How to hire an information technology architect

How to hire an information technology architect, step by step

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

What does an information technology architect do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your information technology architect 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 an information technology architect 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

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

   This list shows salaries for various types of information technology architects.

   Type of Information Technology Architect	Description	Hourly rate
   Information Technology Architect		$42-73
   Systems Architect	A systems architect specializes in designing and developing computer networks and systems for company operations. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify a company's needs, devising strategies to reach particular goals, improving existing systems, and implementing solutions for optimal processes... Show more	$36-67
   Lead Architect	A lead architect spearheads architectural operations while maintaining an active communication line with clients. They typically meet with clients to discuss the project's needs and specifications, agree on a budget, provide advice and recommendations, and negotiate contracts... Show more	$37-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cloud
   • Java
   • Emerging Technologies
   • Azure
   • Project Management
   • Enterprise Architecture
   • API
   • C++
   • Application Development
   • Linux
   • Digital Transformation
   • Web Services
   • Business Process
   • ITIL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used PowerShell to automate routine tasks within the environment.
   • Manage the transition of an enterprise data set from disparate storage systems to a NetApp V6280A.
   • Manage and architect high visibility projects for implementation of ERP, CRM, EDW and middleware solutions.
   • Manage end to end testing with QA team for upcoming release and ensure that all critical bugs are track.
   • Develop company product strategy and lead the team to produce and operate a secure and very compute intense SaaS offering.
   • Lead CIO sponsor strategic corporate initiatives resulting in production-deploy solutions and realize ROI.

   More information technology architect duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $116,007yearly

   $55.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level information technology architect salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average information technology architect salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$145,309	$70
   2	Delaware	$124,814	$60
   3	District of Columbia	$123,280	$59
   4	New Jersey	$120,582	$58
   5	New York	$118,248	$57
   6	North Carolina	$117,631	$57
   7	Florida	$115,210	$55
   8	Pennsylvania	$115,024	$55
   9	Virginia	$112,733	$54
   10	Texas	$112,106	$54
   11	Michigan	$111,925	$54
   12	Minnesota	$111,762	$54
   13	Georgia	$111,237	$53
   14	Illinois	$110,550	$53
   15	Ohio	$108,618	$52
   16	Colorado	$108,380	$52
   17	Missouri	$107,180	$52
   18	Arizona	$106,704	$51
   19	Tennessee	$106,340	$51
   20	Nebraska	$103,044	$50

   Average information technology architect salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$152,482	$73.31	29
   2	Levi Strauss & Co.	$147,989	$71.15	1
   3	DoorDash	$147,420	$70.88	5
   4	F5	$147,265	$70.80	22
   5	Bunge	$145,994	$70.19	2
   6	Atlassian	$144,961	$69.69	16
   7	AQR Capital Management	$143,529	$69.00
   8	Juniper Networks	$142,812	$68.66
   9	Citi	$142,766	$68.64	38
   10	Marathon Petroleum	$142,599	$68.56	25
   11	Cisco	$141,919	$68.23	36
   12	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$140,857	$67.72	274
   13	World Fuel Services	$139,913	$67.27	1
   14	ForgeRock	$139,780	$67.20
   15	Riverbed Holdings, Inc.	$139,734	$67.18
   16	NVIDIA	$139,481	$67.06	186
   17	Dynavax Technologies	$139,137	$66.89
   18	Mercy Corps	$138,091	$66.39
   19	Informatica	$137,219	$65.97
   20	Bank of the West	$136,970	$65.85

4. Writing an information technology architect job description

   An information technology architect 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 an information technology architect job description:

   Information technology architect job description example

   Enterprise Holdings is the world's largest car rental operator and an industry leader in mobility and technology. We're one of the top global travel companies, ranking ahead of many airlines and most cruise lines and hotels. And no matter what transportation challenges our customers face, we have an innovative solution.
   
   We operate the Enterprise Rent-A-Car National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands via more than 9,500 fully staffed neighborhood and airport offices, including franchisee branches, in nearly 100 countries and territories.
   
   Through this robust global network, we operate a fleet of nearly 1.7 million vehicles and provide a comprehensive portfolio of transportation solutions, including car rental, carsharing, vanpooling, car sales, truck rental, vehicle-subscription and affiliated fleet management services. As a total mobility provider, we serve the needs of a wide variety of customers, businesses, government agencies and organizations every day.
   
