How to hire a quality/reliability engineer

How to hire a quality/reliability engineer, step by step

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

What does a quality/reliability engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The quality/reliability 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

   A quality/reliability engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, quality/reliability 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 shows salaries for various types of quality/reliability engineers.

   Type of Quality/Reliability Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Quality/Reliability 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.	$35-55
   Research And Development Engineer	Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies... Show more	$35-64
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Quality
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Corrective Action
   • Failure Analysis
   • Quality Standards
   • Data Analysis
   • Product Reliability
   • Sigma
   • Product Development
   • JMP
   • Process Control
   • ISO
   • Continuous Improvement
   • FMEA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage supplier commodities and support manufacturing operations ensuring product conformance to print specification and monitoring production processes on the line level.
   • Initiate FMEA program across multiple product platforms in order to increase probability of successful product launch.
   • Perform maintainability, spare parts and system safety analysis.
   • Utilize statistical tools such as Weibull modeling and failure rate analysis to evaluate device reliability.
   • Analyze reliability data using Weibull analyses and other statistical methods to determine early fail rates and long term reliability.
   • Perform ESD/lightning strike safety analysis and participate in IPT team development of state-of-the art composite designs in a lean prototyping environment.

   More quality/reliability engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, quality/reliability engineers' average salary in arkansas is 42% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level quality/reliability engineers 36% less than senior-level quality/reliability engineers.
   • Certifications. A quality/reliability 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 quality/reliability engineer's salary.

   Average quality/reliability engineer salary

   $92,713yearly

   $44.57 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality/reliability engineer salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average quality/reliability engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$130,146	$63
   2	California	$113,407	$55
   3	New Mexico	$103,447	$50
   4	Arizona	$100,347	$48
   5	Texas	$100,119	$48
   6	Oregon	$96,177	$46
   7	Minnesota	$90,197	$43
   8	Utah	$90,000	$43
   9	Virginia	$87,154	$42
   10	Michigan	$85,961	$41
   11	North Carolina	$82,781	$40
   12	Georgia	$81,608	$39
   13	Wisconsin	$80,645	$39

   Average quality/reliability engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$142,908	$68.71	218
   2	Google	$131,030	$63.00	75
   3	Apple	$123,971	$59.60	183
   4	Microsoft	$119,287	$57.35	46
   5	NVIDIA	$112,839	$54.25	21
   6	Starbucks	$103,739	$49.87	6
   7	Texas Instruments	$102,578	$49.32	22
   8	Applied Materials	$100,966	$48.54	66
   9	Micron Technology	$99,712	$47.94	55
   10	Intel	$97,372	$46.81	23
   11	Cirrus Logic	$96,598	$46.44	1
   12	TechnipFMC	$94,389	$45.38
   13	Neato Robotics	$91,628	$44.05
   14	Kelly Services	$91,570	$44.02	108
   15	Power Integrations	$91,029	$43.76	3
   16	Maxim Integrated	$90,205	$43.37
   17	Volt Information Sciences	$89,990	$43.26
   18	Meda	$89,521	$43.04
   19	G-TECH	$88,719	$42.65
   20	The Fountain Group	$88,625	$42.61	2

4. Writing a quality/reliability engineer job description

   A job description for a quality/reliability 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 quality/reliability engineer job description:

   Quality/reliability engineer 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.
   Quality/Reliability Engineer
   
   Job Description:
   The entry level Quality Engineer will be responsible for defining, developing, and executing quality and reliability plans of new products, fab process technologies, new package, and assembly technologies. This role will oversee a portfolio of products being qualified from inception to production release.
   Roles & Responsibilities
   Define Reliability qualification and stress testing requirements for new products, package, and process technologies.Creates qualification plan, execution of plan, and analyze data Writes technical reports.Troubleshoot and debug of reliability burn-in hardware.Creates Reliability test operating procedures.Mentor Reliability support team (hardware and test technicians).Finding flaws and identifies problems and solutions that others might miss; provides detailed insight and constructive criticism into problems and complex situations.Reviews work processes to ensure quality,- addresses problems that could impact quality; makes sure project deliverables and services meet all requirements and expectations.Interface with Product/Marketing/Package/Design and Reliability engineers to understand products, processes, and details necessary to perform reliability testing.A basic statistical knowledge to produce and present product reports to technical members of the team.
   Skills & Abilities
   Demonstrates strong time management and organization skills Proficient written and verbal communication skills.Functions well independently and collaboratively with the team Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
   Education & Experience
   Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering.Typically requires a minimum of 0 - 1 years of related experience.
   
   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

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit quality/reliability 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.

   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 quality/reliability engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect quality/reliability engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new quality/reliability engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a quality/reliability engineer?