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How to hire an instrumentation engineer

Instrumentation engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring instrumentation engineers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire an instrumentation engineer is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new instrumentation engineer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an instrumentation engineer, step by step

To hire an instrumentation engineer, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire an instrumentation engineer:

Here's a step-by-step instrumentation engineer hiring guide:

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

What does an instrumentation engineer do?

An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.

Learn more about the specifics of what an instrumentation engineer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your instrumentation engineer 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 instrumentation engineer 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?

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

    Here's a comparison of instrumentation engineer salaries for various roles:

    Type of Instrumentation EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Instrumentation EngineerElectrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).$31-57
    Facility EngineerA facilities engineer specializes in managing and maintaining equipment and machinery in manufacturing plants or similar settings. Duties will revolve around conducting research and analysis through extensive data and blueprints, evaluating systems using various reports, handling issues, providing corrective measures, and performing regular inspections and maintenance... Show more$30-60
    Research And Development EngineerResearch and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies... Show more$35-64
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • PLC
    • Autocad
    • Analyzers
    • Troubleshoot
    • Instrumentation Systems
    • CAD
    • Technical Support
    • Control Valves
    • Data Acquisition Systems
    • NEC
    • Electrical Equipment
    • Control Systems
    • Project Management
    • Test Equipment
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
    • Develop control systems using advance controllers like PLC and DCS to improve efficiency of the system, productivity and optimize operations.
    • Perform troubleshooting on HMI's.
    • Complete monthly safety training and adhere to all OSHA mandate regulations.
    • Generate and update wiring on wiring module of SPI and prepares panel strip reports.
    • Determine and prepare all system configurations, selection of suitable devices and prepare I/O summary.
    More instrumentation engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

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

    $88,783yearly

    $42.68 hourly rate

    Entry-level instrumentation engineer salary
    $65,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 22, 2026

    Average instrumentation engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$116,487$56
    2Louisiana$102,922$49
    3Texas$94,455$45
    4Hawaii$92,494$44
    5Massachusetts$91,046$44
    6Delaware$88,594$43
    7Arizona$87,921$42
    8Colorado$87,087$42
    9Georgia$85,932$41
    10Oklahoma$85,861$41
    11Iowa$84,169$40
    12Michigan$81,384$39
    13New York$81,179$39
    14Alabama$81,164$39
    15New Hampshire$78,903$38
    16Missouri$78,757$38
    17Illinois$76,093$37
    18Florida$75,216$36
    19Pennsylvania$73,962$36
    20Wisconsin$66,789$32

    Average instrumentation engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Apple$142,808$68.6685
    2Intuitive Surgical$132,143$63.539
    3Microsoft$131,108$63.0339
    4Phillips 66$124,747$59.976
    5Marathon Petroleum$122,967$59.1213
    6Bed Bath & Beyond$122,583$58.93
    7Quidel$116,911$56.21
    8CITGO Petroleum$115,254$55.41
    9Exxon Mobil$114,620$55.1118
    10Cargill$113,547$54.5910
    11Greif$110,451$53.10
    12Arkema$109,731$52.76
    13California Institute of Technology$109,583$52.681
    14Eastman$108,303$52.07
    15The Dow Chemical Company$104,033$50.02
    16Albemarle$97,033$46.651
    17The Chemours Company$94,836$45.598
    18Thermo Fisher Scientific$94,361$45.3711
    19University of California-Berkeley$93,935$45.16
    20Woods Services$93,287$44.85
  4. Writing an instrumentation engineer job description

    An instrumentation engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of an instrumentation engineer job description:

    Instrumentation engineer job description example

    2, DC-8, WB-57, ALPHA-JET, UAS and others)

     Apply basic sample theories, aerodynamics, thermodynamics and physical science

    principles to maximize measurement quality and performance.

     Design, documentation, fabrication and prototyping of printed circuit boards, wire

    harnesses and mechanical assemblies for instruments and instrument subsystems.

     Develop and maintain acquisition software to operate the payload as well as for

    telemetry and graphical display.

     Support installation, operation and troubleshooting of airborne instrument deployments

    through travel and phone/email/media consultations.

     Keep abreast with latest electrical engineering technologies and works to implement

    them on NASA instruments.

    Supervisory Responsibility:

    This position has no supervisory responsibilities.



    Competencies Required:

     Proficient with analog and digital circuit design. Experience with data acquisition and

    control of instrument systems using digital I/O, ADCs and DACs. Sensor interface,

    amplifier, power supply design, noise reduction design, microcontroller and

    programming skills required.

     Experienced in the troubleshooting of electronic systems using standard benchtop

    tools like oscilloscopes, Spectrum Analyzers, DVMs.

     Experience with schematic capture and PCB routing with software such as Orcad or

    others

     Willingness to travel for extended periods of time to participate in field projects.

     Ability to work around NASA aircraft in a safe manner.

     Ability to work in a team environment.

     Experience with National Instruments LabVIEW, Matlab, IGOR is highly desirable

     Familiar with embedded programming (C/C++ Linux OS)

     Knowledge of sensing physics, related sensor types and analytical instrumentation

    development desirable.

    Required Education and Experience:

    Bachelors degree in a scientific discipline pertinent to the NASA Earth Science endeavor

    (engineering, chemistry, physics, atmospheric science or other related field) and at least

    three years of engineering experience;

    or a Masters degree in Engineering and at least one

    year of experience;

    or a Ph.D. degree, or an equivalent combination of education and

    experience. Electrical engineering experience should emphasize development and design of

    instruments and instrument systems.

    Travel:

    This position requires travel, approximately 8-16 weeks a year (typically 1-4 weeks per trip) to

    various (domestic or international) field campaign sites. During travel, long hours, sometimes

    at odd hours of the day, are the norm. When not traveling, the Engineer will work at NASA

    Ames Research Center (ARC) as part of the MMS team. The position will require an on-site

    presence in the MMS lab at least 3 days a week when not traveling.

    Security Clearance:

    Employee must be a U.S. citizen, and able to acquire a passport and must be able to pass

    personal background checks for working with the military, TSA, and the State Department.

    Physical Demands:

    Must be physically fit and be able to move supplies and small equipment.

  5. Post your job

    To find instrumentation engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any instrumentation engineers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level instrumentation engineers with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your instrumentation engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit instrumentation engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting instrumentation engineers 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.

    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 instrumentation engineer

    Once you have selected a candidate for the instrumentation engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    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.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new instrumentation engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 instrumentation engineer?

Before you start to hire instrumentation engineers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire instrumentation engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Instrumentation engineers earn a median yearly salary is $88,783 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find instrumentation engineers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $31 and $57.

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