How to hire a principal designer

How to hire a principal designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step principal designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a principal designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new principal designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a principal designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the principal designer you need to hire. Certain principal designer 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

   Hiring the perfect principal designer 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.

   This list presents principal designer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Principal Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Principal Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$38-90
   Interactive Designer	An Interactive Designer takes the business product and transforms it into a product that the user interacts with perfectly. They support engineering efforts to develop designs and get the details right.	$32-67
   Web Designer	A web designer is a creative professional responsible for creating and redesigning the content and layout of websites. Web designers are required to meet clients and users to discuss the needs and goals of their clients... Show more	$20-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • UI
   • Digital Marketing
   • User Experience
   • Prototyping
   • CAD
   • Product Design
   • Design Concepts
   • Design Solutions
   • Project Management
   • Design Process
   • Product Development
   • RF
   • Graphic Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead creative brainstorming with internal designers and consultants.
   • Manage purchase orders, estimates, invoices, and all financial bookkeeping in QuickBooks software, including quarterly sales tax.
   • Design and partially code (CSS and HTML) entire site using Wordpress.
   • Work one on one with clients to create corporate identities through logo creation, brochures, business cards, letterhead, education
   • Utilize HTML to build/upload pages throughout sites.
   • Lead teams in UI, branding and UX of digital products.

   More principal designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your principal designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A principal designer 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 principal designer in Mississippi may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level principal designer usually earns less than a senior-level principal designer. Additionally, a principal designer 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 principal designer salary

   $123,528yearly

   $59.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level principal designer salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average principal designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$197,057	$95
   2	California	$167,652	$81
   3	Nevada	$137,355	$66
   4	Massachusetts	$131,709	$63
   5	Oregon	$129,395	$62
   6	Colorado	$127,890	$61
   7	Illinois	$127,372	$61
   8	Texas	$124,313	$60
   9	Utah	$122,821	$59
   10	Arizona	$120,297	$58
   11	District of Columbia	$118,764	$57
   12	Rhode Island	$115,420	$55
   13	New York	$114,789	$55
   14	Virginia	$108,853	$52
   15	West Virginia	$108,007	$52
   16	New Hampshire	$106,230	$51
   17	Wisconsin	$105,484	$51
   18	Maryland	$103,205	$50
   19	Vermont	$101,100	$49
   20	Minnesota	$98,218	$47

   Average principal designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$185,005	$88.94	144
   2	Observable	$178,306	$85.72
   3	Microsoft	$167,570	$80.56	476
   4	Qualtrics	$163,793	$78.75	7
   5	Kaiser Permanente	$163,153	$78.44	22
   6	Guild Education	$160,856	$77.33
   7	Rambus	$155,881	$74.94	2
   8	Cadence Design Systems	$152,343	$73.24	55
   9	Intuit	$151,637	$72.90	111
   10	Amd	$150,644	$72.42	18
   11	Thoughtworks	$150,029	$72.13	1
   12	Slack	$147,529	$70.93
   13	Broadcom	$147,040	$70.69	23
   14	Walgreens	$145,940	$70.16	1
   15	Adobe	$144,739	$69.59	56
   16	Tencent	$143,090	$68.79	6
   17	Rockstar Games	$142,440	$68.48	1
   18	Expedia Group	$141,803	$68.17	82
   19	Amazon	$141,314	$67.94	624
   20	Constant Contact	$139,997	$67.31

4. Writing a principal designer job description

   A principal designer 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a principal designer job description:

   Principal designer job description example

   At Allegro we flex. Flex@Allegro is our approach to hybrid working that empowers managers and their team members to decide where and when work will be done. Ask what Flex@Allegro can mean for you.
   
   Seeking Principal/Senior analog/mixed-signal verification engineer to define, verify and debug Analog and Mixed Signal Integrated circuits intended for Automotive and Industrial systems. In this role you will determine best modeling and simulation practices, including the use of behavioral models and object-oriented test benches used to develop advanced sensors. Candidate should have strong technical and communication skills.
   You will:
   Lead top level and block level verification of sensor IC'sBe responsible for all aspects of design verification from initial plan to completed verification report.Assist Systems/Design engineers in top down chip architecture development and feasibility. Generate object-oriented System Verilog Testbenches for Analog IP verification Includes creation of Scoreboard, Sequencer, Driver, MonitorCreation class objects to allow for easier verification by other team members Translation of Jama based requirements to verification tests.Verification and documentation of ISO26262 Hardware Safety RequirementsAssertion development to enforce analog and digital requirements.Regression testing Train others to read analog schematics and extract functionality for generation of models.Verify integrated circuit blocks such as amplifiers, comparators, precision front ends, oscillators, regulators, A/D and D/A converter models with their corresponding analog netlists.Generation of top level netlist for verification within the cadence mixed signal environment.Use various software environments for the behavioral modeling and verification of complex mixed-signal integrated circuit systems.
   
   Qualifications:
   BSEE, MSEE (preferred) with 3-5 years of experience in analog/mixed signal IC design verification Ability to clearly communicate ideas and concepts.Proven track record of leading a verification with zero bugs.Proficient using Cadence design and Math works MBD tools.Use of scripting languages to facilitate the regression testing of designs.In depth understand of System Verilog including RNM coding, creation of objects, virtual interfaces Sufficient understanding of analog/mixed signal design practices to allow for creation of logic, dc and timing accurate models. Able to solve challenging problems during verification and debug Experience modeling mixed signal blocks including: bias networks, regulators, oscillators, bandgaps, filters, OTA's, data converters.
   
   #LI-MR1
   
   At Allegro, we are committed to providing a harassment-free environment of mutual respect to fuel innovation through inclusive thought collaboration. Allegro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, parental status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Allegro makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right principal designer 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 principal designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit principal designers 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 principal designer job on Zippia to find and attract quality principal designer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit principal designers, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 principal designer

   Once you've selected the best principal designer 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.

   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 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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