How to hire a lead mechanical engineer

How to hire a lead mechanical engineer, step by step

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

What does a lead mechanical engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the lead mechanical engineer you need to hire. Certain lead mechanical 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 mechanical engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead mechanical 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 mechanical engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Lead Mechanical Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Mechanical 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.	$34-58
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mechanical Engineering
   • CAD
   • Solidworks
   • Mechanical Systems
   • Mechanical Design
   • FEA
   • Project Management
   • Engineering Design
   • HVAC
   • UL
   • GD
   • Ansys
   • Design Reviews
   • Product Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Optimize structural design of bolted/weld cabinet with analyst using ANSYS to achieve desire weight of structure.
   • Manage outside contractors as an adept mechanical engineer, experience in plumbing.
   • Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
   • Review and approve CFD and/or structural analysis and technical specifications prior to finalizing engineering drawings.
   • Model system components in SolidWorks and produce engineering drawings of all parts to be fabricate and install.
   • Propose alternative design solutions for HVAC and plumbing systems to provide increase efficiency.

   More lead mechanical engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $94,184yearly

   $45.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead mechanical engineer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average lead mechanical engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$139,494	$67
   2	District of Columbia	$130,010	$63
   3	Oregon	$114,408	$55
   4	Texas	$106,396	$51
   5	Massachusetts	$101,228	$49
   6	Arizona	$99,130	$48
   7	Michigan	$98,491	$47
   8	Maryland	$98,027	$47
   9	Washington	$97,976	$47
   10	Colorado	$97,669	$47
   11	New York	$97,407	$47
   12	Virginia	$96,803	$47
   13	Oklahoma	$95,613	$46
   14	Illinois	$92,942	$45
   15	Minnesota	$91,925	$44
   16	South Carolina	$90,116	$43
   17	Ohio	$87,596	$42
   18	North Carolina	$86,372	$42
   19	Georgia	$85,144	$41
   20	Wisconsin	$84,018	$40

   Average lead mechanical engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$168,962	$81.23	439
   2	One Kings Lane	$129,690	$62.35
   3	Cisco	$125,407	$60.29	63
   4	Nike	$122,121	$58.71	4
   5	Fitbit	$119,926	$57.66
   6	Hargrove Engineers + Constructors	$117,737	$56.60	18
   7	Lam Research	$116,300	$55.91	8
   8	Ambitech Engineering	$114,970	$55.27
   9	Sargent & Lundy	$114,848	$55.22	415
   10	Tesla	$114,235	$54.92
   11	Professional Engineering Consultants	$113,581	$54.61	2
   12	Schemmer	$111,367	$53.54	3
   13	Gannett Fleming	$110,068	$52.92	95
   14	Wrightspeed	$109,916	$52.84
   15	Tetra Tech	$109,859	$52.82	44
   16	The Foth Companies	$109,816	$52.80	40
   17	Merrick & Co	$109,724	$52.75	32
   18	Randstad North America, Inc.	$109,423	$52.61
   19	AFGlobal	$108,381	$52.11
   20	Bechtel Corporation	$108,307	$52.07	63

4. Writing a lead mechanical engineer job description

   A job description for a lead mechanical engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a lead mechanical engineer job description:

   Lead mechanical engineer job description example

   Are you inspired by “what's next”? So are we.
   
   When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.
   
   Job Description
   
   Job/Position Description:
   The Mechanical Engineering Lead is a senior appointment to provide technical support for capital projects to ensure safety, operational and technical integrity in all process aspects of the chemical process used to make lithium products from the engineering phase through to plant construction and commissioning. The Lead will manage internal and external Stakeholders to fulfil the role.
   The Mechanical Engineering lead will work alongside peers within a diverse Engineering team and will report to the Engineering Manager.
   This role is critical to the success of the project as the position holder is responsible for guiding the engineering contractors and procurement choices in conjunction with the EPCI (Engineering and Procurement Construction Contractor) and is a key member within the overall project delivery team.
   The role location will be in Houston, TX but will be expected to support project execution as needed at various locations in the US.
   Responsibilities
   Review/develop mechanical design standards and specifications and enhance the existing standards to improve efficiency and quality.Technical involvement with process equipment (pumps, pressure vessels, tanks, heat exchangers, etc.) used in the chemical processing industry.Supervise the mechanical design activities conducted by the engineering contractor.Ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, and best practices for process plant design.Support the project as Mechanical Lead during all phases of a capital project - scope development, detailed design, construction, and commissioning. Cooperation and coordinating the activities with other engineering disciplines (process, civil, electrical, and instrumentation) to provide solutions to project risks and concerns as they arise.Ensure proper mechanical design for static and rotating equipment and code compliance by reviewing design documentation put forth by contractors.Contribute to reviewing for correctness, completeness and accuracy, the engineering contractor's mechanical design including:P&ID'sPiping Specialty Items ListLine ListTie-In ListIsometricsIdentify opportunities for improvement and develop solutions that improve the safety, efficiency, quality, operability, maintainability, and speed of the design process.Develop QA/QC requirements for piping and equipment for each project Participate in Shop Floor visits to inspect equipment manufacture and report on quality and progress in conjunction with Supplier Quality Surveillance personnel. Resolve technical issues with equipment suppliers when requested.In association with mechanical related issues, advise and assist the Albemarle plant start-up leader to:Plan/schedule the commissioning and start-up Develop the commissioning procedures of the systems and equipment Develop the start-up, operating, and shut down procedures Document that the equipment performs to the design and/or vendor performance guarantees Identify project deficiencies for Project team correction, participating in de-bottlenecking studies for future train definition, construction, and commissioning.Must be able to travel up to 25% of the time to engineering contractor offices and visit suppliers as needed to support project activities.
   
   Accountabilities
   Zero injuries and incidents on assigned projects.Design packages comply with applicable codes, standards, and best practices for process plant design.Design activities are completed in accordance with the project schedule and budget.Continuous improvement in procedures, tools, standards, and team performance.Accurate and timely reporting to Engineering ManagerContinuous endeavor to exhibit Albemarle Core Values - Care, Curiosity, Humility, Courage, Transparency, and Collaboration
   
   Essential Qualifications
   Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited institution of higher learning12+ years of Mechanical Engineering in chemical or petrochemical processing plants
   Significant demonstrated experience performing process design on projects with TIC budgets more than $100 million USD.Strong teamwork and leadership skills.Proven examples of developing innovative solutions to complex problems.Experience and knowledge with equipment (pumps, pressure vessels, tanks, heat exchangers, mixers, conveyors, dryers) used in the chemical processing industry Equipment specifications, area layout, piping design, valve selection, and generation of mechanical engineering RFQ packages for 3rd party engineering Construction and/or Commissioning experience, including Mechanical QA/QC
   
   Choose to unlock your full POTENTIAL. Apply today.

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5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead mechanical 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 lead mechanical engineer

   Once you've selected the best lead mechanical engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 lead mechanical 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 mechanical engineer?