How to hire a lead programmer

How to hire a lead programmer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your lead programmer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a lead programmer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 lead programmer 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.

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

   Type of Lead Programmer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Programmer	Computer programmers write and test code that allows computer applications and software programs to function properly. They turn the program designs created by software developers and engineers into instructions that a computer can follow.	$41-77
   Software Consultant	A software consultant is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the technological content and system applications of an organization, ensuring its efficiency and optimal performance. Software consultants design software systems, following clients' specifications and business needs... Show more	$32-55
   Software Engineer Lead	A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.	$44-80

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • JavaScript
   • Python
   • Web Services
   • Database Design
   • Code Reviews
   • PL/SQL
   • HTML
   • API
   • PHP
   • SQL Server
   • Debugging
   • Web Application
   • XML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead programmer managing several teams on multiple games for the XBOX, PS2, and PC.
   • Lead solutions engineering that involve process automation, macro conversion and functionality enhancement.
   • Develop custom HTML and CSS documents for external clients.
   • Format HTML, RTF and PDF reports, using SAS - output delivery system ODS.
   • Administer multiple Linux base web servers.
   • Develop stored procedures for data access using PL/SQL.

   More lead programmer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead programmers' average salary in hawaii is 40% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead programmers 46% less than senior-level lead programmers.
   • Certifications. A lead programmer 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 programmer's salary.

   Average lead programmer salary

   $118,938yearly

   $57.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead programmer salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average lead programmer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$140,773	$68
   2	New York	$137,736	$66
   3	New Jersey	$133,881	$64
   4	California	$132,349	$64
   5	Massachusetts	$126,469	$61
   6	Delaware	$126,143	$61
   7	North Carolina	$123,832	$60
   8	Florida	$121,577	$58
   9	Maryland	$119,787	$58
   10	District of Columbia	$118,651	$57
   11	Pennsylvania	$115,317	$55
   12	Minnesota	$113,467	$55
   13	Connecticut	$111,630	$54
   14	Indiana	$111,320	$54
   15	Ohio	$110,110	$53
   16	Illinois	$109,394	$53
   17	Georgia	$109,015	$52
   18	Kentucky	$108,006	$52
   19	Texas	$107,460	$52
   20	Utah	$106,570	$51

   Average lead programmer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Merrill Lynch	$139,878	$67.25
   2	Bertch	$130,660	$62.82
   3	ZeniMax Media	$129,681	$62.35	15
   4	Epic Games	$128,774	$61.91	18
   5	ArenaNet	$128,556	$61.81
   6	Qualys	$128,543	$61.80
   7	Clario	$126,688	$60.91
   8	Albertsons	$126,280	$60.71	3
   9	Edwards Lifesciences	$125,784	$60.47
   10	Tiffany & Co.	$125,460	$60.32
   11	Incyte	$123,512	$59.38	1
   12	Clean Harbors	$121,855	$58.58
   13	Acceleron Pharma	$121,534	$58.43
   14	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$121,473	$58.40	12
   15	AstraZeneca	$121,326	$58.33
   16	Sony Electronics	$119,360	$57.38	8
   17	PEAK Technical Staffing USA	$119,244	$57.33
   18	Bayer	$119,101	$57.26	21
   19	Randstad North America, Inc.	$118,931	$57.18	19
   20	o2ideas	$117,494	$56.49

4. Writing a lead programmer job description

   A good lead programmer 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 programmer job description:

   Lead programmer job description example

   Background
   
   The Operations, Maintenance and Sustainment (OMS) contract is a single-award, Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract. This contract directly supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) out of their facilities in College Park and Suitland, MD; however, due to the nature of the positions we are filling they are eligible for 100% remote work. The folks supporting the OMS contract are responsible for operating, maintaining, sustaining, and disposing of existing legacy satellite ground systems and for on-boarding new, next-generation satellite processing ground systems and capabilities.
   
   ERT is looking to fill multiple AWS Cloud positions to support NOAA under ERT's OMS contract. If you have any of the experience and skills identified below, we would like to talk to you.
   
   Position Description
   
   Will provide cloud programming and software engineering support using industry standard software engineering techniques (K8, Docker). Will design, code, test, and document interfaces of moderate to high complexity. Will work with Government staff to coordinate science products, algorithm development and science processing. Will support scientific processing, the creation of Delivered Algorithm Packages, and other research-to-operations efforts.
   
   Will design and build CI/CD pipeline configurations to orchestrate provisioning and deployment of both large- and small-scale systems. Will design and implement fully automated enterprise pipelines using a suite of DevOps tools. Collaborate with team to develop, stand-up, and support a cloud platform using a variety of programming languages and cloud-native technologies. Will develop and implement systems using Infrastructure as Code (CloudFormation, CDK, SDK, etc.). Will automate cloud deployments, as well as build CI/CD pipeline to support cloud-based workloads. Will deliver using Agile Methodology following SAFe practices.
   
   We are looking for candidates for multiple positions that have a good mix of the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
   
   Required/Desired Skills
   
   * 8+ years of experience working on Cloud Implementations
   * Good working experience in Linux/Unix
   * Track record with large cloud programs
   * Experience with the core AWS services - AWS S3, SQS, SNS
   * Knowledge and experience in Programming Language Python, Perl
   * Experience with Docker and container orchestration systems (Kubernetes) using ECS, EKS
   * Strong understanding of security best practices (using IAM Roles, KMS)
   * Experience with monitoring solutions such as CloudWatch and the ELK stack
   * Knowledge of writing infrastructure as code (IaC) using CloudFormation or Terraform
   * Experience with the serverless approaches using AWS Lambda is a plus
   * Experience with RDS PostgreSQL, DynamoDB and data modeling
   * Experience working with AWS CodeCommit, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy and AWS CodePipeline.
   * Knowledge and Experience in Agile development methodology
   
   Other Skills/Certifications
   
   * HTML/CSS, Javascript experience
   * AWS Certification is a plus
   
   Must be a US Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident and able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to enter the applicable government facility.
   
   Education
   
   Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, related discipline, or equivalent. Advanced degree preferred.
   
   Benefits
   
   All full time employees are eligible for the following benefits upon starting: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Paid Time Off, and 11 Paid Federal Government Holidays.
   
   Location
   
   Work is based in Suitland, MD. This role is eligible for 100% remote work.
   
   ERT is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer - All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead programmer 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 programmer job on Zippia to find and recruit lead programmer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit lead programmers, 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.

   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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a lead programmer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 programmer

   Once you've found the lead programmer 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.

   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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