How to hire a lead support engineer

How to hire a lead support engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The lead support 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?

   Yes

   No

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

   This list shows salaries for various types of lead support engineers.

   Type of Lead Support Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Support Engineer	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$41-69
   Support Analyst	The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users... Show more	$24-54
   Systems Support	A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables... Show more	$21-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Troubleshoot
   • Java
   • Lead Support
   • Linux
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Support
   • API
   • Technical Documentation
   • Unix
   • PowerShell
   • Technical Expertise
   • Technical Issues
   • SCCM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the setup of virtual thin clients on the SIPR network using VMware and script templates.
   • Manage local and remote resources to facilitate accomplishment of team goals and minimize total SLA violation.
   • Perform database queries to gather metric information, troubleshoot database issues, review SQL logs and manage database sizes as required.
   • Lead technical operations for an innovative workforce virtualization movement, including initial design and improvement of technical systems and processes.
   • Perform basic maintenance on UNIX boxes.
   • Evaluate SQL and Java code in order to resolve software defects.

   More lead support engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead support engineers' average salary in nebraska is 33% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead support engineers 40% less than senior-level lead support engineers.
   • Certifications. A lead support 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 support engineer's salary.

   Average lead support engineer salary

   $112,919yearly

   $54.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead support engineer salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average lead support engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$132,765	$64
   2	Washington	$124,182	$60
   3	Massachusetts	$118,627	$57
   4	Missouri	$117,938	$57
   5	Hawaii	$117,043	$56
   6	New York	$116,113	$56
   7	North Carolina	$111,297	$54
   8	Virginia	$109,257	$53
   9	Texas	$108,794	$52
   10	Ohio	$104,523	$50
   11	Illinois	$103,729	$50
   12	Maryland	$102,590	$49
   13	Indiana	$98,058	$47
   14	Georgia	$97,339	$47
   15	Arizona	$94,402	$45
   16	Minnesota	$93,631	$45
   17	Colorado	$93,169	$45
   18	Florida	$90,292	$43

   Average lead support engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Datadog	$120,415	$57.89	2
   2	Citi	$120,030	$57.71	25
   3	Guidewire Software	$118,331	$56.89
   4	Rivian	$115,665	$55.61	10
   5	Talend	$114,098	$54.85
   6	TIBCO Software	$113,205	$54.43
   7	Rohde & Schwarz	$112,662	$54.16	1
   8	Enterprise Holdings	$112,348	$54.01
   9	Mendix	$110,768	$53.25	2
   10	Everstream	$110,723	$53.23
   11	Redbox	$110,542	$53.15
   12	Lifesize	$110,359	$53.06
   13	Fidelus Technologies	$110,039	$52.90
   14	Staples	$108,378	$52.10
   15	Motion Recruitment	$106,606	$51.25	27
   16	Cincinnati Bell	$106,568	$51.23	5
   17	Orbis Sibro	$105,807	$50.87	6
   18	JFrog	$105,411	$50.68	2
   19	Hawaiian Telcom	$104,902	$50.43	1
   20	Tesco Controls	$104,862	$50.41	2

4. Writing a lead support engineer job description

   A job description for a lead support 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 support engineer job description:

   Lead support engineer job description example

   Rapid7 is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join a newly formed delivery team in Tampa as it continues to grow and advance the organization's enterprise applications
   
   ecosystem. We need a team player with software engineering chops that is excellent at delivering quality solutions that delight users. The ideal candidate is someone who can contribute and guide a team tasked with delivering robust technical solutions, solving system and business problems, and developing/executing enhancement/support plans.
   About the Team
   
   This team is responsible for interfacing with internal stakeholders with a direct impact to our customers. The team is also responsible for the administration of our Federal Salesforce instance that interfaces with our Federal customers. We work closely with the business, product owners, business systems analysts to deliver top of the line solutions for our customers.
   
   About the Role
   
   In this role you will be responsible for leading a team of junior developers and overseeing the day to day operations surrounding our Software Development Life Cycle. You will be collaborating across the business to help drive business requirements into timely solutions.
   
   In this role, you will:
   Be a key member of a business transformation initiative that brings significant benefit to our customers
   
   The skills you'll bring include:
   6 - 8 years of software engineering experience working with Salesforce, ideally Service/Community Cloud Background in integration patterns and platforms like Workato, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Engine or Microsoft AzureExperience with Git and Jenkins or similar version control and build platforms Experience with accounting, quote-to-cash, subscription lifecycle management, direct and partner selling channels Proficient with JIRA/Confluence
   
   We know that the best ideas and solutions come from multi-dimensional teams. Teams reflecting a variety of backgrounds and professional experiences. If you are excited about this role and feel your experience can make an impact, please don't be shy - apply today.
   
   About Rapid7
   
   Rapid7 is creating a more secure digital future for all by helping organizations strengthen their security programs in the face of accelerating digital transformation. Our portfolio of best-in-class solutions empowers security professionals to manage risk and eliminate threats across the entire threat landscape from apps to the cloud to traditional infrastructure to the dark web. We foster open source communities and cutting-edge research-using these insights to optimize our products and arm the global security community with the latest in attackers methods. Trusted by more than 10,000 customers worldwide, our industry-leading solutions and services help businesses stay ahead of attackers, ahead of the competition, and future-ready for what's next.
   #LI-MM2
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right lead support engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with lead support engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit lead support engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit lead support engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a lead support engineer 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 support engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the lead support 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new lead support 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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