How to hire a senior infrastructure engineer

How to hire a senior infrastructure engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior infrastructure engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior infrastructure 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

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

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior infrastructure engineers.

   Type of Senior Infrastructure Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Infrastructure Engineer	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$41-75
   Systems Architect	A systems architect specializes in designing and developing computer networks and systems for company operations. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify a company's needs, devising strategies to reach particular goals, improving existing systems, and implementing solutions for optimal processes... Show more	$36-67
   Solutions Architect	A solutions architect specializes in creating and implementing software systems that improve business operations and resolve network issues. They are primarily responsible for conducting research and analysis to assess the business's needs, develop specific designs for the company, provide solutions should there be any system issues, and keep company officials informed with all changes and updates... Show more	$41-74

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cloud
   • AWS
   • Linux
   • Customer Service
   • Azure
   • Java
   • PowerShell
   • Troubleshoot
   • Ruby
   • SAN
   • Windows Server
   • Virtualization
   • DNS
   • Tcp Ip

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Install, configure, and administering multiple VMWare environments and managing multiple virtual server instances.
   • Manage all DNS and DHCP servers and scopes as well as domain controllers and member servers.
   • Correct Java relate problems that lead to overall better productivity of the server, storage and network teams.
   • Establish and manage VLAN and IP addressing standards (components, design) supporting IPT and other technologies.
   • Manage Cisco ASA firewalls and Microsoft ISA firewalls in production environment providing secure configurations and monitoring of the firewall logs.
   • Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.

   More senior infrastructure engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average senior infrastructure engineer salary

   $117,765yearly

   $56.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior infrastructure engineer salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average senior infrastructure engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$159,428	$77
   2	Washington	$146,385	$70
   3	New York	$131,850	$63
   4	Rhode Island	$121,271	$58
   5	District of Columbia	$119,583	$57
   6	Massachusetts	$118,909	$57
   7	Arizona	$117,736	$57
   8	New Jersey	$117,055	$56
   9	Connecticut	$116,902	$56
   10	Virginia	$115,571	$56
   11	Pennsylvania	$115,127	$55
   12	North Carolina	$115,055	$55
   13	Wisconsin	$109,320	$53
   14	Hawaii	$106,382	$51
   15	Ohio	$103,856	$50
   16	Illinois	$103,841	$50
   17	Texas	$103,627	$50
   18	Minnesota	$102,245	$49
   19	Indiana	$101,081	$49
   20	Georgia	$100,071	$48

   Average senior infrastructure engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$188,359	$90.56	418
   2	Credit Karma	$182,521	$87.75
   3	Flexport	$174,503	$83.90	5
   4	Crunchbase	$172,990	$83.17
   5	NVIDIA	$169,204	$81.35	57
   6	Anaplan	$165,674	$79.65
   7	Coinbase	$163,044	$78.39	32
   8	Rivian	$159,330	$76.60
   9	Microsoft	$157,143	$75.55	45
   10	Thumbtack	$156,353	$75.17
   11	Apple	$154,681	$74.37	105
   12	Databricks	$153,958	$74.02	5
   13	LinkedIn	$153,829	$73.96
   14	Intuitive Surgical	$152,666	$73.40	4
   15	Apptio	$151,089	$72.64
   16	Snowflake Computing	$149,469	$71.86	3
   17	Dolby Laboratories	$148,945	$71.61
   18	The Walt Disney Company	$148,835	$71.56	40
   19	Cruise Automation	$146,155	$70.27
   20	Citi	$145,432	$69.92	6

4. Writing a senior infrastructure engineer job description

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

   Senior infrastructure engineer job description example

   The primary responsibility of the Sr Server Engineer is to code Golang microservices.
   All duties are to be performed in accordance with departmental and Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s policies, practices, and procedures. All Las Vegas Sands Corp. Team Members are expected to conduct and carry themselves in a professional manner at all times. Team Members are required to observe the Company's standards, work requirements and rules of conduct.
   
   Essential Duties & Responsibilities
   
   Write Golang microservices that will be under load (including unit and functional tests). Work closely with the DevOPs and SecOPs team to ensure a scalable and secure system. Work with a large collaborative team to create a best-in-class product and mentor a junior developer. Perform job duties in a safe manner. Attend work as scheduled on a consistent and regular basis. Perform other related duties as assigned.
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   
   21 years of age. Proof of authorization to work in the United States. High school diploma or equivalent or equivalent experience Must be able to obtain and maintain any certification or license, as required by law or policy. Deep knowledge of building high available and scalable applications. Experience with test driven development Knowledge of some of the following ideal:
   Writing microservices that handle load. Writing APIs (gRPC experience preferred). Golang experience preferred (otherwise: C++, C#, Java, Python). Relational databases (MySQL preferred). AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes experience a plus. Effective written and verbal communication skills in English
   
   Work Environment
   
   Must be able to:
   Physically access assigned workspace areas with or without reasonable accommodation. Work remotely as necessary Work indoors and be exposed to various environmental factors such as, but not limited to, CRT, noise, and dust. Utilize laptop and standard keyboard to perform essential functions of the job.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior infrastructure engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior infrastructure engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior infrastructure engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior infrastructure engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior infrastructure engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior infrastructure engineer 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

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

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior infrastructure engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 infrastructure 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 infrastructure engineer?