How to hire a lead electrician

How to hire a lead electrician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead electrician hiring guide:

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

What does a lead electrician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the lead electrician you need to hire. Certain lead electrician 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a lead electrician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a lead electrician that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of lead electricians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Lead Electrician	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Electrician	Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories.	$18-40
   Apprentice	An apprentice is responsible for learning specialized tasks on their chosen field through actual job training under the supervision of tenured staff. An apprentice's duties include performing administrative tasks as needed, creating observation reports of daily operations, providing possible recommendations on improving productivity, and adhering to the business' safety standards and regulatory procedures... Show more	$12-24
   Wiring Technician	Wiring technicians install and conduct maintenance on wiring in electronic products. They are responsible for ensuring that machines are in working condition, and they continuously review products to ensure only good products are released to customers... Show more	$13-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Electrical Equipment
   • Hand Tools
   • Electrical Systems
   • Ladders
   • EMT
   • PLC
   • Switches
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Transformers
   • Power Drills
   • NEC
   • Conduit Runs
   • Local Codes
   • Electrical Code

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
   • Run all types of electrical conduit for switches, lights, fire alarms, telephone, receptacles and HVAC units.
   • Resolve plumbing and none electrical issues.
   • Repair low pressure steam boilers, HVAC systems, cooling towers, waters system, and sump pumps.
   • Calculate proper size and specifications of wire, conduit, motor controls, switches, panels, and fuses.
   • Oversee all operations of the HVAC department including installation, repair of all HVAC equipment at several island locations.

   More lead electrician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the lead electrician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A lead electrician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a lead electrician in Oklahoma may be lower than in Vermont, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level lead electrician. Additionally, a lead electrician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average lead electrician salary

   $56,709yearly

   $27.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead electrician salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average lead electrician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$85,041	$41
   2	Washington	$79,843	$38
   3	Minnesota	$74,618	$36
   4	Oregon	$74,222	$36
   5	New Jersey	$67,774	$33
   6	District of Columbia	$62,448	$30
   7	Virginia	$59,842	$29
   8	Colorado	$56,825	$27
   9	Illinois	$49,970	$24
   10	Ohio	$49,299	$24
   11	Louisiana	$47,865	$23
   12	Georgia	$45,711	$22
   13	Texas	$45,222	$22
   14	Alabama	$42,730	$21
   15	South Carolina	$40,135	$19
   16	North Carolina	$39,887	$19
   17	Florida	$33,051	$16

   Average lead electrician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ameresco	$79,954	$38.44	19
   2	SoCalGas	$79,723	$38.33
   3	Nebraska Public Power District	$78,027	$37.51
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$69,905	$33.61
   5	University of California	$65,235	$31.36	1
   6	Yaamava' Resort & Casino	$64,274	$30.90
   7	Owen Ltd.	$63,724	$30.64
   8	Graphic Packaging International	$62,372	$29.99	4
   9	Seneca Foods	$62,271	$29.94	4
   10	University of California-Berkeley	$60,625	$29.15
   11	GPAC	$59,618	$28.66
   12	Cushman & Wakefield	$59,100	$28.41	22
   13	Lehigh Hanson	$58,946	$28.34
   14	Erwin	$58,849	$28.29	1
   15	Rosboro	$58,764	$28.25	1
   16	Romanoff Group	$58,274	$28.02	20
   17	Minnesota State Fair	$56,845	$27.33	2
   18	Maryland Environmental Service	$55,067	$26.47
   19	Honeywell	$54,347	$26.13	4
   20	J&J Worldwide Services	$54,256	$26.08	4

4. Writing a lead electrician job description

   A good lead electrician 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 a lead electrician job description:

   Lead electrician job description example

   Apply today – Start ASAP $22-27/hr
   

   Skills Reading Prints & Preform Layouts Proficient with wiring devices & terminating Able to run & bend conduit Preform underground to trim out

   Qualifications Minimum 5 years of Experience Have all hand and power tools Reliable transportation Work Safely and follow OSHA guidelines

   
   Perks

   -Long Term Work - $500 Sign-on Bonus - Paycheck Advances - Weekly Direct Deposit

   -Unlimited $250 Referral Bonuses - $50 first day referral bonus

   - 40 hrs a week + Overtime - Paid Holidays - 401K & Health Benefits

   - Free OSHA training and Lift Certifications - Milestone Rewards Program!

   
   

   CCS is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

   Some of our positions are subject to a background check for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. Only job-related convictions will be considered and will not automatically disqualify candidates.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead electrician 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 lead electrician job on Zippia to find and recruit lead electrician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as constructionjobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit lead electricians, 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.

   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.

   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 lead electrician

   Once you've found the lead electrician 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 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 lead electrician 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 a lead electrician?