How to hire a senior desktop engineer

How to hire a senior desktop engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior desktop engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior desktop 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

   Hiring the perfect senior desktop 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 senior desktop engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Desktop Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Desktop Engineer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$41-72
   Desktop/Network Support	A desktop/network support is responsible for assisting end-users and customers on their computer and network issues, performing troubleshooting procedures, and guiding them with the step-by-step resolution. Desktop/network supports handle system configuration and upgrades of network components to increase efficiency and optimal performance... Show more	$16-32
   Software Engineer Lead	A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.	$44-80

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • SCCM
   • PowerShell
   • Infrastructure
   • OS
   • Group Policy
   • Troubleshoot
   • Citrix
   • VMware
   • VDI
   • Technical Support
   • ITIL
   • Desktop Support
   • Mac
   • SQL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage packages, customer/role-base images, and McAfee Antivirus solution.
   • Manage incoming tasks and incidents in remedy and troubleshooting.
   • Implement VMWare VDI as a formal pilot
   • Resolve issues for remote computers via SMS remote control.
   • Research, troubleshoot, respond to and resolve end-user issues/problems/questions.
   • Automate and streamline reporting with PowerShell to ensure compliance during FTC audits.

   More senior desktop engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior desktop engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior desktop engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior desktop engineers' average salary in missouri is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior desktop engineers earn 42% less than senior-level senior desktop engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior desktop engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior desktop engineer's salary.

   Average senior desktop engineer salary

   $114,786yearly

   $55.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior desktop engineer salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average senior desktop engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$148,983	$72
   2	New York	$128,183	$62
   3	New Jersey	$124,714	$60
   4	Maryland	$123,814	$60
   5	Connecticut	$115,837	$56
   6	Massachusetts	$113,997	$55
   7	Texas	$113,713	$55
   8	Pennsylvania	$112,117	$54
   9	Nevada	$109,241	$53
   10	North Carolina	$108,550	$52
   11	South Carolina	$108,364	$52
   12	District of Columbia	$108,109	$52
   13	Illinois	$106,975	$51
   14	West Virginia	$104,871	$50
   15	Virginia	$104,787	$50
   16	Minnesota	$103,496	$50
   17	Florida	$103,283	$50
   18	Ohio	$97,935	$47
   19	Iowa	$97,135	$47
   20	Georgia	$96,494	$46

   Average senior desktop engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bloomberg	$137,262	$65.99	201
   2	Lord Abbett	$136,092	$65.43
   3	Motion Recruitment	$118,677	$57.06	46
   4	Randstad North America, Inc.	$118,479	$56.96	11
   5	Vanguard Services	$117,644	$56.56	13
   6	Derive	$117,498	$56.49
   7	Staples	$115,797	$55.67	3
   8	Robert Half	$114,375	$54.99	305
   9	Amica Insurance	$111,967	$53.83	2
   10	Citrix	$111,126	$53.43
   11	Salient CRGT	$110,958	$53.35
   12	Steward Health Care	$109,952	$52.86
   13	Infinity Consulting Solutions	$108,239	$52.04
   14	Ernst & Young	$107,544	$51.70	616
   15	Anheuser-Busch	$107,211	$51.54	1
   16	Publix	$106,897	$51.39	6
   17	ITT	$106,040	$50.98
   18	VLS Systems	$104,398	$50.19	1
   19	Heritage Bank	$103,604	$49.81
   20	ICONMA	$102,946	$49.49	2

4. Writing a senior desktop engineer job description

   A job description for a senior desktop 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 senior desktop engineer job description:

   Senior desktop engineer job description example

   Beyond Finance is a next generation financial services company. Our goal is to provide financial peace of mind to our clients by giving them simple and transparent financial products that are customized to their individual circumstances.
   
   We're in constant pursuit of new collaborators that will help us get to the next level. Our workforce includes celebrated, diverse talents working towards the common objective of developing something transformational for the debt relief industry.
   
   Our team spirit and culture are what set us apart as a company. We love what we do, and we have fun doing it.
   About the Role
   
   The Senior Desktop Engineer is responsible for managing the technology infrastructure environment at Beyond. The individual will help manage computers, network, phone system, call center, security, and facilities related to technology. He/she will support administration in Cloud and LAN/WAN environments. They will perform a variety of maintenance, support, installation, and troubleshooting tasks to enable local and remote users.
   
   The hire will assist in planning and development of network resources, documentation of procedures and IT infrastructure. This position is responsible for researching, planning, building, deploying and improving solutions within the overall call center ecosystem including phone & messaging platforms, location(s) to support our business operations.
   
   What You'll Do
   Provide hands-on system administration support, system maintenance, and operations support. Administer & integrate JumpCloud, Google Workspace, Slack, O365 and other SaaS products. Assist, support and troubleshoot wired and wireless networks using tools like Rapid7, PRTG and 1000Eyes for WFH environment. Analyze SIP Logs and network parameters to optimize voice traffic. Scripting and system automation: PowerShell - windows computers, Google GAM, JumpCloud commands, for account provisioning / deprovisioning Amazon AWS - IAM roles, S3 buckets and permissioning, alerting and notifications Security awareness and best practices (across all products and environments) Support internal team members with system issues. Perform 3rd level user support for desktop support (as needed) Manage network servers and technology tools, troubleshoot SaaS issues and outages Monitor performance and maintain systems Create new IT Knowledge Base articles and/or user instructions as needed Upgrade systems with new releases and patches, document and communicate changes All other tasks as assigned
   What We Look For
   Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience 5+ years progressive experience as a System Administration. Capacity needs to be small/medium sized organization with a structured IT department Preferred Skill Requirements Experiences in configuring and managing Cloud Hosted business solutions, including Salesforce.com, JumpCloud, Google Suite, Office 365, AWS, etc. Any Microsoft certification
   
   Why join us?
   
   We are looking for great people to join a fast-paced, growing, and innovative business. For eligible fulltime employees, we offer:
   Considerable employer contributions for health, dental and vision programs Generous personal time-off 401(K) match Merit advancement opportunities Career development & training
   More importantly, our team spirit and culture are what really sets us apart as a company. We're a world-class company that loves what we do...and we have fun doing it!
   
   Under the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), Beyond Finance is informing California residents who are our job applicants, contractors or prospective employees (together "job applicants") about the categories of personal information we collect about you and the purposes for which we will use this information. This notice and our Privacy Policy contain important information relating to the CCPA and apply only to personal information that is subject to the CCPA. Please see our website for the full CCPA statement.
   
   *Beyond Finance is an equal opportunity Employer*
   
   Beyond Finance does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies in response to job positions. No fee will be paid to their parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to Beyond Finance employees or the Beyond Finance Finance and HR teams. No placement fee will be paid to any third party unless such a request has been made by the Beyond Finance HR team.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior desktop 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior desktop engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 senior desktop engineer

   Once you've found the senior desktop engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   To prepare for the new senior desktop 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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