How to hire a middleware engineer

Middleware engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring middleware engineers in the United States:

The median cost to hire a middleware engineer is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per middleware engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
There are a total of 7,701 middleware engineers in the US, and there are currently 21,294 job openings in this field.
Pennington, NJ, has the highest demand for middleware engineers, with 8 job openings.

How to hire a middleware engineer, step by step

To hire a middleware 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 middleware engineer:

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

What does a middleware engineer do?

A middleware engineer specializes in designing and developing systems that ensure the smooth flow of data in a company. Their responsibilities include providing technical support to employees, gathering and analyzing data, assessing current systems and networks to identify areas needing improvement, and implementing solutions against vulnerable areas. They must also conduct regular maintenance checks, performing repairs as needed. Furthermore, as a firmware engineer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, leading and coordinating them for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Learn more about the specifics of what a middleware engineer does

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Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your middleware engineer 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 middleware engineer 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?

Hiring the perfect middleware engineer 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 middleware engineers and their corresponding salaries.

Type of Middleware Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
Middleware 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.	$39-65
Network Technician	A network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations... Show more	$24-44
System Technician	A system technician is a professional responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members... Show more	$12-32

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Java
- Python
- Infrastructure
- Tomcat
- Windows
- JBoss
- Jenkins
- Web Application
- Unix
- Apache Tomcat
- Application Server
- SQL
- J2EE
- XML
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Used Jython, Perl scripts to automate administration tasks on WebSphere.
- Monitor, manage, configure, and administer network equipment including Cisco switches and routers.
- Configure node manager to administer manage servers and establish SSL communication between admin server and node manager.
- Administer applications in Java and perform configurations on them via the administrative console by using the JMS connect to WebSphere MQ.
- Install, maintain and support WMB versions V7 and V8 running on AIX Unix and windows.
- Work with CWF, TDS and XML, XMLNSC message formats.
More middleware engineer duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your middleware engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A middleware engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

Location. For example, middleware engineers' average salary in north dakota is 38% less than in california.
Seniority. Entry-level middleware engineers earn 40% less than senior-level middleware engineers.
Certifications. A middleware engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a middleware engineer's salary.

Average middleware engineer salary

$106,586yearly

$51.24 hourly rate

Entry-level middleware engineer salary

$82,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average middleware engineer salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$154,961	$75
2	Utah	$117,812	$57
3	Pennsylvania	$114,862	$55
4	Massachusetts	$111,914	$54
5	New Jersey	$111,681	$54
6	Arizona	$110,805	$53
7	Rhode Island	$109,456	$53
8	Maryland	$108,638	$52
9	Virginia	$104,216	$50
10	District of Columbia	$104,123	$50
11	Texas	$101,778	$49
12	New York	$101,408	$49
13	Illinois	$100,649	$48
14	North Carolina	$98,749	$47
15	Georgia	$95,542	$46
16	Iowa	$95,231	$46
17	Ohio	$93,241	$45
18	Minnesota	$92,344	$44
19	Michigan	$90,354	$43
20	Colorado	$90,330	$43

Average middleware engineer salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Practice Fusion	$147,200	$70.77
2	First Republic Bank	$142,033	$68.29
3	Walmart	$138,310	$66.50	3
4	URBN	$130,153	$62.57
5	Kohl's	$130,043	$62.52
6	MX	$129,273	$62.15
7	Citi	$128,631	$61.84	1
8	Barclays	$126,711	$60.92	2
9	TD Ameritrade	$124,743	$59.97
10	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$124,396	$59.81	16
11	Navistar	$119,416	$57.41
12	Autodesk	$118,743	$57.09
13	Renesas Electronics	$118,733	$57.08
14	Zions Bank	$118,381	$56.91	4
15	Airline Tariff	$118,274	$56.86
16	Qurate Retail	$118,032	$56.75
17	Baptist Health Care	$117,805	$56.64	1
18	Randstad North America, Inc.	$117,744	$56.61	4
19	Vanguard Services	$117,561	$56.52	2
20	SEI Investments	$117,250	$56.37

Writing a middleware engineer job description
A good middleware engineer 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 middleware engineer job description:
Middleware engineer job description example
Immediate need for a talented Middleware Engineer for a leading Bank. This is a 12+ Months Contract opportunity with long-term potential and is located in Pennington, NJ (Initial Remote) . Please review the job description below.

(All positions are starting remote, but expectation is that will need to go onsite once the bank returns to office. Hybrid, 2 days onsite, rest remote in later stages.)

Job Description:
# Middleware Engineer
Providing middleware administration duties for Consumer & Shared Services Operations Technology (CSSOT), end-to-end, including WebSphere, JBoss, Apache, IBM HTTP Server, Tomcat, Appian, etc.; Delivering middleware enterprise projects and regulatory legislative initiatives; Ensuring production stability from an ongoing support standpoint; Ensuring middleware platforms are patched with the most current version of software, helping to manage risk to the customer; Providing WebSphere Application Server administration that includes server installation, configuration, performance tuning and production support; Working with customers (application teams and/or testing teams) on a daily basis and providing WebSphere and Java support; Serving as a J2EE architect and making recommendations on J2EE best practices in application development; Designing WebSphere infrastructure and WebSphere topology design for high availability and failover capability; Providing technical consultation to other team members and their supported areas; Communicating with business partners at an enterprise level; Interfacing with internal customers and external vendors for consultation at various points of the software development life cycle (SDLC); and, Executing production changes for Bank integrated and regulatory releases with precision.

Desired Skills
1) WebSphere/JBoss/IBM Http Server/Apache Middleware administration.
2) Knowledge of shell, jython and Perl scripting.
3) Information Technology professional with 5-7 years’ experience
4) Tools: BladeLogic, Dynatrace, Venafi, mDeliver
Our client is a leading Bank, and we are currently interviewing to fill this and other similar contract positions. If you are interested in this position, please apply online for immediate consideration.

#Dal1 #Dal3
Post your job
To find the right middleware 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 middleware engineers they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit middleware 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 middleware engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit middleware engineer 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.
Interview candidates
To successfully recruit middleware 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.
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 middleware 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.
Send a job offer and onboard your new middleware engineer
Once you've found the middleware engineer 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.
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.
After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new middleware engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.
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 middleware engineer?

Before you start to hire middleware engineers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire middleware engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $106,586 per year for a middleware 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 middleware engineers in the US typically range between $39 and $65 an hour.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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How to hire a middleware engineer