How to hire a senior instrumentation engineer

How to hire a senior instrumentation engineer, step by step

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

Post a senior instrumentation engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior instrumentation engineer you need to hire. Certain senior instrumentation engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 instrumentation 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 instrumentation engineer that fits the bill.

   This list presents senior instrumentation engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Instrumentation Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Instrumentation Engineer	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).	$34-55
   Electrical Designer	An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings... Show more	$22-42
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Acquisition
   • PLC
   • Capital Projects
   • CAD
   • Technical Support
   • Engineering Design
   • Control Valves
   • DCS
   • ISO
   • Autocad
   • SR
   • SIS
   • Engineering Disciplines
   • Transducers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead support of PLC base control systems.
   • Manage and perform verification activities to insure device meet all safety and EMC requirements.
   • Project involve reprogramming PLC codes to capture abnormal and alarming situation causing excessive line downtime.
   • Perform system design/validation; ensure conformity to UL requirements.
   • Revise PCB design and manufacturing data to support water purification equipment.
   • Contact manufacturers of controllers, valves, and transmitters for latest development of components and mechanical equipment.

   More senior instrumentation engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior instrumentation engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior instrumentation engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior instrumentation engineers' average salary in utah is 35% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior instrumentation engineers 37% less than senior-level senior instrumentation engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior instrumentation engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior instrumentation engineer's salary.

   Average senior instrumentation engineer salary

   $91,301yearly

   $43.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior instrumentation engineer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average senior instrumentation engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$112,773	$54
   2	New York	$108,663	$52
   3	Massachusetts	$103,395	$50
   4	Louisiana	$100,301	$48
   5	Texas	$99,901	$48
   6	Maryland	$99,763	$48
   7	Washington	$97,961	$47
   8	North Carolina	$97,121	$47
   9	Hawaii	$94,107	$45
   10	Pennsylvania	$89,886	$43
   11	Georgia	$84,651	$41
   12	Tennessee	$84,509	$41
   13	Arizona	$75,564	$36
   14	Utah	$70,609	$34

   Average senior instrumentation engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$134,120	$64.48	53
   2	Masimo	$109,733	$52.76	3
   3	PBF Energy	$108,549	$52.19	2
   4	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$101,541	$48.82
   5	Cigna	$99,644	$47.91
   6	General Electric	$96,952	$46.61	24
   7	Formosa Plastics	$96,141	$46.22	2
   8	Technip USA Corporation	$93,527	$44.96
   9	Woods Services	$93,356	$44.88
   10	Chan Zuckerberg Initiative	$91,418	$43.95
   11	The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i	$91,253	$43.87
   12	Valero Energy	$90,987	$43.74	8
   13	Westlake Chemical	$90,107	$43.32	1
   14	Vicarious Surgical	$89,137	$42.85
   15	Goodwin Recruiting	$89,072	$42.82
   16	Amec Foster Wheeler	$89,020	$42.80
   17	HDR	$88,985	$42.78	40
   18	GRAIL	$88,971	$42.77
   19	WorleyParsons	$88,736	$42.66	7
   20	Planet Labs	$88,464	$42.53	2

4. Writing a senior instrumentation engineer job description

   A senior instrumentation 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior instrumentation engineer job description:

   Senior instrumentation engineer job description example

   We are currently seeking an experienced Sr. Instruments Engineer for an opportunity for an independent refiner based out of Anchorage, AK.
   
   Our Client provides full multi-disciplined engineering, design, project management, procurement, and construction coordination support services to clients in the US and Canada. For decades, they have successfully provided these services to help their customers engineer the future of energy.
   
   The Sr. Instruments Engineer is primarily responsible for providing instrumentation & controls (I&C) design and project Engineering coordination for assigned capital projects by ensuring standards and best practices are used by contractors and internal personnel, including, but not limited to, ensuring appropriate application of all specifications and that testing, documentation and project commissioning of all instrumentation & controls project strategies meet our client's and internal customer expectations.
   The Sr. Instruments Engineer is also responsible for:
   
   - Developing project scope; providing guidance to ensure quality for instrumentation and automation portion of capital projects, as well as ensuring all designs are safe to install and operate
   
   - Coordinating with internal customer instrumentation & control Engineers and specialists to assure capital project automation objectives are achieved
   
   - Coordinating both external and internal resources for assigned projects, delivering specialized instrumentation and control systems within project scope; providing oversight and guidance for contract instrumentation & control Engineers
   
   - Providing in- house Engineering design, construction support and start- up assistance for all assigned projects; providing support for conducting feasibility and simulation studies, evaluating economic value and impact on instrumentation & controls installations
   
   - Reviewing project documentation, drawings, equipment specifications, Management of Change (MOCs), FAT's and Authorizations for Expenditures (AFEs) documents
   
   - Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related field
   
   - 10+ years of progressive Engineering experience within a refinery, petro- chemical, pipeline and/or terminal setting; 5- 10+ years of Project Engineering and/or Project Management experience leading major capital projects with a total installed cost of $10- $20+ MM
   
   ID: 2022-9015
   
   External Company Name: The Bergaila Companies
   
   External Company URL: www.bergaila.com
   
   Post End Date: 10/20/2022
   
   Telecommute: No

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior instrumentation engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior instrumentation engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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.

   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 instrumentation engineer

   Once you've selected the best senior instrumentation 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new senior instrumentation 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior instrumentation engineer?