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How to hire a lead information technology engineer

Lead information technology engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring lead information technology engineers in the United States:

  • There are a total of 79,797 lead information technology engineers in the US, and there are currently 156,485 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a lead information technology engineer is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per lead information technology engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Dallas, TX, has the highest demand for lead information technology engineers, with 24 job openings.

How to hire a lead information technology engineer, step by step

To hire a lead information technology engineer, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a lead information technology engineer:

Here's a step-by-step lead information technology 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 lead information technology engineer job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead information technology engineer
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The lead information technology engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a lead information technology engineer 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 information technology engineer that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of lead information technology engineers and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Lead Information Technology EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Lead Information Technology EngineerComputer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.$44-75
    Information Technology Supervisor, Information TechnologyAn information technology supervisor of information technology is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's IT operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to spearhead projects, set goals and objectives, coordinate staff, manage budgets and timelines, perform installations and upgrades, and develop strategies to optimize operations... Show more$39-70
    Lead Systems EngineerA lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements... Show more$43-75
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Linux
    • Java
    • SQL
    • Azure
    • Windows Server
    • Switches
    • Technical Support
    • Software Development
    • SharePoint
    • Virtualization
    • DOD
    • DNS
    • VPN
    • PCI
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage a team of 2 direct reports and supervise 10 off-site staff at multiple locations NetWare/GroupWise /OES Linux infrastructure.
    • Mentore and manage the offshore team and the development activities, and support QA through the various test cycles.
    • Monitor, troubleshoot and enhance systems, network devices and/or applications to achieve optimal performance levels, high availability and redundancy.
    • Maintain local, NFS, NIS and DNS data.
    • Perform advanced debugging - identify faulty codes using customer trace files.
    • Develop Java classes for retrieving and the service request and relate information.
    More lead information technology engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your lead information technology engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A lead information technology 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 lead information technology engineer in Maine may be lower than in Idaho, and an entry-level lead information technology engineer usually earns less than a senior-level lead information technology engineer. Additionally, a lead information technology 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 lead information technology engineer salary

    $120,816yearly

    $58.08 hourly rate

    Entry-level lead information technology engineer salary
    $92,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 24, 2025

    Average lead information technology engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$146,054$70
    2Connecticut$135,673$65
    3Massachusetts$127,516$61
    4Missouri$125,979$61
    5Texas$116,827$56
    6Virginia$115,952$56
    7North Carolina$113,485$55
    8Ohio$110,644$53
    9Georgia$110,602$53
    10Indiana$110,036$53
    11Iowa$108,412$52
    12Michigan$108,191$52
    13Kansas$102,121$49
    14Colorado$102,107$49
    15Illinois$100,776$48
    16Florida$100,773$48
    17Tennessee$97,455$47

    Average lead information technology engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Levi Strauss & Co.$148,410$71.35
    2Reddit$144,599$69.5211
    3Thumbtack$139,865$67.24
    4Sarepta Therapeutics$137,859$66.28
    5Boston Consulting Group$129,105$62.0731
    6Shipt$126,442$60.791
    7P&G$125,645$60.4114
    8Gillette$123,453$59.35
    9American Axle & Manufacturing$122,687$58.983
    10Motion Recruitment$121,774$58.5530
    11Randstad North America, Inc.$121,100$58.227
    12Accident Fund Insurance$120,860$58.11
    13SRS Consulting$120,763$58.06
    14Savvis$120,211$57.79
    15Crossfire$120,196$57.793
    16Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America$120,180$57.78
    17Keysight Technologies$119,728$57.56
    18Intercontinental Exchange Holdings Inc$119,713$57.55
    19Mainsail Group$119,703$57.55
    20Level 3 Audiovisual$119,351$57.38
  4. Writing a lead information technology engineer job description

    A lead information technology 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 a lead information technology engineer job description:

    Lead information technology engineer job description example

    Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities?

    Join our DTCC family, and you'll grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you'll be supported and surrounded by other professionals as you learn new skills, advance your career, and see the impact of your efforts every day.

    Pay and Benefits:

    * Competitive compensation, including base pay and annual incentive
    * Comprehensive health and life insurance and well-being benefits, based on location
    * Retirement benefits
    * Paid Time Off and other leave of absence
    * Flexible/Hybrid Work Arrangements

    Why you'll love this job:

    Being a member of the Cybersecurity Group the Lead Endpoint Security Engineer provides best in class and versatile security services to DTCC. As a Lead IT Security Engineer, you will be a member of the Endpoint Security squad. The Endpoint Security team drives and improves the Endpoint security controls and technologies, on-premise and in the cloud for DTCC. The Endpoint Security squad partners with other DTCC technology teams to design and implement Endpoint security best practices across the company.

    What you'll do:

    * Influence the Endpoint security roadmap for security enhancements & new capabilities to be built
    * Be the subject matter expert to help guide and shape how Endpoint security services are enabled
    * Work closely with Security Architecture team to identify new features, functionalities, improvements for existing solutions & designs on new security solutions to improve the posture on endpoints.
    * Train Security Operations team members on playbooks for production implementation & maintenance.
    * Communicate complicated issues clearly and succinctly to various levels of the business & senior management

    NOTE: The Primary Responsibilities of this role are not limited to the details above.

    Sound like you?

    * Strong Cybersecurity experience across endpoint security engineering and architecture (Any Endpoint Detection and Protection tool), preferably CrowdStrike, or Tripwire.
    * Experience with Cloud methodologies (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), trends and industry-leading private/public/hybrid cloud vendor offerings and interoperability
    * In depth knowledge of Operating Systems (Linux/Windows), technology/web platforms (Server, Network, Application, Databases, Cloud)
    * Working knowledge of Jenkins and Chef would be a great plus including Agile concepts
    * Security certifications (CEH, CCSP, CISSP, OSCP) and ITIL certification are a plus

    Who are we:

    DTCC is the heart of the post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry. From 21 locations all over the world, DTCC, through its subsidiaries, automates, centralizes and standardizes the processing of financial transactions, mitigating risk, increasing transparency and driving efficiency for thousands of broker/dealers, custodian banks and asset managers. In 2020, DTCC's subsidiaries processed securities transactions valued at more than U.S. $2.3 quadrillion.

    We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead information technology engineer 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 information technology engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit lead information technology engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit lead information technology 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.

    Sometimes, it's not enough to interview lead information technology engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

    • 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 lead information technology engineer

    Once you've decided on a perfect lead information technology engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new lead information technology 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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How much does it cost to hire a lead information technology engineer?

Recruiting lead information technology engineers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $120,816 per year for a lead information technology engineer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for lead information technology engineers in the US typically range between $44 and $75 an hour.

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