How to hire a functional test engineer

How to hire a functional test engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your functional test engineer 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 functional test engineer 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 functional test engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, functional test 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 functional test engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Functional Test Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Functional Test Engineer		$29-47
   Quality Assurance Lead	A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation... Show more	$34-59
   Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead	Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Leads are responsible for managing the designing and operations of hardware or software testing. Their duties include developing testing plans, implement risk mitigation strategies, communicate process improvements to cross-teams such as marketing and engineering, resolve the conflict between teams, and ensures product or software adheres to the organization and industry standards... Show more	$40-68

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Test Cases
   • Test Equipment
   • Test Results
   • Front End
   • Test Data
   • QA
   • Test Scripts
   • Regression
   • Test Scenarios
   • Test Execution
   • Cycle Management
   • Test Software
   • Debugging
   • Automation Scripts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead LabVIEW program development for high temperature camber measurement and steam generation analysis tools.
   • Create POM of the peers and identify and report the bugs to QA (manual) team.
   • Complete router infrastructure and software upgrades while performing testing and regression testing.
   • Test result analysis for automate regression test case execution and defect reporting.
   • Develop automated temperature-cycle calibrations for analog and digital transducers.
   • Develop automated temperature-cycle calibrations for analog and digital transducers.

   More functional test engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $77,780yearly

   $37.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level functional test engineer salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average functional test engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$101,407	$49
   2	Washington	$90,954	$44
   3	New York	$86,988	$42
   4	Massachusetts	$80,886	$39
   5	Illinois	$79,759	$38
   6	Virginia	$79,437	$38
   7	Michigan	$75,750	$36
   8	Arizona	$74,214	$36
   9	Texas	$74,143	$36
   10	Ohio	$73,174	$35
   11	Colorado	$72,043	$35
   12	Utah	$71,136	$34
   13	Maryland	$68,899	$33
   14	Indiana	$68,239	$33
   15	Kansas	$66,862	$32
   16	North Carolina	$66,490	$32
   17	Florida	$64,556	$31

   Average functional test engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$129,799	$62.40	191
   2	General Motors	$99,983	$48.07	89
   3	Micron Technology	$94,914	$45.63	2
   4	ASML Holding	$92,741	$44.59	4
   5	Amdocs	$90,603	$43.56
   6	Continental	$86,227	$41.46	4
   7	Magna International	$85,533	$41.12	7
   8	Rockwell Automation	$85,449	$41.08	6
   9	Generis	$85,383	$41.05
   10	Paramount	$85,371	$41.04	2
   11	BondLink	$85,361	$41.04
   12	AvL Technologies	$85,270	$41.00
   13	Kawasaki Rail Car	$85,179	$40.95
   14	Qualitest	$84,112	$40.44
   15	Pinnacle Technical Resources	$84,047	$40.41	12
   16	Merck	$83,425	$40.11	1
   17	IM Flash Technologies	$83,320	$40.06
   18	Net2Source	$83,299	$40.05	2
   19	Nexteer Automotive	$82,797	$39.81
   20	Dell	$80,696	$38.80	4

4. Writing a functional test engineer job description

   A functional test 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a functional test engineer job description:

   Functional test engineer job description example

   Infosys is seeking a Functional Test Engineer . In the role of Test Engineer, you will act as a validation and quality assurance expert and review the functionality of existing systems. You will conduct requirement analysis, define test strategy & design and lead execution to guarantee superior outcomes. You will also be required to design an optimal test environment to simulate real-time scenarios. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best talent in the industry to create innovative high quality and defect-free solutions to meet our clients' business needs. You will be part of a learning culture, where teamwork and collaboration are encouraged, excellence is rewarded, and diversity is respected and valued.
   
   Required Qualifications:
   •Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent required from an accredited institution. Will also consider three years of progressive experience in the specialty in lieu of every year of education.
   •At least 1 year of Relevant Information Technology experience
   •U.S. citizens and those authorized to work in the U.S. are encouraged to apply. we are not able to sponsor at this time
   •Candidate must be located within commuting distance of Raleigh, NC/Charlotte, NC or be willing to relocate to the area. This position may require travel.
   •Knowledge and experience with full SDLC lifecycle
   •Experience with Lean / Agile development methodologies
   •Experience in Functional Testing, Automation, SDET and Agile concepts
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   •Knowledge of test design principles, fundamentals of testing,
   Exposure to Selenium based Test Automation
   •Knowledge of quality processes and estimation techniques, good understanding of project domain.
   •Very good understanding of the Software Test life cycle activities through practice in Projects.
   •Ability to communicate complex technology solutions to diverse teams namely, technical, business and management teams
   •Excellent verbal and written communication skills
   •Experience and desire to work in a Global delivery environment
   
   The job entails sitting as well as working at a computer for extended periods of time. Should be able to communicate by telephone, email or face to face. Travel may be required as per the job requirements
   
   About Us
   
   Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.
   
   Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find functional test engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your functional test engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit functional test engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with functional test engineer 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview functional test engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 functional test engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the functional test 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.

   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 functional test engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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