How to hire a safety engineer

How to hire a safety engineer, step by step

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

What does a safety engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your safety 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 safety 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?

   Yes

   No

   A safety engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, safety 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.

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

   Type of Safety Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   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.	$23-52
   Manager, Environmental And Safety	An Environmental and Safety manager is responsible for overseeing environmental sustainability concerning production and manufacturing processes and mitigating nature's hazardous effects. Environmental and Safety managers evaluate the methods and resources used to produce and eliminate procedures that violate safety laws and internal regulations... Show more	$30-56
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • OSHA
   • Safety Standards
   • Safety Program
   • Safety Regulations
   • ISO
   • Corrective Action
   • Safety Procedures
   • EHS
   • Risk Assessments
   • Safety Issues
   • FMEA
   • Safety Equipment
   • Safety Training
   • Safety Audits

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
   • Develop SWPPP and SPCC programs.
   • Design new Lockout/Tag-out (LOTO) system for production floor and facilities.
   • Direct subcontractors in safely deploying spill response equipment to enforce EPA / TDEQ regulations.
   • Provide safety support for construction projects -Conduct audits for LOTO, environmental, IH surveys, safe work practices etc.
   • Create site-specific EHS orientations for contractors.

   More safety engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the safety engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A safety engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a safety engineer in Nebraska may be lower than in North Dakota, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level safety engineer. Additionally, a safety engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average safety engineer salary

   $74,228yearly

   $35.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level safety engineer salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average safety engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,493	$50
   2	District of Columbia	$92,788	$45
   3	Michigan	$83,369	$40
   4	Ohio	$80,880	$39
   5	New York	$74,568	$36
   6	Pennsylvania	$72,640	$35
   7	Colorado	$71,798	$35
   8	Illinois	$71,459	$34
   9	Texas	$70,627	$34
   10	Indiana	$70,038	$34
   11	Washington	$67,161	$32
   12	Alabama	$64,458	$31
   13	Arizona	$62,586	$30
   14	North Carolina	$58,251	$28
   15	Florida	$48,516	$23

   Average safety engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$135,825	$65.30	8
   2	Meta	$132,851	$63.87
   3	NVIDIA	$132,389	$63.65	4
   4	Google	$127,276	$61.19	27
   5	Databricks	$126,797	$60.96	1
   6	Credit Karma	$126,673	$60.90
   7	Zoox	$126,274	$60.71	6
   8	Amazon	$124,995	$60.09	424
   9	Lyft	$124,779	$59.99
   10	Joby Aviation	$121,657	$58.49	9
   11	Applied Materials	$121,559	$58.44	5
   12	Rivian	$118,021	$56.74	5
   13	Parsons	$114,567	$55.08	14
   14	Cisco	$113,397	$54.52	1
   15	Koch Industries	$111,139	$53.43
   16	Stryker	$110,569	$53.16	5
   17	Allegro MicroSystems	$110,002	$52.89
   18	Argo AI	$107,644	$51.75
   19	Autoliv	$107,325	$51.60
   20	BD	$106,118	$51.02	1

4. Writing a safety engineer job description

   A 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 safety engineer job description:

   Safety 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.
   
   Allegro is looking for a highly motivated Software Functional Safety Engineer where you will be working at the forefront of technical innovation and ensuring our automotive and commercial software engineering teams are complying to our implementation of Safety (ISO 26262), ASPICE and cybersecurity.
   
   The functional safety software process team selects and identifies industry leading tools, infrastructure, and processes to a dynamic development community spread across the globe.
   What you'll be doing:
   Responsible for software process development, tool selection, usage and product implementation for the corporation.Provide guidance to software product development teams so they can better understand compliance issues and assessment findings.Perform internal Safety process assessments across SW organization on products with embedded software.Provide early feedback to software development teams on assessments to allow them to begin addressing findings as soon as possible Create Safety assessment reports post assessment for SW development teams to document their compliance to implementation of the Safety specification.Drive and provide feedback on Safety compliance status. Provide recommendations for effective and efficient implementation.As needed, coach software teams or create and provide training so that software teams can successfully achieve high Safety ratings.Drive and support engineering activities according to Safety standards during all project phases (concept, product development, product design, development, validation, production).Support internal/external Safety process/product audits.
   
   What we need to see:
   10+ years of experience with a BS or MS in an engineering related discipline or equivalent experience.Strong knowledge of and experience in ISO26262 functional safety methodology, standards, software methods, procedures, tools, and customer related processes.Hands-on engineering experience in automotive software.Hands on experience with tools that support safety engineering lifecycle.Track record in successful functional safety assessments is a plus.
   
   Ways to stand out from the crowd:
   Experience with full SW lifecycle for at least 3 projects.Experience with ASPICE or similar SW process.Minimum of 2+ years of experience performing functional safety assessments.
   #LI-MD1
   
   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 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 safety engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit safety engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit 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 safety engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the 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.

   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 safety 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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How much does it cost to hire a safety engineer?