How to hire a qualification engineer

How to hire a qualification engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a qualification 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

   A qualification engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, qualification engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents qualification engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Qualification Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Qualification Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$29-59
   Process Engineer Internship	A process engineering intern performs various tasks for an organization. These include collaborating with the technical team on cost savings, process efficiency improvements, and technology advancement, attending meetings with leadership teams, and participating in customer trials... Show more	$14-24
   Industrial Engineering Internship	An industrial engineer intern is a student working in a company to do industrial engineering tasks. Industrial engineering interns assist industrial engineers... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Test Procedures
   • GMP
   • Test Equipment
   • FDA
   • IQ/OQ/PQ
   • Python
   • HVAC
   • Test Cases
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • URS
   • Technical Support
   • Test Reports
   • Acceptance Criteria
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage commissioning and GMP qualification of a vial filling line and two secondary packaging lines.
   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Reassign to assist in HVAC duct qualification group.
   • Develop the protocol for environmental monitoring of the GMP areas.
   • Refactore and execute python scripts require for device stress testing.
   • Check and design verify HVAC and pipe stress calculations and support location drawings.

   More qualification engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, qualification engineers' average salary in hawaii is 48% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level qualification engineers 51% less than senior-level qualification engineers.
   • Certifications. A qualification 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 qualification engineer's salary.

   Average qualification engineer salary

   $87,313yearly

   $41.98 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level qualification engineer salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average qualification engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$111,865	$54
   2	New Jersey	$92,219	$44
   3	Colorado	$91,844	$44
   4	Utah	$91,038	$44
   5	Massachusetts	$90,305	$43
   6	New York	$83,758	$40
   7	Texas	$82,201	$40
   8	Minnesota	$81,952	$39
   9	Florida	$81,647	$39
   10	Illinois	$81,610	$39
   11	Oregon	$79,280	$38
   12	Georgia	$78,804	$38
   13	Ohio	$78,296	$38
   14	Pennsylvania	$70,143	$34

   Average qualification engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$133,593	$64.23	46
   2	Dropbox	$124,890	$60.04
   3	SolidFire	$111,898	$53.80
   4	Intel	$95,356	$45.84	24
   5	Populus Group	$95,005	$45.68
   6	Teva Pharmaceuticals	$92,867	$44.65	3
   7	Micron Technology	$92,345	$44.40	28
   8	Prosum	$92,283	$44.37
   9	Par Pharmaceutical Inc	$91,734	$44.10
   10	Pharmaceutical Product Development	$90,613	$43.56
   11	Thales	$89,328	$42.95	1
   12	PROCONEX	$89,267	$42.92
   13	Ionis Pharmaceuticals	$88,095	$42.35
   14	City of Springfield Illinois	$87,923	$42.27
   15	Solvay America Inc	$87,692	$42.16
   16	Genesis AEC	$87,131	$41.89
   17	Tech Resource Group	$86,425	$41.55
   18	Sartorius	$86,372	$41.52
   19	Kyyba	$86,136	$41.41
   20	InDepth Engineering Solutions	$85,968	$41.33

4. Writing a qualification engineer job description

   A qualification 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 qualification engineer job description:

   Qualification engineer job description example

   With our strong investment in research and development and our culture of continuous improvement, Hexcel is the industry leader in the manufacturing of advance composite materials, including carbon fiber, woven reinforcements, resins, prepregs, honeycombs and additive manufactured parts. We invite you to join the Hexcel team at various manufacturing sites, sales offices and R&T centers around the globe. Become a part of the "strength within."
   Hexcel is currently seeking a Composite Qualification Engineer for our Salt Lake City, UT, USA location.
   
   The selected individual will be responsible for but not limited to the following obligations:
   Coordinating with Product Management and External Customers to define the scope of work required to qualify new or modified products to customer specifications. This requires coming to a complete understanding of customer expectations and translating them into the various technical tasks that need to be completed to finish the qualification on time. Coordinating with ISC to manufacture pre-qualification and qualification batches of material. This requires placing orders for the required quantities of materials of each type to carry out all required testing; assuring that Process Control Documents are in place and in some cases, coordinating and attending customer witnessing of manufacturing runs. Assuring that all customer expectations for testing have been communicated to the plants and that they are ready to carry out any required testing to meet specification requirements. Defining Statements of Work (SOW's) for the testing required at the plants, at other Hexcel labs, or at outside test labs. This requires assuring that the various test labs are fully capable of exactly meeting the test requirements and in cases where deviations are required, obtaining negotiated and written confirmation for any necessary changes. Coordinating the shipment of required test materials to the appropriate labs; verifying that the materials have passed any acceptance or release test requirements before using them for qualification work; assuring that the materials are preserved, protected, and stored appropriately prior to use with documented information available to prove they are acceptable for use. Writing test panel fabrication instruction paperwork for laminates, sandwich panels, or any other material forms required for testing, then supervising the manufacturing of the required test panels and assuring that post-manufacturing verification tests are acceptable for the test panels to move into testing. Reviewing testing progress and updating expected completion dates, elevating any lack of priority to management for resolution in order to complete testing on time. Reviewing test results for correctness and in some cases, statistical conformity with historical data. Making decisions as to how and when testing must be repeated, to comply with customer expectations. Maintaining complete traceability of all elements of a qualification project, then converting those elements into a complete qualification report. Interfacing with customers to provide status updates, resolution of any conflicts, and facilitating reviews of reports to achieve timely placement on the qualified products list.
   
   Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field from a four-year college or university and one to two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Previous knowledge of composites, fiber, honeycomb, plastics, and ceramics material properties is desirable, especially for aerospace applications. Familiar with material specifications and their applications. Working knowledge of PC's and related software, specifically MS-Word, Excel, Project, PowerPoint and statistical software. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Prior supervisory experience leading a small team or managing a work shift is preferred. Experience in project management helpful and ability to maintain a high level of attention to detail required.
   
   Eligible candidate must be: U.S. citizen, U.S. national, a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence, a temporary resident under sections 210(a) or 245(A) of the Act, a person admitted in refugee status, a person granted asylum. Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) is a global leader in advanced composites technology, a leading producer of carbon fiber, and the world leader in honeycomb manufacturing for the commercial aerospace industry.
   
   Hexcel is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, status as protected veteran, or any other protected class.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find qualification engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any qualification engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level qualification engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your qualification engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit qualification engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with qualification engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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.

   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 qualification engineer

   Once you've selected the best qualification engineer 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.

   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 qualification 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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