How to hire a hardware development engineer

How to hire a hardware development engineer, step by step

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

What does a hardware development engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the hardware development engineer you need to hire. Certain hardware development engineer 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 hardware development engineer 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 hardware development engineers.

   Type of Hardware Development Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Hardware Development 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.	$42-77
   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
   Staff Engineer	Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations... Show more	$33-80

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Hardware Development
   • Analog
   • PCB
   • Prototype
   • Firmware
   • Debugging
   • Circuit Boards
   • RF
   • I2C
   • Component Selection
   • Prototyping
   • MATLAB
   • Ethernet
   • C

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop a LabVIEW application to automate the data acquisition of the qualification performance data.
   • Direct PCB layout to ensure signal integrity, EMI constraints, and design goals are meet.
   • Develop print circuit boards for lab bench, hand test and production test of digital and analog integrate circuits.
   • Test and verify products meet RF and safety requirements, including UL, EMC, CE-Europe, and LV.
   • Lead designer of complex multi-layer Ethernet switching devices.
   • Experience with Linux shell scripting in developing small tools for automation.

   More hardware development engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, hardware development engineers' average salary in kentucky is 54% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level hardware development engineers 45% less than senior-level hardware development engineers.
   • Certifications. A hardware development engineer 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 hardware development engineer's salary.

   Average hardware development engineer salary

   $119,370yearly

   $57.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hardware development engineer salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average hardware development engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$142,789	$69
   2	Washington	$140,849	$68
   3	Massachusetts	$107,128	$52
   4	Virginia	$104,619	$50
   5	New Jersey	$100,231	$48
   6	Oregon	$98,336	$47
   7	Colorado	$96,753	$47
   8	New York	$96,658	$46
   9	Texas	$96,294	$46
   10	Pennsylvania	$91,581	$44
   11	North Carolina	$87,309	$42
   12	Minnesota	$86,977	$42
   13	Florida	$81,457	$39
   14	Michigan	$72,884	$35

   Average hardware development engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$149,386	$71.82	264
   2	Google	$147,360	$70.85	56
   3	Microsoft	$144,972	$69.70	47
   4	GoPro	$136,454	$65.60
   5	Tesla	$131,296	$63.12	2
   6	3M Company	$128,874	$61.96	14
   7	Amazon	$127,845	$61.46	454
   8	Annapurna Pictures	$127,693	$61.39	1
   9	AEVA	$126,305	$60.72	2
   10	Varex Imaging	$126,297	$60.72	2
   11	Alcatel Networks Inc	$126,297	$60.72	1
   12	Mercedes-Benz of Sarasota	$126,297	$60.72
   13	Crusoe Energy Systems	$126,296	$60.72	4
   14	Monteris Medical	$126,293	$60.72
   15	ABL Space Systems	$126,137	$60.64
   16	Harmonic	$125,946	$60.55	1
   17	Fortinet	$125,397	$60.29	5
   18	Randstad North America, Inc.	$124,906	$60.05	18
   19	Oclaro	$124,795	$60.00
   20	Navistar	$123,976	$59.60	2

4. Writing a hardware development engineer job description

   A good hardware development 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 development engineer job description:

   Hardware development engineer job description example

   ABL Space Systems was founded in 2017 by veterans of SpaceX and Morgan Stanley to develop low-cost launch vehicles for the small satellite industry. More importantly, we're building a launch system we are truly proud of - no gimmicks or over-design, just reliable, rapidly deployable launches. We're an ambitious team with big goals and, together, we're determined to prove that reaching space can be simple, efficient, and routine.
   When launch day arrives, we want you by our side
   
   ABL's Hardware Development Engineers design and operate a wide variety of rocket and ground systems, creating robust machines that just work. They are the go-to doers of ABL that solve problems and move the company forward.
   
   From test stands to vehicle structures to mechanisms, the Hardware Development Engineer's scope is broad and multi-disciplinary. Good Hardware Development Engineers recognize that their ownership of a product is fully inclusive - they are responsible for dreaming, designing, developing, building, qualifying, and flying their hardware.
   Responsibilities Take ownership of a critical product, system, or test campaign Identify and trade strategies to meet design requirements and select the right approach Perform system sizing and analysis using hand calculations, custom scripts and more advanced analysis packages Execute design work, considering manufacturing and operational constraints Develop, test, and qualify the product or systems, or design and execute the test campaign Develop production methodology and support initial builds Design and build test hardware and production tooling
   Basic qualificationsB.S. in any engineering discipline from an accredited university One of the following experience bases: 2+ years of industry experience in a production, integration & test, or design role Hands-on extracurricular projects or internships/co-ops
   Preferred skills and experience Demonstrated ability utilizing CAD design software (e.g. NX, CATIA, CREO/PRO-E) Demonstrated analysis capability using hand-calcs as well as finite element analysis (e.g. ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN) Preliminary understanding of manufacturing processes and GD&TAbility to program scripts in Python or MATLABStrong understanding of compressible/incompressible flow and thermodynamics Aerospace hardware design and development Writing and executing test procedures for complex hardware operations Technical writing and communication including test plans and design reviews
   What we look for1. Critical thinking: ABL engineers understand the "why" behind all design decisions, operational events and test outcomes. 2. Ability to deal with ambiguity: there is no roadmap and ABL engineers must be comfortable defining their own pathway to an objective. 3. End-to-end ownership: projects are delivered fully complete and ready for flight; there is no one to pick up the slack of partially complete work.
   
   ITAR Requirement
   This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, permanent residents, asylees, and refugees) is a required qualification for this position.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer
   We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find hardware development 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 hardware development engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit hardware development engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with hardware development 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 development engineer

   Once you've found the hardware development 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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