How to hire a senior infrastructure architect

How to hire a senior infrastructure architect, step by step

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

What does a senior infrastructure architect do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior infrastructure architect 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 senior infrastructure architect 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior infrastructure architect 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 infrastructure architect that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior infrastructure architects and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Infrastructure Architect	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Infrastructure Architect		$46-71
   Systems Administrator Lead	A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems... Show more	$37-62
   Architect	Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users... Show more	$25-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Amazon Web Services
   • AWS
   • Cloud
   • Cloud Computing
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Lead Implementation
   • Enterprise Applications
   • Java
   • PowerShell
   • Linux
   • Project Management
   • Virtualization
   • Azure
   • Ruby

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and support Citrix application builds and release cycles.
   • Manage Cisco ASA firewalls and Microsoft ISA firewalls in production environment providing secure configurations and monitoring of the firewall logs.
   • Provision, configure and maintain cloud resources including server instances, load balancers, security groups, DNS management, certificates.
   • Plan and implement a sophisticate Linux server environment for a major MVNO.
   • Assist in the development of a long term vision and strategy regarding virtualization and storage.
   • Install new servers, all new workstations, switches, backup system, and cabling.

   More senior infrastructure architect duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior infrastructure architect job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior infrastructure architect salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior infrastructure architect in Maine may be lower than in California, and an entry-level senior infrastructure architect usually earns less than a senior-level senior infrastructure architect. Additionally, a senior infrastructure architect with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior infrastructure architect salary

   $119,989yearly

   $57.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior infrastructure architect salary

   $96,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average senior infrastructure architect salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$161,092	$77
   2	Nevada	$141,478	$68
   3	Oregon	$138,823	$67
   4	Connecticut	$135,104	$65
   5	Arizona	$124,332	$60
   6	New Jersey	$123,586	$59
   7	Washington	$122,515	$59
   8	Texas	$119,465	$57
   9	Michigan	$118,877	$57
   10	Minnesota	$116,874	$56
   11	Georgia	$115,842	$56
   12	Nebraska	$115,205	$55
   13	Illinois	$114,773	$55
   14	Colorado	$113,254	$54
   15	Indiana	$113,173	$54
   16	New York	$112,843	$54
   17	Massachusetts	$111,834	$54
   18	Rhode Island	$111,634	$54
   19	District of Columbia	$111,340	$54
   20	Florida	$110,916	$53

   Average senior infrastructure architect salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ByteDance	$167,713	$80.63	5
   2	NVIDIA	$151,626	$72.90	181
   3	DTCC	$135,435	$65.11	7
   4	BNY Mellon	$134,854	$64.83	15
   5	Fairview Health Services	$133,799	$64.33	3
   6	Aptude Consulting Services	$132,860	$63.88
   7	Amazon	$132,540	$63.72	423
   8	Softpath System	$132,475	$63.69	4
   9	Parsons	$131,992	$63.46	19
   10	Kronos Incorporated	$130,134	$62.56
   11	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$129,799	$62.40	208
   12	Tandem Diabetes Care	$129,420	$62.22
   13	Kemper	$129,165	$62.10	4
   14	Salesforce	$128,368	$61.72	40
   15	Kforce	$127,644	$61.37	50
   16	Kroger	$125,143	$60.16
   17	Net2Source	$124,633	$59.92
   18	General Electric	$124,482	$59.85	21
   19	TechDigital	$124,453	$59.83
   20	United	$124,420	$59.82	8

4. Writing a senior infrastructure architect job description

   A job description for a senior infrastructure architect 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 infrastructure architect job description:

   Senior infrastructure architect job description example

   Insight Enterprises is seeking a Sr. Infrastructure Architect to be responsible for design, development, and implementation of enterprise Linux Systems and infrastructure. This position will recommend and oversee approved projects that expand, change, or improve Linux systems and related infrastructure. This role will support cross-departmental collaboration and internal communications with staff throughout the organization, as well as promoting a positive work environment that supports consistency and drives efficiency throughout the organization. The position is responsible for creating detailed solution designs and documentation that supports the development, implementation and operations of enterprise-class systems used globally across ship and shore locations. As well, this position will be responsible for all critical support as required in working with 3rd party managed service providers.
   
   **Please note: This is a "direct hire" perminant role with one of our major Fortune 500 clients. Position is paid sallary with full benefits and 100% REMOTE! (Must work EST hours)
   Required Years and Area of Professional Experience:
   
   5-7 years RedHat Linux OS experience, experience with VmWare, RedHat Satellite, RedHat Ansible Tower, physical server experience (DELL HW), excellent scripting skills, familiarity with container technologies such as Docker, OCP, Tanzu etc.
   
   Critical Professional Related Technical/Computer Skills: Excellent documentation skills, ITIL, ITSM excellent communication and written skills
   Other Requirements: Windows server, YAML, power shell familiarity with enterprise storage technologies,
   
   Insight helps Fortune 500 and mid-tier enterprises transform their data centers to meet tomorrow's IT challenges today. From recommending ways to bridge the gap between IT and user expectations, to implementing advanced technologies like ITaaS and cloud, to providing robust managed services and technical support, we make IT relevant - standardizing, optimizing, and managing how business gets done.
   
   Insight is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   Posting Notes: Miami || Florida (US-FL) || United States (US) || None || None || US - Miami, FL ||
   
   Nearest Major Market: Miami
   Job Segment: System Administrator, Linux, Consulting, Architecture, Technical Support, Technology, Engineering

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior infrastructure architects for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior infrastructure architects they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior infrastructure architects with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior infrastructure architect job on Zippia to find and recruit senior infrastructure architect candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior infrastructure architect candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior infrastructure architect 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 infrastructure architect

   Once you've selected the best senior infrastructure architect 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 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 senior infrastructure architect. 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.

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 infrastructure architect?