How to hire a field engineer associate

How to hire a field engineer associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step field engineer associate hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the field engineer associate you need to hire. Certain field engineer associate 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

   Hiring the perfect field engineer associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of field engineers associate.

   Type of Field Engineer Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Field Engineer Associate	Electrical 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).	$25-44
   Electrical & Instrumentation Designer	An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions... Show more	$28-52
   Electrical Designer	An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Control Systems
   • Troubleshoot
   • Technical Assistance
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Sites
   • Technical Support
   • Technical Problems
   • RF
   • Oil Gas
   • Autocad
   • Technical Training
   • GIS
   • IP
   • Data Acquisition

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
   • Key support and assistance for problems on network and individual PCs.
   • Image PCs, resolve printer and connectivity issues, and install software as necessary.
   • Analyze malfunctions and equipment failures of various network operating systems such as servers, gateways and routers used in radio communications systems
   • Develop procedural documentation for plan and corrective maintenance of high power radar transmitters.

   More field engineer associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your field engineer associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A field engineer associate 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 field engineer associate in West Virginia may be lower than in California, and an entry-level field engineer associate usually earns less than a senior-level field engineer associate. Additionally, a field engineer associate 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 field engineer associate salary

   $70,255yearly

   $33.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level field engineer associate salary

   $53,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average field engineer associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,146	$50
   2	New York	$83,489	$40
   3	Virginia	$80,753	$39
   4	Maryland	$79,629	$38
   5	Texas	$77,849	$37
   6	Florida	$76,014	$37
   7	New Jersey	$70,468	$34
   8	Oregon	$66,671	$32
   9	Colorado	$63,034	$30
   10	Arizona	$61,652	$30
   11	Utah	$58,120	$28

   Average field engineer associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Halliburton	$86,780	$41.72	3
   2	CenturyLink	$79,067	$38.01	4
   3	EMC	$78,415	$37.70	1
   4	First Solar	$78,246	$37.62
   5	Itron	$78,137	$37.57
   6	North American Corporation	$77,615	$37.31
   7	Technology Service Professionals	$73,215	$35.20
   8	TMEIC	$72,249	$34.74	10
   9	UL	$71,625	$34.44	5
   10	THRIVE	$71,427	$34.34	8
   11	ERM	$71,065	$34.17	27
   12	Kineticom	$70,332	$33.81
   13	NANA	$68,817	$33.09	6
   14	TRT Holdings	$67,422	$32.41

4. Writing a field engineer associate job description

   A job description for a field engineer associate 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 field engineer associate job description:

   Field engineer associate job description example

   At Emerson Power & Water Solutions, we help customers in the world's most crucial industries tackle the challenges of modern life. You are part of the team that drives innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter and more sustainable.
   
   If you are a recent grad or junior engineer looking for an opportunity to travel, learn, and grow professionally, Emerson has a great opportunity for you! Based out of our Warren, NJ regional office, the Associate Field Engineer is part of a global team that performs a variety of complex engineering functions related to installation, service, and maintenance of our software/services for the power, renewables, water & wastewater treatment markets.
   AS AN ASSOCIATE FIELD ENGINEER, YOU WILL:
   
   * Work with your team to analyze and tackle engineering problems associated with field installation and operation of life sustaining, industrial control systems.
   * Assist in carrying out more sophisticated engineering assignments under the direction of a more senior field engineer.
   * Provide hands-on training to our customers on-site or in a factory acceptance test (FAT).
   * Develop and maintain good customer relations from the small rural power producers to billion-dollar critical infrastructure suppliers in metropolitan areas.
   * Participate in the writing, review, and revision of field/operational manuals based on your hands-on work with these systems
   * Participate in team assignments sought at problem resolution, project/product familiarization and product testing and evaluation
   
   WHO YOU ARE:
   
   You understand the importance and interdependence of internal customer relationships, you scan the environment for new technical skills, knowledge, or capabilities that can benefit business or personal performance and you know to prepare for unexpected outcomes and try different solutions.
   
   REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:
   
   * Bachelor's degree in engineering computer science, or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
   * Comprehensive troubleshooting skills.
   * This position requires up to 80% travel, typically one week in duration with heavy travel more likely during the power systems outage season in the spring and fall.
   * Legal authorization to work in the United States
   
   PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:
   
   * Industrial controls' experience in one of the industries we serve. We provide on the job training, building on your solid blend of education and experience is a validated path to success.
   
   Flexible Work Schedule - Hybrid Work Option
   
   This role has the flexibility of a hybrid work option up to three days a week. Our teams work together to ensure our chosen work schedules enable our creativity and productivity as we serve the needs of our customers.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting field engineers associate 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.

   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 field engineer associate

   Once you've selected the best field engineer associate 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 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 field engineer associate. 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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