How to hire a resident engineer

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

The median cost to hire a resident 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 resident 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 27,216 resident engineers in the US, and there are currently 31,388 job openings in this field.
New York, NY, has the highest demand for resident engineers, with 49 job openings.

How to hire a resident engineer, step by step

To hire a resident engineer, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a resident engineer, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a resident engineer do?

A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.

Learn more about the specifics of what a resident engineer does

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Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your resident 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 resident 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 resident 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.

Here's a comparison of resident engineer salaries for various roles:

Type of Resident Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
Resident Engineer	Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.	$33-63
Structural Designer	A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.	$22-40
Structural Engineering Internship	A structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing... Show more	$15-32

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Infrastructure
- PE
- Construction Projects
- Contract Administration
- Project Management
- Construction Inspection
- OSHA
- Inspection Reports
- Technical Support
- Shop Drawings
- Corrective Action
- Traffic Control
- NYC
- Rehabilitation
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Lead municipal construction projection for maintenance and rehabilitation of internal roads.
- Implement safe working practices base on OSHA regulations.
- Monitor demolition activities for compliance with OSHA, NESHAPS.
- Check AutoCAD drawing sets and take-offs on a daily basis.
- Perform random quality checks on highway materials and prepare reports base on RFI.
- Work involve, road paving, utility relocation, curbing and sewrline rebuilding.
More resident engineer duties

Make a budget

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

Location. For example, resident engineers' average salary in hawaii is 43% less than in california.
Seniority. Entry-level resident engineers 47% less than senior-level resident engineers.
Certifications. A resident 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 resident engineer's salary.

Average resident engineer salary

$96,425yearly

$46.36 hourly rate

Entry-level resident engineer salary

$70,000 yearly salary

Updated December 19, 2025

Average resident engineer salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$133,341	$64
2	Washington	$109,521	$53
3	Virginia	$102,916	$49
4	New Jersey	$100,116	$48
5	Pennsylvania	$99,936	$48
6	New York	$95,553	$46
7	Massachusetts	$95,479	$46
8	Oregon	$94,377	$45
9	District of Columbia	$92,483	$44
10	Nevada	$89,593	$43
11	Texas	$89,217	$43
12	Colorado	$87,341	$42
13	Georgia	$86,680	$42
14	Illinois	$84,563	$41
15	Maryland	$83,613	$40
16	Arizona	$80,655	$39
17	Kansas	$79,563	$38
18	Michigan	$77,375	$37
19	North Carolina	$74,199	$36

Average resident engineer salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Google	$130,443	$62.71	1
2	Palo Alto Networks	$123,141	$59.20
3	Juniper Networks	$121,735	$58.53
4	Arista Networks	$116,286	$55.91
5	Nokia	$111,021	$53.38	1
6	Parsons	$108,213	$52.03	282
7	Rivian	$107,915	$51.88
8	Spirent Communications	$107,378	$51.62
9	General Electric	$104,655	$50.31	3
10	Koch Industries	$103,597	$49.81
11	Visteon	$102,454	$49.26
12	Autoliv	$101,291	$48.70
13	EXP	$100,145	$48.15	40
14	Calix	$99,599	$47.88
15	FCA US LLC	$99,442	$47.81	1
16	TRW Automotive Holdings	$99,320	$47.75
17	Valeo Electrical Systems, Inc.	$99,167	$47.68
18	Yazaki North America	$99,043	$47.62
19	Port of Seattle	$98,828	$47.51	1
20	Nikola Motor	$98,325	$47.27

Writing a resident engineer job description
A resident 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 resident engineer job description:
Resident engineer job description example
VA/VE & Resident Engineering Manager

JAC Products has an opportunity for a VA/VE & Resident Engineering Manager to join our team in Pontiac, MI! In this position, The VAVE/Resident Engineering Manager and their team are responsible for 3 key areas of our business. First, developing, setting, and achieving VAVE targets for each of the North American plants with their leadership team, Finance team, and Purchasing team. Second, this role is responsible for monitoring product warranty performance, prioritizing warranty investigations and corrective actions, and negotiating debit/charge back with our customers. Third, managing and driving the successful completion of post gate 6 product design changes managed by the Resident Engineering team.

Skills/Competencies:
- Excellent Leadership skills: Problem solving, Negotiating, Crucial Conversations, Effective Meeting Strategies, Time Management, Engineering Change, and Product Development
- Understanding and working knowledge of OEM customer specific requirements
- Responsible for the performance management (PPMS process) and development of the RE & Warranty Staff. Coaches and manages the team to ensure continued professional development and consistent success.
- Must be customer focused and have excellent follow through in managing projects
Requirements and Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or equivalent
- 5 of more years of experience in automotive industry
- Assisted in / responsible for the success launch of a minimum of 5 programs at OEM level
- Working knowledge of Engineering processes, Manufacturing and/or Product Engineering and Product Costing
- Understanding of APQP and VA/VE Process
- Experience in warranty mitigation and improvement
More about us:
JAC Products has been a pioneer in the Tier I automotive space for over 50 years and continues to test the limits of functional exterior trim products. We use advanced engineering techniques and cutting-edge technology to design products that enhance the style and utility of vehicles. JAC Products has operation or production capabilities on four continents and continues to expand our presence in the United States and globally.

We offer medical, dental, vision, and paid time off as well as many other benefits in a collaborative culture that focuses on innovation and teamwork.

JAC Products is an equal opportunity employer and gives equal consideration for employment to qualified applicants.PandoLogic. Keywords: Resident Engineering Manager, Location: Pontiac, MI - 48342
Post your job
There are various strategies that you can use to find the right resident 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 resident engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit resident engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting resident engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
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.
Send a job offer and onboard your new resident engineer
Once you have selected a candidate for the resident 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 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 resident 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.
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 resident engineer?

Before you start to hire resident 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 resident engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Resident engineers earn a median yearly salary is $96,425 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find resident engineers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $33 and $63.

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Hiring resident engineers FAQs

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Updated December 19, 2025

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How to hire a resident engineer