How to hire an infrastructure administrator

How to hire an infrastructure administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step infrastructure administrator hiring guide:

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

What does an infrastructure administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, infrastructure administrators 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 infrastructure administrators.

   Type of Infrastructure Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Infrastructure Administrator	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$31-62
   Help Desk Administrator	Help desk administrator is responsible for handling activities related to system support for their company or organization. They are in charge of providing superb client experiences and working in resolving support issues in a professional and timely manner... Show more	$16-34
   Network/Server Administrator	A Network Administrator ensures an organizations' network is operational and up to date. They solve problems that arise within computer networks, maintaining computer networks, interacting with clients, and consulting with them to determine their system requirements... Show more	$27-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Troubleshoot
   • Linux
   • Windows Server
   • OS
   • PowerShell
   • SAN
   • Switches
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Tcp Ip
   • QA
   • Virtualization
   • DNS
   • Java
   • Azure

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage allocate SAN storage and HBA configuration.
   • Manage, upgrade, and troubleshot ShoreTel VOIP network.
   • Manage all SSL certificates as well as internal and external DNS services for the organization.
   • Used SCCM to manage resources, software distribution, inventory, build software packages, and troubleshoot fail installs.
   • Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
   • Resolve network issues using DHCP, and DNS.

   More infrastructure administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your infrastructure administrator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level infrastructure administrator usually earns less than a senior-level infrastructure administrator. Additionally, an infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator salary

   $93,079yearly

   $44.75 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level infrastructure administrator salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average infrastructure administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,172	$61
   2	New York	$107,948	$52
   3	New Jersey	$106,186	$51
   4	District of Columbia	$104,757	$50
   5	Virginia	$99,494	$48
   6	Connecticut	$96,477	$46
   7	Washington	$93,815	$45
   8	Nevada	$93,759	$45
   9	Pennsylvania	$93,334	$45
   10	Maryland	$93,021	$45
   11	Ohio	$90,334	$43
   12	Alabama	$90,249	$43
   13	Texas	$88,865	$43
   14	Massachusetts	$82,993	$40
   15	Louisiana	$80,474	$39
   16	Michigan	$79,530	$38
   17	Florida	$79,143	$38
   18	Illinois	$78,423	$38
   19	North Carolina	$78,260	$38
   20	Georgia	$77,215	$37

   Average infrastructure administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$136,191	$65.48	8
   2	VMware	$125,510	$60.34
   3	BNY Mellon	$121,930	$58.62	12
   4	Barclays	$121,783	$58.55	1
   5	Bloomberg	$117,354	$56.42	12
   6	New Jersey Resources	$112,138	$53.91
   7	Best Buy	$111,227	$53.47
   8	Grainger	$108,805	$52.31	1
   9	Open Systems Technologies	$108,181	$52.01	3
   10	ZeniMax Media	$102,018	$49.05
   11	HBK Investments	$100,490	$48.31
   12	TEKsystems	$100,480	$48.31	107
   13	Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis	$100,412	$48.27	1
   14	PepsiCo	$98,253	$47.24	1
   15	UserTesting	$97,113	$46.69	2
   16	Integration Innovation	$96,599	$46.44	5
   17	CDO Technologies	$96,099	$46.20	2
   18	ASRC Federal	$95,971	$46.14	57
   19	Sherwin-Williams	$95,525	$45.93	7
   20	JSMN Intl Inc	$94,983	$45.66

4. Writing an infrastructure administrator job description

   A good infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator job description:

   Infrastructure administrator job description example

   Barbaricum is a rapidly growing government contractor providing leading-edge support to federal customers, with a particular focus on Defense and National Security mission sets. We leverage more than 14 years of support to stakeholders across the federal government, with established and growing capabilities across Intelligence, Analytics, Engineering, Mission Support, and Communications disciplines. Founded in 2008, our mission is to transform the way our customers approach constantly changing and complex problem sets by bringing to bear the latest in technology and the highest caliber of talent.
   
   Headquartered in Washington, DC's historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, Barbaricum also has a corporate presence in Tampa, FL and Dayton, OH, with team members across the United States and around the world. As a leader in our space, we partner with firms in the private sector, academic institutions, and industry associations with a goal of continually building our expertise and capabilities for the benefit of our employees and the customers we support. Through all of this, we have built a vibrant corporate culture diverse in expertise and perspectives with a focus on collaboration and innovation. Our teams are at the frontier of the Nation's most complex and rewarding challenges. Join us.
   
   Barbaricum is seeking a Senior Infrastructure Administrator to support the Naval Surface Warfare Crane Division with enterprise-wide Information Technology support services. This program facilitates existing and future capabilities and initiatives across Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, and Command, Control, and Communications (C3) modernization goals aligned to NSWC's core charges of Electronic Warfare, Expeditionary Warfare, and Strategic Missions supporting a customer base that includes the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and US Special Operations Command.
   
   ResponsibilitiesWill be responsible for supporting daily operational requirements of computer network systems including workstation, file servers, and web servers. Day to day duties will typically involve the installation of hardware, software, systems upgrades, network accounts, network security, and web page design, interface and updates, and local system design documentation. Position includes knowledge of maintaining, troubleshooting, and implementing network security tools including firewalls, anti-virus, and intrusion detection services. Will be responsible for training staff members on software applicable to their position, assist customers with information technology, monitors system configuration (hardware and software), and provides instruction on computers and applications.
   
   QualificationsActive DoD Secret clearance required Master's level degree in electrical/electronic/computer engineering, computer science, or information systems Possess ONE of the following active certifications: CompTIA Security+ CE, Network+, CCNA Security, CySA+, GICSP, GSEC, CND, SSCP, CSSLP, CISSP, ECSP or SECURE C++7 years professional experience in systems administration
   
   Desired QualificationsSeven years of full-time professional experience with the configuration, deployment, and operation and maintenance of fiber-channel and Ethernet technologies. Five years of experience with in managing Virtual Servers and Desktops Five years of experience with Storage Area Networks and Backup administration
   , please visit our website at www.barbaricum.com. We will contact candidates directly to schedule interviews. No phone calls please.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator job on Zippia to find and attract quality infrastructure administrator candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting infrastructure administrators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   If your interviews with infrastructure administrator applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 infrastructure administrator

   Once you've selected the best infrastructure administrator 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new infrastructure administrator 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 infrastructure administrator?