How to hire an information architect

How to hire an information architect, step by step

Here's a step-by-step information architect hiring guide:

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

What does an information architect do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The information architect 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?

   Yes

   No

   An information architect's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, information architects 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 information architects and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Information Architect	Description	Hourly rate
   Information Architect	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	$41-81
   SQL Server Developer	A structured query language (SQL) server developer is a specialist who is tasked to develop and maintain systems to store, organize, and access databases. With their experience in data architect and management, SQL server developers can develop and scale SQL databases based on the needs of their organization... Show more	$34-54
   Software Engineer	A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer... Show more	$35-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Data Architecture
   • Data Models
   • Metadata
   • Data Quality
   • Data Governance
   • ETL
   • BI
   • Project Management
   • Html Css
   • Data Warehouse
   • Data Analysis
   • User Experience
   • Develop User

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage whole UNIX file system and monitor all UNIX process.
   • Lead, document, and report on the daily scrum meetings.
   • Serve as an SME on technical and policy issues to high level managers and technical leads for national systems.
   • Manage the metadata repository and set of reference parameters for external and internal web content.
   • Migrate documentation from FrameMaker into LCA and rework to apply structure authoring and minimalism principles (DITA).
   • Interview SMEs and QA to gather documentation data.

   More information architect duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your information architect job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An information architect 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 an information architect in Nebraska may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level information architect usually earns less than a senior-level information architect. Additionally, an information architect 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 information architect salary

   $121,945yearly

   $58.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level information architect salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average information architect salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$140,783	$68
   2	District of Columbia	$126,029	$61
   3	Washington	$123,802	$60
   4	New York	$123,712	$59
   5	Massachusetts	$119,817	$58
   6	Arizona	$119,538	$57
   7	New Jersey	$119,012	$57
   8	North Carolina	$115,997	$56
   9	Virginia	$110,304	$53
   10	Florida	$109,505	$53
   11	Texas	$108,458	$52
   12	Maryland	$108,252	$52
   13	Pennsylvania	$108,135	$52
   14	Colorado	$106,858	$51
   15	Michigan	$106,856	$51
   16	Wisconsin	$106,748	$51
   17	Illinois	$104,925	$50
   18	Delaware	$103,100	$50
   19	Georgia	$100,369	$48
   20	Minnesota	$96,129	$46

   Average information architect salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$160,147	$76.99	548
   2	Cambridge Associates	$152,900	$73.51
   3	DocuSign	$150,158	$72.19	12
   4	Microsoft	$149,864	$72.05	180
   5	Southern California Edison	$141,414	$67.99	1
   6	Citi	$140,706	$67.65	12
   7	J.P. Morgan	$135,225	$65.01
   8	New York Blood Center	$134,850	$64.83
   9	Nike	$133,972	$64.41	5
   10	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$133,806	$64.33	258
   11	Walmart	$131,129	$63.04	58
   12	ServiceNow	$130,827	$62.90	118
   13	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$129,264	$62.15
   14	The Vanguard Group	$124,096	$59.66	10
   15	Randstad North America, Inc.	$122,793	$59.04	6
   16	TalentQuest	$122,274	$58.79
   17	AstraZeneca	$122,208	$58.75	8
   18	Epitec	$122,058	$58.68	5
   19	Amazon	$122,044	$58.67	498
   20	ASTRA	$121,846	$58.58

4. Writing an information architect job description

   A good information architect 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 an information architect job description:

   Information architect job description example

   Indiana University Health adheres to the organization's Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance, and aligns with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.
   
   Apply for an Information Services O365 Architect role with IU Health! The hours will be M-F approx 8-5pm and will be a hybrid role with weekly remote and onsite requirements in Indianapolis. This role will be part of the IS Networking department within the Productivity Management team!
   
   The Office 365 Service Architect is primarily responsible for working alongside other O365 architects to define mid-long-term strategy with respect to the platform, develop/enhance services, and to work with the security and compliance organizations to implement appropriate governance and security controls.
   
   The primary responsibilities for this role will include but not limited to provide technical leadership for the O365 team at IU Health. Articulating complex technical topics and creating presentations for executive leadership. Creation of service design, architectural requirements, and testing documentation, end-to-end service management. Collaboration with other IT-related stakeholders on various planning efforts and assisting project managers with network builds and resourcing estimates for large implementations. Running proof-of-concept testing for new platforms and capabilities
   Preferences
   
   * Knowledge of Data Loss Prevention concepts and tactical implementation experience
   * Knowledge of Microsoft Information Protection capabilities and tactical implementation experience (labeling, encryption, watermarking)
   * Experience working in HIPAA-regulated environments
   * Experience working in large enterprise environments (10K+ users)
   * Experience with Power Apps and Power Automate, and platform governance experience (ALM)
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Informatics, or similar
   * Expertise in automating tasks with PowerShell
   * Strong practical work experience with REST-based APIs and the Microsoft Graph
   * Strong working knowledge Azure Active Directory and O365 tenant security best practices
   * 8+ years working with Office 365
   
   Safeguarding our patients and each other is an important part of how we deliver the best care possible to the communities we serve. As a condition of employment, IU Health requires all new hires to receive various vaccinations, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, barring an approved exemption. New hires will also be provided the option to submit proof of previous vaccination.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion at IU Health. IU Health does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, national origin, gender identity and/or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find information architects 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 information architect job on Zippia to find and attract quality information architect candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with information architect 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview information architect 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 information architect

   Once you've selected the best information architect 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 an information architect?