How to hire a junior design engineer

How to hire a junior design engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step junior design engineer hiring guide:

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

What does a junior design engineer do?

Post a junior design engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the junior design engineer you need to hire. Certain junior design engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 junior design 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 shows salaries for various types of junior design engineers.

   Type of Junior Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior Design Engineer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$19-41
   Staff Engineer	Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations... Show more	$33-80
   Product Engineer	A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public... Show more	$32-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Engineering Drawings
   • Solidworks
   • Auto CAD
   • R
   • Prototyping
   • Test Procedures
   • Electronic Components
   • CATIA
   • CSS
   • GD
   • HVAC
   • BOM
   • Microprocessors
   • Design Changes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a brainstorming session for review with supplier & management and follow through the successful implementation of a corrective action.
   • Design and modele HVAC systems using Revit and AutoCAD software.
   • Assist in the supervision and fabrication of prototype equipment including conveyors, robotics, and pharmaceutical equipment and automate beverage systems.
   • Prepare design documentation and release to production AirScale RRH mounting configurations.

   More junior design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your junior design engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A junior design 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 a junior design engineer in Montana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level junior design engineer usually earns less than a senior-level junior design engineer. Additionally, a junior design 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 junior design engineer salary

   $59,383yearly

   $28.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level junior design engineer salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average junior design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$87,181	$42
   2	Massachusetts	$85,472	$41
   3	Virginia	$78,660	$38
   4	New York	$76,268	$37
   5	Maryland	$75,892	$36
   6	District of Columbia	$74,706	$36
   7	New Jersey	$69,966	$34
   8	North Carolina	$62,934	$30
   9	Pennsylvania	$61,476	$30
   10	Texas	$61,414	$30
   11	Michigan	$60,895	$29
   12	South Carolina	$53,733	$26

   Average junior design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Micron Technology	$70,759	$34.02	147
   2	Fluor Corporation	$68,909	$33.13	55
   3	The Aerospace Corporation	$68,228	$32.80	24
   4	GEI Consultants	$67,875	$32.63	11
   5	ThermalTech Engineering	$65,792	$31.63
   6	ISSI Integrated Silicon Solution	$65,752	$31.61
   7	Smiths Interconnect	$63,119	$30.35	11
   8	Nutcracker Therapeutics	$62,492	$30.04
   9	Arasan Chip Systems	$62,271	$29.94
   10	Serco	$61,839	$29.73
   11	Con Edison Development	$61,834	$29.73
   12	Whitman	$61,771	$29.70	44
   13	Comcast	$61,485	$29.56	39
   14	Goodwin Recruiting	$61,276	$29.46
   15	Ohmstede	$61,183	$29.41
   16	Rws	$59,687	$28.70
   17	Con Edison	$57,687	$27.73	9
   18	Kasai North America	$57,413	$27.60	4
   19	PUMA	$50,442	$24.25

4. Writing a junior design engineer job description

   A junior design 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 a junior design engineer job description:

   Junior design engineer job description example

   Moog Broad Reach produces spaceflight hardware and software solutions, integrating vehicle design, component design and engineering services for aerospace, scientific, commercial and military customers on four continents. From proposal phase to ground testing, launch and on-orbit operations, we support each mission as scientific, technical and operational facilitators. On the product side, our radiation-hardened avionics and electronics include GPS/GNSS receivers, science payloads, motor controllers, high-quality flight-critical components, and single board computers powered by the next-generation BRE440 "system-on-a-chip" - the world's highest-performance radiation-hardened microprocessor.
   
   With global product demand and mission criteria moving toward integrated commercial partnerships, lower costs and higher performance hardware and software requirements, Moog Broad Reach is positioned for growth in the new era of aerospace development. Our team of seasoned architects and engineers is dedicated to partnership with our customers for continued growth and success.
   
   We are looking to hire a Jr. PCB Designer who will lead the advancement of our capabilities to develop complex multi-layer printed circuit boards that meet the requirements of our expanding line of spaceflight products.
   
   Work closely with design engineering to improve PCB design process in areas of stack-up specification, placement optimization, routing planning, and constraint generation.
   
   Collaborate with internal teams and external PCB fabricators to continually improve design rules/constraints/checks and design for manufacturability/test guidelines.
   
   Coordinate and guide ECAD transition from site based Intercept tools/libraries to corporate PLM based Cadence tools/libraries.
   
   Job Duties:
   
   This position requires working with small teams to create PCB designs that can be fabricated to IPC-6012DS while meeting all electrical, mechanical and thermal requirements and adhering to the design standards of IPC-2221 and IPC-2222. The responsibilities also include creating and maintaining symbol and geometry libraries, working with a standardized design processes including reviews, supporting continuous improvement, insuring proper software tool maintenance and on occasion managing other PCB design contractors.
   
   Required:
   
   This position requires a minimum of 0 to 5 years of PCB design experience preferably in the aerospace field. The designer must be familiar with implementation of controlled impedance, matched trace lengths, via in pad and blind/buried via designs. Experience with the following tools is preferred: Cadence Allegro PCB Venture and Intercept Pantheon.
   
   This position requires access to United States Export Controlled information.
   
   EOE/AA Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Disability/Veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right junior design engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with junior design engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit junior design engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your junior design engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit junior design engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting junior design 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 junior design engineer

   Once you've found the junior design 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new junior design 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a junior design engineer?