How to hire a lead infrastructure engineer

How to hire a lead infrastructure engineer, step by step

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

What does a lead infrastructure engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

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

   This list presents lead infrastructure engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Lead Infrastructure Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Infrastructure Engineer	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$43-76
   Systems Administrator Lead	A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems... Show more	$37-62
   Systems Administrator	Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures... Show more	$28-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Cloud
   • Architecture
   • Linux
   • PowerShell
   • Azure
   • Troubleshoot
   • Cloud Computing
   • SAN
   • VMware
   • Amazon Web Services
   • SQL
   • Jenkins
   • Windows Server

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage firm-wide storage operations including LUN provisioning, HBA installations, LUN migrations/expansions, monitoring, and storage relate incident resolution.
   • Learned and employ Java as well.
   • Clean up DNS naming of PBX devices.
   • Implement the strategic direction for SAN, NAS and backups.
   • Support all network infrastructure including core and edge routers and switches.
   • Provide guidance and leadership on cloud base technology adoption and best practice.

   More lead infrastructure engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead infrastructure engineers' average salary in oklahoma is 32% less than in idaho.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead infrastructure engineers 43% less than senior-level lead infrastructure engineers.
   • Certifications. A lead infrastructure 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 a lead infrastructure engineer's salary.

   Average lead infrastructure engineer salary

   $120,774yearly

   $58.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead infrastructure engineer salary

   $91,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average lead infrastructure engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$143,190	$69
   2	Rhode Island	$137,997	$66
   3	New York	$126,604	$61
   4	District of Columbia	$123,709	$59
   5	North Carolina	$122,754	$59
   6	Washington	$122,623	$59
   7	Massachusetts	$118,748	$57
   8	Virginia	$117,953	$57
   9	Maryland	$117,470	$56
   10	Indiana	$114,739	$55
   11	Georgia	$114,370	$55
   12	Ohio	$114,169	$55
   13	Missouri	$114,163	$55
   14	Colorado	$111,698	$54
   15	Arizona	$110,074	$53
   16	Florida	$109,425	$53
   17	Texas	$109,246	$53
   18	New Jersey	$106,961	$51
   19	Illinois	$106,366	$51
   20	Louisiana	$103,472	$50

   Average lead infrastructure engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$142,830	$68.67	95
   2	Exelixis	$142,337	$68.43	2
   3	VMware	$133,975	$64.41
   4	Lowe's Companies	$133,142	$64.01
   5	Cisco	$131,738	$63.34	240
   6	Joby Aviation	$131,365	$63.16	8
   7	BNY Mellon	$130,967	$62.96	9
   8	Barclays	$129,411	$62.22	2
   9	Salesforce	$125,082	$60.14	35
   10	The Washington Post	$124,817	$60.01
   11	Randstad North America, Inc.	$123,647	$59.45	6
   12	SMX Convention Center	$122,103	$58.70	173
   13	North States Ind	$121,263	$58.30
   14	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$121,066	$58.20	97
   15	Wawa	$120,079	$57.73
   16	ICES Education	$119,521	$57.46
   17	ICONMA	$119,519	$57.46
   18	DTCC	$119,374	$57.39	24
   19	MAG Aerospace	$118,865	$57.15	8
   20	ICANN	$118,694	$57.06

4. Writing a lead infrastructure engineer job description

   A lead infrastructure 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 lead infrastructure engineer job description:

   Lead infrastructure engineer job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Machine Learning and AI
   
   + You have hands-on experience in building distributed systems, including real-time streaming and batch data processing
   
   + You are proficient in multiple programming languages relevant for such systems (e.g. Python, C++, Go, Java)
   
   + You know what it takes to deploy and operate high availability production systems in the cloud
   
   + You have experience designing service-oriented architectures and leveraging various data stores technologies (blob, NoSQL, and relational)
   
   + You have experience with cloud computing platform like AWS, GCP and Azure
   
   **Description**
   
   • Develop and scale a data processing platform using the latest open-source technologies • Develop platforms that enable researchers and developers to run machine learning jobs in the cloud easily • Define a consistent continuous integration/deployment model that will encourage cross-functional development teams to self-service application unit testing, deployment and operations • Influence and lead cross-functional initiatives that will align the team towards commonly used technologies and methodologies
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find lead infrastructure engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead infrastructure engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality lead infrastructure engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead infrastructure 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   If your interviews with lead infrastructure engineer applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 lead infrastructure engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the lead infrastructure 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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 a lead infrastructure engineer?