   At the center of it all, our dedicated IT teams innovate, design and develop the technology that is redefining how customers rent, buy and share vehicles from our family of brands. Here, you will be part of a diverse and talented team that creates and delivers powerful technology solutions for our customers and employees across the world with the resources and support to develop in a variety of career paths.
   
   As you are considering a position with Enterprise Holdings, we invite you to learn more about our business. Today - and every day - the safety and wellbeing of employees, customers and the communities we serve is our top priority. For the latest on our COVID-19 response, please click here.
   
   As an Enterprise employee, we offer an excellent package with market-competitive pay, comprehensive healthcare packages, 401k matching & profit sharing, schedule flexibility, work from home opportunities, paid time off, and organizational growth potential.
   
   This position is open to candidates who wish to work from home (WFH). Employees who choose virtual / remote work should have an adequate space to serve as their home office. #LI-REMOTE
   Responsibilities The Rental API Engineering team is responsible for the development and delivery of new strategic rental fulfillment APIs. These APIs provide business capabilities that can be consumed by both internal and external clients. Our API services strategy emphasizes API first design, microservices architecture and client agnostic capabilities that allow for quick and flexible consumption. As an Architect on the Rental API Engineering team, you will work closely with our development teams to model and design strategic API service solutions in support of our rental business. You will provide leadership in the architecture and design of highly complex, often global, API services solutions including activities such as domain modeling, API design, system design, systems integration, and implementation strategies. In this strategic position, you may collaborate across multiple implementation projects, proof of concepts, and department initiatives working with a wide variety of teams from across the organization. To be successful, you will need to be a thought leader and partner with other technologists across the organization.
   
   To be successful in the IT Architect role you will need to foster relationships with engineers and architects to ensure we are developing cohesive and comprehensive global solutions that meet the needs of the business. The Rental API Engineering technology environment includes a mixture of Java, Android, Angular, Oracle, on-prem UNIX servers and cloud-based servers. Now is an exciting time to be part of this team as we deliver high quality, innovative API solutions transforming our rental systems in an evolving transportation landscape.
   
   Responsibilities: Provide expert level technical consultations and analyses, solving complex problems Perform leadership role in designing solutions, organizing, attending, and leading hands-on working sessions with the various teams Design solutions at an abstract/conceptual level as well as at a detailed level Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise to the engineering teams Drive continuous improvement in product, processes, and tools; developing and implementing new or enhanced technical methods and techniques to improve the development practice Work with product management and development teams to provide feedback and help influence the direction of product roadmap initiatives and product management processes Work with other solution architects to ensure knowledge sharing across the organization and ensure consistent problem-solving approaches are developed Provide mentoring and coaching including hands-on peer code reviews with the engineers Stay current on technology trends, new product capabilities, and how they impact our solutions Translate complex technical issues and concepts into less-technical terminology for non-technical stakeholders Develop, document, and maintain strategies, architectural blueprints, and roadmaps Manage solution designs within scope and recognize needs for change requests where required Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans Qualifications Required: Must be presently authorized to work in the U.S. without a requirement for work authorization sponsorship by our company for this position now or in the future Must have 5 or more years of related experience Extensive experience designing and developing large scale applications Experience with Open API Experience with Web Services using REST Prior experience as a Solution Architect or similar role Must demonstrate the ability to define architectural considerations and potential solutions, including proactively assess the technical, cost, support, and risk implications and incorporate these into implementation recommendations Must demonstrate experience in problem solving, including analyzing requirements, identifying and defining the problem to be solved, collecting data, establishing the facts, drawing valid conclusions and developing solutions Must demonstrate the ability to establish and maintain solid working relationships with subordinates, peers, management, teams, business partners, vendors, and departments Must demonstrate excellent communication skills with professional acumen, both verbal and written, including good listening skills and ability to communicate at all levels of the organization Must be committed to incorporating security into all decisions and daily job responsibilities Preferred: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, or related field preferred Experience with agile development methodologies and tools such as Scrum or Kanban Experience with JIRA, Confluence, and/or similar tool Java development experience and understanding of OO design patterns Proficient with web services & service-oriented architecture (SOA) Experience with cloud providers such as, Amazon, Azure or similar Experience with Test Driven Development (TDD) and/or Behavioral Driven Development (BDD)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right information technology architect for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your information technology architect job on Zippia to find and recruit information technology architect 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 information technology 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.

   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.

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

   Once you've found the information technology architect 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new information technology architect 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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How much does it cost to hire an information technology architect?