How to hire a senior industrial engineer

How to hire a senior industrial engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior industrial engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior industrial engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 industrial 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.

   This list presents senior industrial engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Industrial Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Industrial 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.	$32-54
   Process Improvement Engineer	A process improvement engineer specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop new strategies and ideas to improve the processes in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting. They prioritize efficiency and profitability... Show more	$29-52
   Manufacturing Engineering Internship	A manufacturing engineering intern is responsible for assisting the manufacturing engineers on the plant's daily operations, analyzing the manufacturing process and procedures, and recommending strategic solutions to maximize productivity and minimize costs. Manufacturing engineering interns shadow the production staff, inspect the tools and equipment of the manufacturing, analyze the quality control documentation, and perform related administrative tasks to familiarize themselves with the plant structure... Show more	$19-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Sigma
   • Facility Layout
   • Logistics
   • IE
   • Capacity Analysis
   • SR
   • Process Flow
   • CAD
   • Continuous Improvement
   • WMS
   • Process Changes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used SMED methodology to achieve quick changeovers of tooling.
   • Implement a highly automate distribution network in food logistics.
   • Project manager for Gerber cad application to improve materials utilization.
   • Premier global security company providing systems, products, logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers.
   • Develop financial evaluations of potential major capital investment projects and provide documentation of investment vs payback to companies Sr.
   • Perform SPC analysis and TQM for developing improvement initiatives.

   More senior industrial engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior industrial engineers' average salary in vermont is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior industrial engineers earn 40% less than senior-level senior industrial engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior industrial 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 industrial engineer's salary.

   Average senior industrial engineer salary

   $87,816yearly

   $42.22 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior industrial engineer salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior industrial engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$115,157	$55
   2	California	$115,009	$55
   3	Nevada	$107,393	$52
   4	Massachusetts	$100,729	$48
   5	Arizona	$97,620	$47
   6	Maryland	$95,556	$46
   7	Connecticut	$94,927	$46
   8	Colorado	$93,670	$45
   9	Texas	$93,511	$45
   10	Michigan	$89,645	$43
   11	North Carolina	$86,209	$41
   12	Pennsylvania	$85,262	$41
   13	New York	$85,249	$41
   14	Illinois	$83,388	$40
   15	Ohio	$81,835	$39
   16	Tennessee	$81,052	$39
   17	Georgia	$80,084	$39
   18	Indiana	$76,763	$37

   Average senior industrial engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$120,601	$57.98	196
   2	Levi Strauss & Co.	$114,161	$54.89
   3	Nordstrom	$113,062	$54.36	3
   4	NVIDIA	$113,001	$54.33	21
   5	Walgreens	$105,357	$50.65
   6	Tractor Supply	$103,680	$49.85	2
   7	Entegris	$103,374	$49.70	7
   8	ICONMA	$102,385	$49.22
   9	Intuitive Surgical	$101,926	$49.00	12
   10	Abbott	$101,702	$48.90	80
   11	Qualcomm	$100,288	$48.22	9
   12	Target	$100,108	$48.13	5
   13	Oshkosh	$99,322	$47.75	20
   14	Tesla	$99,318	$47.75	80
   15	General Motors	$98,660	$47.43	34
   16	MathWorks	$98,610	$47.41
   17	BorgWarner	$98,339	$47.28	12
   18	CDW	$98,319	$47.27
   19	Ashley HomeStore	$98,130	$47.18	8
   20	Bosch USA	$98,123	$47.17	13

4. Writing a senior industrial engineer job description

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

   Senior industrial engineer job description example

   What makes DHL great? Our People! We know each employee's individual contributions make us the #1 Express Deliveries and Logistics Company in the world.

   
   Start YOUR career with DHL today…

   We currently have an opening for an Industrial Engineer . The position helps to plan utilization of facilities, equipment, materials, and personnel to improve efficiency of operations. The role also establishes work measurement programs and analyzes work samples to develop standards for labor utilization. The Industrial Engineer may contribute to the development of budgets and forecasts.

   Key Tasks & Accountabilities

   • Directly involved with pilot projects and implementation/deployment of projects with heavy involvement in US route optimization development.
   • Forecasts facility, vehicle, staffing and/or material handling equipment needs in order to improve cost, utilization, service, and efficiencies.
   • Establishes work measurement programs and analyzes work samples to develop standards for labor utilization. Will contribute to the development of budgets and forecasts.
   • Conducts studies to determine the most efficient sequence of operations and workflow by analyzing production costs, process flow charts, and production schedules.
   • Recommends methods for maximizing the utilization of production facilities and personnel by restructuring job duties, reorganizing work flow, relocating workstations and equipment, and purchasing equipment in adherence with governmental, health, safety, and other regulations.
   • Prepares cost estimates for proposed projects and evaluates cost factors; recommends changes in each Service Center/Gateway pertaining to cost control, as well as time and motion, work standards, work methods, personnel utilization, service, and quality.
   • Coordinates routing system changes with airline, hub and ground network in order to optimize service cost.
   • May monitor and evaluate departmental reporting systems.
   • Monitors and evaluates each Service Center/Gateway's progress in managing service and cost.
   • Involvement with Service Provider recommendations and negotiations
   • DHL operational service center operations observations and efficiency designs

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior industrial 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 senior industrial engineer

   Once you've selected the best senior industrial engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 senior industrial 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 senior industrial engineer?