How to hire an intelligent systems engineer

How to hire an intelligent systems engineer, step by step

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

What does an intelligent systems engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your intelligent systems 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 intelligent systems 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?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect intelligent systems 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 presents intelligent systems engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Intelligent Systems Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Intelligent Systems Engineer		$36-68
   Engineering Trainee	An engineering trainee is responsible for shadowing engineers in their duties and performing administrative tasks as needed. Engineering trainees assist the engineers in inspecting construction sites and conducting field research... Show more	$20-39
   Controls Designer	Controls designers both design and draft systems of hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical controls for equipment and machines. The designers make diagrams of the logic system for timing and sequence control... Show more	$33-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Artificial Intelligence
   • Java
   • Python
   • Architecture
   • Cloud
   • ETL
   • TS/SCI
   • DOD
   • Intelligence Systems
   • GIT
   • Data Warehouse
   • Data Quality
   • Technical Support
   • SME

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform responsibilities of collecting and understanding business requirements for an internal TCS project to automate the report generations.
   • Support NGA Bethesda campus SMS servers.
   • Retire intelligence professional with TS/SCI poly clearance seeks local job in west Florida.
   • Perform database tuning, data validation and ETL data transactions of massive record sets containing millions of records.
   • Provide SME support for the development and delivery of challenging work products to meet or exceed desire results.
   • Represent the NRAI in all program level ERBs and customer-le NGA configuration control boards to coordinate agency changes.

   More intelligent systems engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, intelligent systems engineers' average salary in south carolina is 39% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level intelligent systems engineers 47% less than senior-level intelligent systems engineers.
   • Certifications. An intelligent systems 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 an intelligent systems engineer's salary.

   Average intelligent systems engineer salary

   $103,352yearly

   $49.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level intelligent systems engineer salary

   $75,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average intelligent systems engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$134,434	$65
   2	Oregon	$108,106	$52
   3	Washington	$104,916	$50
   4	Massachusetts	$98,910	$48
   5	North Carolina	$96,549	$46
   6	New York	$95,262	$46
   7	Minnesota	$93,837	$45
   8	Arizona	$92,693	$45
   9	Texas	$90,254	$43
   10	Virginia	$89,452	$43
   11	Illinois	$88,821	$43
   12	Georgia	$88,768	$43
   13	Michigan	$88,098	$42
   14	Florida	$87,790	$42
   15	Pennsylvania	$86,458	$42
   16	Colorado	$86,281	$41

   Average intelligent systems engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$154,551	$74.30	114
   2	Airbnb	$148,837	$71.56	5
   3	DoorDash	$135,927	$65.35	8
   4	PayPal	$135,010	$64.91	4
   5	Square	$128,842	$61.94
   6	Adobe	$124,127	$59.68	2
   7	ChannelAdvisor	$120,918	$58.13
   8	Microsoft	$120,076	$57.73	28
   9	Salesforce	$118,751	$57.09	6
   10	NVIDIA	$115,930	$55.74	127
   11	Teradata	$114,443	$55.02	2
   12	Snap	$114,430	$55.01	20
   13	GoDaddy	$114,219	$54.91
   14	Empire State Development Corporation	$113,753	$54.69
   15	Wegmans Food Markets	$112,564	$54.12
   16	Blackstone Group	$110,809	$53.27
   17	Insider	$110,182	$52.97
   18	TIBCO Software	$109,502	$52.65
   19	Justworks	$109,301	$52.55	1
   20	23andMe	$109,186	$52.49

4. Writing an intelligent systems engineer job description

   An intelligent systems 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an intelligent systems engineer job description:

   Intelligent systems engineer job description example

   Proficio is an award-winning managed detection and response (MDR) services provider. We provide 24/7 security monitoring, investigation, alerting and response services to organizations in healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, retail and other industries. Proficio has been highlighted in Gartners Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services for the last three consecutive years. We have a track record of innovation. Proficio invented the concept of SOC-as-a-Service. We were the first MSSP to provide automated response services and the first in our space to provide a risk scoring dashboard.
   
   Our typical client is a medium to large-sized organization that lacks the in-house resources to address the challenges of a rapidly changing threat landscape. The difficulty of hiring and retaining cybersecurity professionals are widely understood but our prospective clients also struggle to effectively harness technology and build hardened processes.
   
