How to hire a product safety engineer

How to hire a product safety engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a product safety engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 product safety 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 product safety engineer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of product safety engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Product Safety Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Safety Engineer	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$25-62
   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
   Project Engineer	A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation... Show more	$26-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • IEC
   • UL
   • CSA
   • Product Design
   • FMEA
   • Test Equipment
   • Risk Assessments
   • Product Development
   • EMC
   • Test Results
   • Test Reports
   • TUV
   • Test Procedures
   • ISO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Initiate and manage EHS education program raising employee awareness at home and work.
   • Manage daily operations of a contract research organization (CRO) for the vaccines therapeutic area.
   • Manage CRO for outsource safety activities on global studies to include creation of safety management plans.
   • Manage regulatory approvals for high-speed, multi-platform, network printers -UL, CSA, and TUV.
   • Manage supplier compliance to regulatory and ISO requirements, through supplier evaluation, qualification and certification processes.
   • Produce formal EMC test reports to be include in technical construction file.

   More product safety engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $84,013yearly

   $40.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product safety engineer salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average product safety engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$109,696	$53
   2	Utah	$97,184	$47
   3	Iowa	$93,953	$45
   4	Illinois	$93,083	$45
   5	Kansas	$93,007	$45
   6	Alaska	$92,423	$44
   7	Massachusetts	$90,567	$44
   8	New Jersey	$89,976	$43
   9	New Hampshire	$89,865	$43
   10	Maryland	$89,779	$43
   11	Colorado	$89,302	$43
   12	Arizona	$89,301	$43
   13	Oregon	$88,584	$43
   14	Washington	$87,752	$42
   15	Michigan	$85,624	$41
   16	South Carolina	$81,741	$39
   17	Texas	$81,141	$39
   18	Virginia	$81,066	$39
   19	Louisiana	$80,334	$39
   20	Minnesota	$77,280	$37

   Average product safety engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$147,425	$70.88	19
   2	Google	$138,957	$66.81	49
   3	Microsoft	$131,483	$63.21	13
   4	Applied Materials	$123,920	$59.58	11
   5	Amazon	$121,463	$58.40	224
   6	Move	$114,649	$55.12
   7	Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc	$107,596	$51.73
   8	ASML Holding	$101,860	$48.97
   9	Park Dental	$101,716	$48.90
   10	Masimo	$99,778	$47.97	2
   11	General Electric	$98,656	$47.43	146
   12	BorgWarner	$98,436	$47.33	3
   13	TÜV SÜD America	$97,391	$46.82	64
   14	Caterpillar	$94,684	$45.52	89
   15	Sony Electronics	$93,226	$44.82
   16	Siemens	$93,111	$44.76	26
   17	Micron Technology	$93,095	$44.76	16
   18	Collins Aerospace	$91,800	$44.13
   19	Winnebago Industries	$91,422	$43.95
   20	Medtronic	$87,575	$42.10	12

4. Writing a product safety engineer job description

   A product safety engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of a product safety engineer job description:

   Product safety engineer job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Hardware
   
   + 5 years of proven experience in consumer electronics, transportation technologies, medical, military, space technologies, or reliability engineering.
   
   + You have participated in standards development at the development committee level (e.g. IEC technical committee).
   
   + Experience in driving product design for safety and compliance to IEC/EN/UL/CSA related standards
   
   + Bonus if you have a background in IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60950, 62368, 62133, 1642, 2054, 60825, and 60065
   
   + Proficient in conducting DFMEA or pFMEA and Safety fault tree analysis, core Safety requirements in IEC/US/EN/CSA standards.
   
   + Understanding and experience with applicable test procedures, equipment, methods, and certifying agency requirements and best practices.
   
   + Possesses outstanding communication skills, both spoken and written; strong teamwork skills and ability to communicate across variety of audiences.
   
   + Able to negotiate, strike agreements, and resolve conflicts independently.
   
   + Able to travel without restriction, up to 10% of the time.
   
   **Description**
   
   The Product Safety Engineer will participate in one or more standards development committees. We will rely on you to advise and influence the course of new consumer electronic standards. Communication is a key aspect of this role. Ability to succinctly communicate technical information at the committee level and within Apple is critical. Key to success in this role is representing Apple's position on the standards development committee's; which involves consensus building within Apple.
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   B.S. or M.S. in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent) is required
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit product safety 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.

   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 product safety engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the product safety 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new product safety 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.

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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