How to hire a senior firmware engineer

How to hire a senior firmware engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior firmware engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior firmware 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior firmware engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior firmware engineer that fits the bill.

   This list presents senior firmware engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Firmware Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Firmware 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	$45-77
   Embedded Software Developer	An embedded software developer designs and develops software embedded into systems and devices. They are primarily in charge of writing codes that implement systems and solutions, ensuring the embedded software adheres to project goals and requirements... Show more	$32-56
   Systems Engineering Internship	In a systems engineering internship, an intern is primarily responsible for following a supervising officer or manager's directives. Most of an intern's tasks revolve around assisting engineers in installing and maintaining systems, troubleshooting, and even providing corrective measures... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • SPI
   • Embedded Systems
   • Linux
   • C
   • C++
   • Debugging
   • I2C
   • Software Development
   • Firmware Development
   • UART
   • RTOS
   • GIT
   • USB

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a group of 9 engineers responsible for technology development for handling electronic packages (computer CPU) during HVM.
   • Optimize eAAC+ encoder, eAAC+ decoder and bluetooth SBC encoder.
   • Port Bluetooth stack to implement application protocol through SPP RECOMM interface.
   • Mentore team members who are unfamiliar with Java and object orient programming.
   • Design multitasking system using uCOS RTOS on coldfire MCF5272 platform in C/C++ programming.
   • Perform firmware-hardware integration, debug firmware and test RF chip performance in the lab.

   More senior firmware engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior firmware engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior firmware 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 senior firmware engineer in Kansas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior firmware engineer. Additionally, a senior firmware engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior firmware engineer salary

   $123,759yearly

   $59.50 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior firmware engineer salary

   $94,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior firmware engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$145,210	$70
   2	Washington	$141,805	$68
   3	New York	$111,525	$54
   4	Texas	$109,073	$52
   5	North Carolina	$106,587	$51
   6	Massachusetts	$105,702	$51
   7	Florida	$105,271	$51
   8	Colorado	$101,176	$49
   9	Minnesota	$100,385	$48
   10	Illinois	$100,225	$48
   11	Indiana	$96,024	$46
   12	Wisconsin	$95,719	$46

   Average senior firmware engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$156,624	$75.30	149
   2	Microsoft	$155,391	$74.71	287
   3	Rivian	$148,087	$71.20	37
   4	PAX Labs	$147,491	$70.91
   5	NVIDIA	$147,000	$70.67	197
   6	Seres	$146,182	$70.28	2
   7	Bloomberg	$145,811	$70.10	6
   8	Micron Technology	$145,135	$69.78	12
   9	Amazon	$142,264	$68.40	208
   10	ST-Residential	$141,232	$67.90
   11	Lexar	$140,462	$67.53
   12	GoPro	$140,196	$67.40
   13	NComputing	$138,825	$66.74
   14	CyberCoders	$138,804	$66.73
   15	Fitbit	$136,821	$65.78
   16	Tesla	$136,562	$65.65	30
   17	Motion Recruitment	$135,937	$65.35	8
   18	OCZ Technology	$135,535	$65.16
   19	Fresh Consulting	$134,978	$64.89
   20	NIO	$134,955	$64.88	3

4. Writing a senior firmware engineer job description

   A senior firmware 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior firmware engineer job description:

   Senior firmware engineer job description example

   NVIDIA's invention of the GPU sparked the PC gaming market. The company's pioneering work in accelerated computing-a supercharged form of computing at the intersection of computer graphics, high performance computing and AI-is reshaping trillion-dollar industries, such as transportation, healthcare and manufacturing, and fueling the growth of many others. In 2020, NVIDIA acquired Mellanox, a leading supplier of end-to-end Ethernet and InfiniBand intelligent interconnect solutions and services for servers, storage, and hyperconverged infrastructure. Mellanox intelligent interconnect solutions increase data center efficiency by providing the highest throughput and lowest latency, delivering data faster to applications and unlocking system performance.
   
   We are looking for an excellent Software Engineer to join the NIC Firmware team. The Firmware team develops cutting edge networking features for cloud, HPC and storage. We drive the data growth of the world's biggest companies. With many talented engineers around the globe, the work environment is dynamic, challenging and fast paced.
   What you will be doing:
   Work closely with the architecture and different software design teams. Implement new features in the core of Mellanox NIC firmware. Develop verification tests for advanced features in a highly complex and sophisticated Firmware testing environment. Gain a deep understanding of system debug, networking technology and stacks, as well as the HW/FW/SW relationship. You will learn how a big software project is operated, maintained, qualified and released, and how Hardware and Firmware are developed.
   What we need to see:
   BS in Computer Science/Engineering or equivalent experience. 5+ of professional experience. Strong C/C++ and OOP capabilities. Excellent understanding of data structures and algorithms fundamentals. Scripting abilities (Python, Bash). Strong analytical, debugging and problem solving skills. Motivated and independent with strong interpersonal skills.
   Ways to stand out from the crowd:
   Knowledge of network protocols. Prior verification experience. Experience with Agile methods. Real time programming, RTOS. Knowledge in storage protocols.
   With competitive salaries and a generous benefits package, we are widely considered to be one of the technology world's most desirable employers. We have some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people in the world working for us and, due to unprecedented growth, our exclusive engineering teams are rapidly growing. If you're a creative and autonomous engineer with a real passion for technology, we want to hear from you.
   
   NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior firmware 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 firmware engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior firmware engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior firmware 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.

   If your interviews with senior firmware engineer applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 firmware engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior firmware 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 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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 senior firmware engineer?