   While Proficio has developed a unified service delivery platform designed to meet the needs of the most demanding clients, what sets us apart is the quality and passion of our people. We believe the SOC of the Future will meld the creativity of human intelligence with the power of advanced technologies like AI.
   
   Proficio is seeking a Vulnerability Intelligence Engineer to join our Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM) Services team. The Vulnerability Intelligence Engineer will be heavily focused on consultative security related services and performing vulnerability management functions for our RBVM service clients. The Engineer will be an active participant in our customer offering and will build vulnerability management solutions, perform vulnerability assessments, and provide vulnerability intelligence to prioritize vulnerabilities that focus client remediation efforts.
   
   A successful candidate should have a fundamental understanding of vulnerability management processes and how threat intelligence and attack surface modeling can inform the likelihood of exploit of a vulnerability. The candidate will play a key role in engineering and applying new vulnerability intelligence metrics to the vulnerability assessment and prioritization processes in the Proficio RBVM lifecycle.
   
   The ideal candidate will be someone with vulnerability management experience using the Qualys cloud platform tools; working knowledge of Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, containers, orchestration tools, and Splunk; and a good understanding of Windows, Linux, mac OS, TCP/IP, Network Security and Python.
   Responsibilities Build vulnerability management solutions for our clients. Produce RBVM service deliverables for our clients. These deliverables include scans, analysis, prioritizations, remediation recommendations, and reports. Development, maintenance, and continual improvement of the vulnerability management platform, processes, and technical assessment support Contribute to vulnerability management strategy and automation Document vulnerability management policies, procedures, and processes. Collaborate with client engineering teams to understand their vulnerability management needs and collectively develop remediation and mitigation strategies Contribute to vulnerability intelligence criteria, methods, and processes Script in languages such as Python, Java, Shell Script to build workflows and automation of scan data Maintain knowledge and skillset relevant to trends in the industry Additional duties may be assigned Ensure security, availability, and confidentiality of all sensitive data collected, processed, or stored by this position Requirements Required 1-2 years of combined experience in vulnerability management or a multi-discipline security engineer role 1 year experience with Qualys cloud modules (VM, WAS, CS, PCI, PC, etc.) and deploying Qualys agents, sensors, and virtual scanning appliances 1 year experience running vulnerability management assessments, prioritizing vulnerabilities, and creating remediation plans for an enterprise level company Knowledge of vulnerability management processes for infrastructure, cloud-native, and remote endpoints Knowledge of CVSS, CVE, NVD, ExploitDB and other vulnerability management resources Strong communication skills including ability to relate technical concepts as this is a customer facing consultative/technical role Continuous learner who has a passion for cybersecurity Superior problem-solving abilities Experience working for an MSSP/MDR highly desired with experience working for an enterprise level firm required if no MSSP/MDR experience Experience in a customer facing role with strong communication skills including ability to relate technical concepts to support both phone and face to face interactions Preferred Experience across multiple vulnerability management tools such as Qualys, Tenable.io (Nessus), Rapid7, Kenna, RiskIQ, RiskSense, Balbix, etc. Experience working with SIEM technologies receiving and triaging alerts from various log sources preferred Strong base in Linux operating systems, scripting skills (preferably in Python), and experience with a variety of other security tools, Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, containers, orchestration tools, and Splunk LOCATION & TRAVEL Position is a remote US role or can sit in our San Diego SOC. Position is <10% travel to start, but may require more in the future Position will service customers throughout the US with potential work for customers around our other global SOCs located in Barcelona and Singapore Benefits Opportunity to work in a progressive organization with structured training and roadmap for success ProLunch, Game Room, onsite Gym, and fun employee activities! Health, Dental and Vision plans available first of the month and other benefits available from day 1 401K plan Gym reimbursement Employee Assistance Program Life and Voluntary Life Insurance programs Proficio is an EOE employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find intelligent systems 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 intelligent systems engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level intelligent systems 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 intelligent systems engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit intelligent systems engineer 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

   To successfully recruit intelligent systems engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with an intelligent systems engineer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 intelligent systems engineer

   Once you've found the intelligent systems 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.

   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 intelligent systems engineer 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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