How to hire a gis developer

How to hire a gis developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step gis developer hiring guide:

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

What does a gis developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a gis developer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a gis developer 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 gis developer that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of gis developer salaries for various roles:

   Type of GIS Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   GIS Developer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$34-67
   Mobile Applications Developer	A mobile application developer is responsible for designing programming applications for mobile devices according to clients' specifications and business demands. Mobile application developers must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as computer system commands to develop efficient scripts and smooth navigation of operating systems... Show more	$36-62
   Software Developer Internship	A software developer intern is responsible for assisting the software engineers with the design implementation and shadowing their duties to understand the processes more efficiently. Software developer interns use their classroom knowledge on practical applications, suggesting recommendations on how to make the project successful... Show more	$14-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Esri
   • C++
   • Arcgis Server
   • CSS
   • Javascript API
   • Html Css
   • HTML
   • Java
   • Web Services
   • Arcgis Desktop
   • UI
   • Application Development
   • Arcgis Online
   • Spatial Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Deploy and manage ArcSDE database and ArcIMS website serving over 300 data layers for use by internal project managers.
   • Utilize ESRI's ArcGIS v.10.2.1 with Schneider's ArcFM to manage, maintain, and manipulate an energy distribution database.
   • Analyze and manage the project throughout SDLC, written/review specification documents.
   • Solo developer for web mapping applications base on ESRI's FlexBuilder, ESRI JavaScript API.
   • Develop SSIS packages for EDI, SalesForce, and CRM.
   • Implement as a normal windows service base application.

   More gis developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your gis developer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A gis developer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, gis developers' average salary in nebraska is 37% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level gis developers 49% less than senior-level gis developers.
   • Certifications. A gis developer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a gis developer's salary.

   Average gis developer salary

   $100,464yearly

   $48.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level gis developer salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average gis developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$119,673	$58
   2	California	$118,197	$57
   3	New York	$107,297	$52
   4	South Carolina	$102,509	$49
   5	Virginia	$102,227	$49
   6	Texas	$96,063	$46
   7	Georgia	$94,534	$45
   8	Arizona	$94,449	$45
   9	Minnesota	$90,066	$43
   10	Florida	$89,537	$43
   11	Missouri	$87,169	$42
   12	Colorado	$87,132	$42
   13	Louisiana	$85,481	$41

   Average gis developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pacific Gas and Electric	$129,897	$62.45
   2	Amazon	$118,479	$56.96	90
   3	CDW	$114,076	$54.84	3
   4	Houston Advanced Research Center	$113,580	$54.61
   5	Forty Five Ten	$112,690	$54.18
   6	CenterPoint Energy	$111,048	$53.39
   7	Populus Group	$107,889	$51.87
   8	SAIC	$107,864	$51.86	27
   9	Randstad North America, Inc.	$107,663	$51.76	51
   10	Esri	$106,704	$51.30	10
   11	Sabre Systems	$106,372	$51.14
   12	ERM	$105,936	$50.93
   13	Modis	$104,988	$50.48	15
   14	American Red Cross	$104,560	$50.27	12
   15	BNSF Railway	$104,233	$50.11
   16	Eliassen Group	$104,139	$50.07	253
   17	Panoramic	$103,605	$49.81
   18	Ata Airlines	$103,488	$49.75
   19	Genuent	$103,316	$49.67
   20	Goodwin Recruiting	$103,241	$49.64	1

4. Writing a gis developer job description

   A job description for a gis developer 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 gis developer job description:

   Gis developer job description example

   Leidos is seeking a Software Developer possessing the ability to design, develop, and implement end-to-end solutions to support our geospatial data production portfolio.
   Primary Responsibilities
   
   + The successful candidate will assist in the design, development, implementation and maintenance of systems, software, custom applications, and data integration solutions with a focus on both desktop and web based geospatial applications.
   
   + The candidate will interact with staff at all levels of the company from analysts to PhDs.
   
   + The candidate will work as part of an integrated development team for the creation of complex applications.
   
   + An understanding of the ESRI ArcGIS/ArcGIS Pro suite of products is a plus.
   
   Basic Qualifications
   
   + Requires BS degree and 2 4 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with less than 2 years of prior relevant experience.
   
   + Understanding of GIS software and GIS principals.
   
   + Experience with Python 2.x/3.x, Microsoft .NET (C#, VB .NET), Web Services, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
   
   + Experience with extending ArcGIS Pro via the .NET and Python API's a plus.
   
   + Experience with databases such as SQL, SQLite, and PostGreSQL.
   
   + Understanding of application architecture best-practices.
   
   + Familiarity with open-source mapping application technologies such as, but not limited to, OpenLayers, Leaflet, Mapbox and GeoServer, a plus.
   
   + Familiarity with source control practices and software such as GitHub and SourceTree.
   
   + Must have the analytical and interpersonal skills to elicit and document business, functional, and technical requirements.
   
   + Ability to troubleshoot a wide variety of technical issues.
   
   + Ability to work as a team member in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
   
   + Ability to understand and interpret business applications and is responsible for developing applications and products to fulfill those requirements.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in GIS, Computer Science; or other applicable major. In lieu of a four-year degree, applicants with considerable progressive experience with GIS application development and GIS systems may be considered.
   
   Pay Range:Pay Range - - REQNUMBER: R-00083769
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Leidos will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in accordance with relevant Laws. Leidos is an equal opportunity employer/disability/vet.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right gis developer 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 gis developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit gis developers 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 gis developer job on Zippia to find and recruit gis developer 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

   To successfully recruit gis developers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a gis developer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 gis developer

   Once you've decided on a perfect gis developer 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new gis developer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a gis developer?