How to hire an engineering director

How to hire an engineering director, step by step

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

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

What does an engineering director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The engineering director 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?

   Yes

   No

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

   This list shows salaries for various types of engineering directors.

   Type of Engineering Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Engineering Director	Architectural and engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architectural and engineering companies.	$52-114
   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
   Vice President Product Development	A vice president for product development is responsible for leading the product development team in the execution of development activities to enhance the product's brand image in the market and achieve the sales performance target. Vice presidents for product development monitor the product development techniques from the conceptualization to the final execution and market release... Show more	$52-124

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Architecture
   • Infrastructure
   • AWS
   • Project Management
   • Customer Service
   • Software Development
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Pre Sales
   • C++
   • HVAC
   • Azure
   • Business Development
   • R

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Monitor and manage performance base on multiple KPI's.
   • Manage all FCC filings for the registration of license frequencies.
   • Improve network reliability and manage signal leakage and FCC compliance.
   • Lead implementation and remediation efforts to ensure HIPPA, SOX, and PCI compliance.
   • Manage a team to develop and support SaaS base access control product for health care industry.
   • Manage release and deployments for multiple, concurrent Java project across varying release cycles from inception to delivery.

   More engineering director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your engineering director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An engineering director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, engineering directors' average salary in arkansas is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level engineering directors earn 54% less than senior-level engineering directors.
   • Certifications. An engineering director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an engineering director's salary.

   Average engineering director salary

   $162,252yearly

   $78.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level engineering director salary

   $109,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average engineering director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$197,849	$95
   2	Washington	$184,245	$89
   3	Oregon	$164,231	$79
   4	Arizona	$158,395	$76
   5	New York	$149,202	$72
   6	New Jersey	$146,885	$71
   7	Maine	$145,559	$70
   8	Hawaii	$145,241	$70
   9	Massachusetts	$144,607	$70
   10	Texas	$140,437	$68
   11	District of Columbia	$139,173	$67
   12	Utah	$135,821	$65
   13	Connecticut	$133,607	$64
   14	Pennsylvania	$131,777	$63
   15	Michigan	$131,770	$63
   16	Colorado	$131,470	$63
   17	Virginia	$130,461	$63
   18	North Carolina	$130,066	$63
   19	Illinois	$129,236	$62
   20	Ohio	$129,213	$62

   Average engineering director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brookfield Properties	$269,452	$129.54
   2	Airbnb	$247,510	$119.00
   3	Mixpanel	$244,972	$117.78	3
   4	Apple	$242,663	$116.66	212
   5	Roku	$238,685	$114.75	5
   6	Yelp	$237,874	$114.36
   7	Lyft	$237,660	$114.26	1
   8	Meta	$236,005	$113.46	584
   9	eBay	$235,665	$113.30	11
   10	Chegg	$234,249	$112.62
   11	Twitter	$233,832	$112.42
   12	DoorDash	$233,522	$112.27	53
   13	Pure Storage	$233,351	$112.19	17
   14	Levi Strauss & Co.	$231,681	$111.39
   15	Google	$230,429	$110.78	186
   16	PayPal	$230,150	$110.65	4
   17	Reddit	$229,924	$110.54	5
   18	Instacart	$229,536	$110.35	5
   19	Squarespace	$229,239	$110.21	2
   20	Zenefits	$229,083	$110.14

4. Writing an engineering director job description

   An engineering director 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 an engineering director job description:

   Engineering director job description example

   The mission of Johnson Controls Navy Systems (JCNS) is to supply Chilled Water Air Conditioning (A/C) Plants, Refrigeration Systems and associated equipment to the US Navy and Coast Guard. Our robust, high reliability products are designed, manufactured and tested in York, PA to military and other stringent customer specifications. JCNS applies refrigerant compressor technology along with principles of mechanical design, thermodynamics / heat transfer, electromechanical systems and controls to the design, manufacture and test of centrifugal compressors / chillers and their associated components and systems.
   
   The Director of Engineering is responsible for leading a multi-discipline engineering organization involving the design, development and qualification of new products, business development activities that support growth, and sustaining engineering within a fast paced production environment. In this role you will lead teams of engineers focused on solving complex customer and manufacturing problems, launch new products, and improve current products and processes, in order to deliver sustained growth while fostering a culture of teamwork that makes Johnson Controls an employer of choice.
   
   The Director of Engineering is a key business leader and member of the Johnson Controls Navy Systems (JCNS) leadership team reporting to the General Manager, Navy Systems.
   
   Provide vision that develops and maintains a high-performing organization toward achieving operational excellence.
   
   Guide organizational transformation to embrace and execute modern systems, methods, and tools; lead continuous improvements in alignment with strategic plan.
   
   Partner with functional leadership team members and other business area peers to ensure business objectives are achieved.
   Provide strong technical engineering leadership coupled with equally effective project management. Project a professional, engaging and courteous demeanor when communicating both within and outside the organization. A leader who fosters teamwork across the organization and can build a top performing team. Demonstrates a high level of analytical / problem solving, critical thinking, planning and organizing skills – proficient at setting and achieving priorities; time management. Meet financial objectives (indirect expenses and labor utilization). Attract and retain high-potential employees to support the business; resolve resource / staffing issues. Identify and develop critical skills required to meet business objectives. Develop strategies for improving and optimizing organizational performance. Develop and maintain measures related to performance, quality and affordability. Establish goals and standards of performance, create budgets, staffing plans, and short and long-term strategic product and technology roadmaps / plans. Understand industry trends and best practices to ensure Johnson Controls develops and maintains the capabilities required to provide technical discriminators. Engage frequently and instill confidence with our industry customers including US Navy civilians and officers leveraging your strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills. Qualifications What we look for A bachelor’s degree in engineering with a minimum of 12+ years of engineering / management experience. In depth knowledge and experience of heavy machinery and water chilling and refrigeration plant design practices to achieve highly reliable designs within defined cost and schedule constraints is preferred. An understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics and pressure vessel design best practices is preferred; experience with control system design and centrifugal compressor design is a plus. Proven track record of increasing responsibilities in managing engineering organizations of significant complexities, including managing development projects throughout all aspects of the product life-cycle from requirements through production and sustainment. Strong supervisory and leadership skills. The ability to inspire a team of engineers and designers to be productive and successful in a fast-paced working environment with multiple conflicting priorities is key to the success of the business. This is a working manager role and requires leading and mentoring the team to address complex and challenging technical issues. Thorough knowledge of DoD procurement and product development. Experience in working with military specifications (MIL-SPECs), ASTM/ASME specifications and detailed customer specifications is required. Knowledge of MIL-SPEC requirements for shock testing, vibration testing and electromagnetic interference testing is a plus. Excellent communication (written & oral), interpersonal and presentation skills, along with strong analytical and project management skills – data driven and results oriented. Active DoD Confidential or Secret clearance preferred. Who we are The primary mission of Johnson Controls Navy Systems is to supply Chilled Water Air Conditioning Plants, Refrigeration Systems and associated equipment to the US Navy and US Coast Guard. Johnson Controls Navy Systems is a part of the Johnson Controls Federal Systems business. Our robust, high reliability products are designed, manufactured and tested in York, PA to military and other stringent customer specifications. Most of our designs are custom engineered for the specific application Johnson Controls is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information, please view EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/tomorrowneedsyou. Division: JCFS (Johnson Controls Federal Systems)

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5. Post your job

   To find the right engineering director 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 engineering directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit engineering directors 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 engineering director job on Zippia to find and recruit engineering director 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 engineering directors, 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.

   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 engineering director

   Once you've decided on a perfect engineering director 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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