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment... Show more$32-55
    EngineerEngineers 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
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Electrical Design
    • Revit
    • Electrical Systems
    • CAD
    • Analog
    • Engineering Design
    • C++
    • PCB
    • UL
    • RF
    • Control Systems
    • FPGA
    • MATLAB
    • Circuit Design
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Utilize LabView software package to automate testing.
    • Used Perl and Linux script to help automate the ASIC design and test flow.
    • Work with approval agencies to achieve UL, CSA, CE, FCC and IC certifications.
    • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
    • Perform RF checkout, aperture field probing and user sign-off of chambers and test equipment for various types of chambers.
    • Analyze and simulate low power circuits, front-end amplifiers and develop analog signal conditioning circuitry interfacing the digital control systems.
    More electrical design engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

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

    Average electrical design engineer salary

    $83,944yearly

    $40.36 hourly rate

    Entry-level electrical design engineer salary
    $63,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 18, 2025

    Average electrical design engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$111,203$53
    2Washington$108,245$52
    3New Mexico$95,692$46
    4District of Columbia$95,046$46
    5Texas$90,326$43
    6Massachusetts$88,977$43
    7New Hampshire$87,001$42
    8Utah$85,621$41
    9Maryland$83,746$40
    10Virginia$83,633$40
    11Louisiana$83,159$40
    12North Dakota$82,631$40
    13Colorado$80,636$39
    14Arizona$79,663$38
    15Rhode Island$79,316$38
    16Iowa$78,057$38
    17Pennsylvania$76,659$37
    18Georgia$76,437$37
    19Oklahoma$76,225$37
    20North Carolina$75,404$36

    Average electrical design engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Apple$137,032$65.88379
    2Meta$134,349$64.59399
    3NVIDIA$115,849$55.70121
    4Amazon$110,555$53.15408
    5Infinera$110,262$53.01
    6Texas Instruments$109,530$52.6634
    7Infineon Technologies$107,723$51.794
    8Renesas Electronics$107,527$51.7012
    9Fusion LLC$104,504$50.242
    10Parsons$104,110$50.05153
    11Joby Aviation$103,471$49.7514
    12KLA$102,656$49.3539
    13Entegris$102,458$49.261
    14General Motors$102,280$49.1760
    15Lam Research$102,266$49.177
    16Alarm.com$101,882$48.98
    17Square$101,627$48.86
    18Philips Medical Systems$100,872$48.50
    19Cypress Semiconductor$99,325$47.75
    20Rivian$98,732$47.4727
  4. Writing an electrical design engineer job description

    A job description for an electrical design 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 an electrical design engineer job description:

    Electrical design engineer job description example

    Basic Qualifications

    Requires a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field. Also requires 5+ years of job-related experience, or a Master's degree plus 3 years of job-related experience.

    CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required within a reasonable period of time. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

    Responsibilities for this Position

    Imagine a world-class engineering environment. Now add a team of exceptional talent along with technologies that are so advanced they're often classified. That's what you'll find at General Dynamics Mission Systems. Electrical Engineer Module Designers research, design, develop, and test military electronic equipment for use in systems of high assurance and high consequence for land, sea, airborne, and space applications. This includes airborne mission computers, display processing computers, stores management systems, and radar processing systems. You'll work with other talented engineers as you invent the technologies that help our service members, intelligence analysts, and first responders keep our nation safe.

    REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES AND TASKS:

    As an Electrical Engineer Module Designer,

    • You will collaborate with a team of electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and other engineers to develop Printed Wiring Board (PWB)/Printed Circuit Board (PCB) high density interconnect (HDI) designs for airborne systems.
    • You will be involved in the early stages of hardware planning and development, including determining the hardware architecture, developing trade studies, determining critical component selection, review, develop, and manage electrical requirements.
    • You will contribute to the generation and maintenance of electrical work products (i.e. plans, specifications, design documentation, schematics, etc.) used for internal use and/or deliverable to external customers. This includes applying the appropriate standards, processes, procedures, and tools throughout the electrical development life cycle.
    • You will develop functional and performance analyses of the electrical system to ensure the design meets requirements and will operate as designed in the intended environment.
    • You will support electrical engineering root cause analysis for electrical issues, conduct experimental tests, evaluates results to formulate and implement solutions to issues under direct supervision of the lead hardware engineer.
    • You will participate in internal electrical reviews of electrical components, equipment, and systems.
    • You will be able to grow your career through technical, leadership, and personal development opportunities.

    KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

    Ideal candidates demonstrate a passion for innovation, a strong sense of ownership, a sophisticated understanding of electronic equipment and systems, and the desire to further advance General Dynamics Mission Systems technology. Further, the ideal candidate is proficient in electrical engineering design tools, including Siemens (Mentor Graphics) Xpedition tools, Microsoft Office, and other design analysis tools. The ideal candidate is also confident with electrical test equipment, such as oscilloscopes, has strong verbal and written communication skills, and works well in a fast paced, team environment.

    #LI-Remote

    #LI-Hybrid

    Salary Note This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. Combined Salary Range USD $112,000.00 - USD $125,000.00 /Yr. Company Overview

    General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high performance team!

    General Dynamics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that is committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce. EOE/Disability/Veteran

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  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right electrical design engineer 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 electrical design engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit electrical design engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting electrical design engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 electrical design engineer

    Once you have selected a candidate for the electrical design 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.

    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.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new electrical design 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.)
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How much does it cost to hire an electrical design engineer?

Hiring an electrical design engineer comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting electrical design engineers involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of electrical design engineer recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Electrical design engineers earn a median yearly salary is $83,944 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find electrical design engineers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $30 and $52.

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