How to hire a field operations engineer

Field operations engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring field operations engineers in the United States:

HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
The median cost to hire a field operations engineer is $1,633.
Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per field operations engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
There are currently 4,565 field operations engineers in the US and 104,785 job openings.
Newark, CA, has the highest demand for field operations engineers, with 3 job openings.
Houston, TX has the highest concentration of field operations engineers.

How to hire a field operations engineer, step by step

To hire a field operations engineer, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a field operations engineer, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step field operations engineer 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 operations engineer job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new field operations engineer
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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Identify your hiring needs

The field operations 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?

You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a field operations engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a field operations engineer that fits the bill.

Here's a comparison of field operations engineer salaries for various roles:

Type of Field Operations Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
Field Operations Engineer	Petroleum engineers design and develop methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the Earth’s surface. Petroleum engineers also find new ways to extract oil and gas from older wells.	$25-47
Gas Analyst	A gas analyst is faced with different responsibilities in the workplace. They are required to manage internal physical transactions with the gas management system... Show more	$24-48
Engineer	Engineers 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

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- RF
- Switches
- Test Equipment
- Routers
- Technical Support
- Technical Problems
- Linux
- Wi-Fi
- OSHA
- Technical Analysis
- Technical Training
- Fiber Optic
- Software Upgrades
- Cost Estimates
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
- Identify, troubleshoot and repair complex integrate avionics, RF and fiber optic system failures as they occur.
- Install VOIP routers at customer premises as requested.
- Ensure code quality by writing unit tests using PyUnit and automate this testing using GitHub and Jenkins.
- Update Jenkins nodes base on of the project requirements like adding modules, install new executable, upgrade tool versions.
- Coordinate manufacturing line scale-up and process definition between research team in San Jose and manufacturing team and suppliers.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your field operations engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A field operations engineer salary can vary based on several factors:
- Location. For example, field operations engineers' average salary in arkansas is 59% less than in nevada.
- Seniority. Entry-level field operations engineers earn 46% less than senior-level field operations engineers.
- Certifications. A field operations engineer 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 a field operations engineer's salary.
Average field operations engineer salary
$72,375yearly
$34.80 hourly rate
Entry-level field operations engineer salary
$53,000 yearly salary
Updated December 18, 2025
Writing a field operations engineer job description
A field operations engineer 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 field operations engineer job description:
Field operations engineer job description example
**Position Title: VSFB Launch Operations Field Engineer**

ASRC is seeking a mid-level Field Operations Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA. Our specific focus is on launch operations, telemetry processing, oversight of vehicle integration, processing and handling of small satellite and target launch vehicles for the USSF.

**Job Responsibilities**

Employ engineering expertise in support of the RSLP-MA launch program in the ways described below:

+ Provide engineering expertise of launch vehicle mechanical and electrical operations, testing, and launch. Includes reviewing operating procedures, requirements, and design documents.

+ Provide engineering expertise in launch operations and mission planning, to include mission requirements, Range integration and operations.

+ Provide engineering expertise in facility, support equipment, and handling equipment operations and problem resolution.

+ Prepare presentations and reports related to mission planning, vehicle processing and launch vehicle data analyses.

+ Assist in telemetry data processing and analysis.

+ Develop software tools to aid in telemetry data processing and analysis.

+ Interface with various levels of military personnel (sometimes senior) and their contractors.

+ Travel for meetings and to various launch sites during launch campaigns.

**Requirements** :

**Minimum Qualifications**

To be considered for this position, you must minimally meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below:

+ Bachelor of Science Degree in an applicable Engineering field.

+ At least 10 years' experience (8 with a Master's degree) in directly related field.

+ Must have demonstrated presentation skills.

+ Must demonstrate interpersonal skills including interfacing with customer at various ranks.

+ Position requires a proactive, self-starting, independent engineer with excellent interpersonal skills.

+ Able to travel to launch sites for field operations.

+ Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

+ The ability to obtain a secret clearance is required.

**Preferred Qualifications**

Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration:

+ Launch operations and vehicle systems testing

+ Telemetry Systems and data analysis

+ Solid rocket motor and/or liquid rocket engine familiarity

+ Understanding of Range telemetry systems.

+ Active Current Secret Clearance is desired

ASRC Federal and its Subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, gender, color, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, religion, marital status, ancestry, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.
Post your job
To find the right field operations engineer 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 operations engineers they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit field operations engineers 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 operations engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit field operations engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting field operations 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.
Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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.
Send a job offer and onboard your new field operations engineer
Once you've found the field operations engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
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 field operations 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.
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 field operations engineer?

Before you start to hire field operations engineers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire field operations engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

The median annual salary for field operations engineers is $72,375 in the US. However, the cost of field operations engineer hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a field operations engineer for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $25 and $47 an hour.

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Updated December 18, 2025

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How to hire a field operations engineer