How to hire a hardware design engineer

How to hire a hardware design engineer, step by step

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

What does a hardware design engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a hardware design engineer, 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

   A hardware design engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, hardware design 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of hardware design engineers.

   Type of Hardware Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Hardware Design Engineer	Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components such as processors, circuit boards, memory devices, networks, and routers. These engineers discover new directions in computer hardware, which generate rapid advances in computer technology.	$38-66
   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
   Verification Engineer	A verification engineer is responsible for running quality tests to the production processes to ensure high-quality outputs according to business requirements and client specifications. Verification engineers develop testing methodologies, inspect tools and equipment, and creating instructional manuals... Show more	$36-68

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • RF
   • PCB
   • Analog
   • Firmware
   • CAD
   • Cadence
   • Circuit Design
   • Debugging
   • Test Equipment
   • MATLAB
   • Verilog
   • SPI
   • Signal Integrity
   • Circuit Boards

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform back-end flow from RTL code synthesis, timing driven physical design to achieve a timing closure type-out database.
   • Lead design team through preliminary and detail design, including trade studies, requirement verification, system prototyping and testing.
   • Develop hardware and user-friendly GUI driven software to automate the manufacturing test and debug of microprocessor/ DSP control VXI bus modules.
   • Generate synthesis reports and automate simulation using Perl scripts.
   • Implement SPI port, USB port and Ethernet port.
   • Acquire insights on popular inter-board interfaces like PCI, SPI, I2C, UART, MII, RS232, etc.

   More hardware design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your hardware design engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A hardware design 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 hardware design engineer in Nebraska may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level hardware design engineer usually earns less than a senior-level hardware design engineer. Additionally, a hardware design 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 hardware design engineer salary

   $106,135yearly

   $51.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hardware design engineer salary

   $80,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average hardware design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$140,226	$67
   2	California	$134,149	$64
   3	Massachusetts	$108,581	$52
   4	Arizona	$105,392	$51
   5	Maryland	$105,076	$51
   6	Texas	$100,061	$48
   7	New York	$96,783	$47
   8	North Carolina	$92,204	$44
   9	Illinois	$89,945	$43
   10	Alabama	$89,749	$43
   11	Oregon	$89,742	$43
   12	Georgia	$88,201	$42
   13	Colorado	$88,088	$42
   14	Michigan	$78,290	$38

   Average hardware design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$170,243	$81.85	381
   2	Google	$151,477	$72.83	120
   3	Apple	$148,697	$71.49	400
   4	Microsoft	$143,342	$68.91	67
   5	Palo Alto Networks	$138,731	$66.70
   6	Magnum Semiconductor	$131,817	$63.37
   7	Amazon	$128,391	$61.73	386
   8	Cisco	$126,837	$60.98	48
   9	Ford Motor	$123,810	$59.52	127
   10	Tesla	$123,437	$59.34	112
   11	CyberCoders	$121,915	$58.61	10
   12	Applied Materials	$121,775	$58.55	48
   13	Dolby Laboratories	$121,465	$58.40
   14	Juniper Networks	$120,006	$57.70
   15	Texas Instruments	$118,407	$56.93	34
   16	Arista Networks	$116,083	$55.81	11
   17	Finisar	$115,821	$55.68
   18	The-Panther-Group	$115,458	$55.51
   19	Pluribus Networks	$115,403	$55.48
   20	Kelly Services	$115,068	$55.32	26

4. Writing a hardware design engineer job description

   A good hardware design engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a hardware design engineer job description:

   Hardware design engineer job description example

   Arista Networks is a fast-growing company and an industry leader in the ethernet switch industry. Our switch systems have touched every corner of the market - from the data centers of the world's largest cloud-computing companies, to your local university's server room, and every application in between. We design virtually all of the hardware and software that goes into our products and it's a badge we wear proudly. This wouldn't be possible without the likes of talented engineers who are given the opportunity to fully lead their own projects and the freedom to think outside the box. Whether you are an intern, a junior engineer or someone who's been around the block, one thing is for certain - you will leave your mark. We are looking for experienced, motivated full-time hardware engineers to join us in creating industry-leading Cloud Networking Ethernet switches at our headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.
   Responsibilities:
   
   Candidates for this position would be responsible for the entire hardware design process:
   Authoring Functional Specifications Selecting and Qualifying Components Schematic Capture Working closely with PCB Layout (CAD) Overseeing and specifying PCB fabrication Working closely with Contract Manufacturer (CM) during all builds, from proto through production Lab bring up and debug Qualifying Components Training CM for high yield test and manufacturing
   
   Qualifications
   BSEE 3 to 10 years of relevant experience Experience designing Networking Hardware, particularly Ethernet switching Embedded x86/ARM system design is highly desirable High layer count boards Gigabit+ signaling experience High speed (>150MHz) parallel buses, SDR and DDR 802.3 IEEE compliance Writing specifications and drawing schematics for high complexity boards Working closely with CAD designers on complicated layout and routing Working closely with Software engineers for bringup and debug Familiarity with signal integrity and power integrity concepts such as impedance, differential routing, insertion loss, board stackups Experience designing for Manufacturability FPGA design using Verilog System simulation using Verilog Working with Contract Manufacturers Successfully taking products from concept to production
   
   Additional Information
   
   All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
   
   Where legally permitted, Arista requires all candidates for U.S.-based positions to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have an approved accommodation under applicable law. Candidates anticipating seeking an exemption should contact Arista HR before their start date. Candidates accepting an offer must provide proof of vaccination status on their first day. All offers of employment are contingent upon complying with Arista's vaccination policy.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit hardware design engineers, 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.

   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 hardware design engineer

   Once you've selected the best hardware design engineer 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 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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How much does it cost to hire a hardware design engineer?