How to hire a senior/lead developer

How to hire a senior/lead developer, step by step

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

What does a senior/lead developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior/lead developer 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

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

   Here's a comparison of senior/lead developer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior/Lead Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior/Lead Developer	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	$43-85
   Applications Developer	An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs... Show more	$32-56
   Database Developer	A database developer specializes in designing and creating storage programs according to a client's needs. Their responsibilities revolve around meeting with clients to discuss their preferences and requirements, coordinating with other teams, identifying errors or inconsistencies by conducting regular maintenance tests, and monitoring its performance to ensure smooth workflow... Show more	$33-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • C++
   • JavaScript
   • Web Application
   • Architecture
   • Data Warehouse
   • API
   • CSS
   • Web Services
   • SQL Server
   • UI
   • Html Css
   • ETL
   • HTML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead team through creative process to define company website design and flow within an HTML template.
   • Lead team of UI and PL/SQL developers to improve UI performance by tuning SQL and modifying UI code.
   • Implement new requirements and enhancements, data center migrations thereby handling and managing respective QA and production releases.
   • Manage internal enterprise applications through the SDLC, encompassing purchase ordering, resource provisioning, content management and digital phone administration.
   • Design, develop UI screens with JSP, JSF, AJAX and JQUERY to provide interactive screens to display data.
   • Develop a cross-device/cross-browser web application for real-time location sharing utilizing AngularJS, JavaScript API.

   More senior/lead developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior/lead developer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior/lead developer 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/lead developer in Arkansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level senior/lead developer usually earns less than a senior-level senior/lead developer. Additionally, a senior/lead developer 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/lead developer salary

   $127,208yearly

   $61.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior/lead developer salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average senior/lead developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$160,500	$77
   2	New York	$150,970	$73
   3	New Jersey	$145,449	$70
   4	Connecticut	$143,258	$69
   5	District of Columbia	$140,888	$68
   6	Massachusetts	$137,168	$66
   7	Washington	$136,706	$66
   8	Pennsylvania	$132,561	$64
   9	Maryland	$131,057	$63
   10	North Carolina	$130,009	$63
   11	Virginia	$126,556	$61
   12	Illinois	$124,769	$60
   13	Minnesota	$124,295	$60
   14	Oregon	$121,853	$59
   15	Utah	$120,086	$58
   16	Florida	$119,001	$57
   17	Michigan	$116,296	$56
   18	Texas	$116,140	$56
   19	Arizona	$113,228	$54
   20	Ohio	$112,548	$54

   Average senior/lead developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Atlassian	$171,876	$82.63	14
   2	Barclays	$166,885	$80.23	1
   3	Citi	$160,463	$77.15	53
   4	Bloomberg	$159,845	$76.85	190
   5	HarbourVest	$154,125	$74.10	1
   6	Stitch Fix	$151,680	$72.92	5
   7	UBS	$146,212	$70.29	11
   8	Nuveen Investments	$141,472	$68.02	1
   9	POLITICO	$141,132	$67.85
   10	HSBC Bank	$139,553	$67.09
   11	Astellas Pharma	$137,988	$66.34	13
   12	Autodesk	$137,821	$66.26	18
   13	American Life Insurance Company	$137,792	$66.25
   14	Corning Incorporated	$137,716	$66.21	8
   15	Morgan Stanley	$137,096	$65.91	44
   16	National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care	$136,520	$65.63
   17	Asset Management Specialist	$135,223	$65.01
   18	Rbc Holding Co Ltd	$134,895	$64.85	2
   19	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$133,946	$64.40	1,005
   20	AbbVie	$133,918	$64.38	10

4. Writing a senior/lead developer job description

   A senior/lead developer 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/lead developer job description:

   Senior/lead developer job description example

   At Allegro we flex. Flex@Allegro is our approach to hybrid working that empowers managers and their team members to decide where and when work will be done. Ask what Flex@Allegro can mean for you.
   
   As a Product and Test Engineering Section Head, you will be a part of a development team for new mixed signal products in our Magnetic Sensor portfolio. This is a “player-coach” type of a position combining ability to flex your management muscle as well as stay connected to the hands-on engineering. You will be responsible for leading a small team of the development Test Engineers working on Magnetic Sensor Products. Test Engineers are responsible for design of the test and characterization solutions, code implementation, data collection and engineering assessment, reliability studies, and a production test solution. It is a rewarding position allowing you to own the product test solution from inception until release to production.
   Your responsibilities include
   Leading the test for new product planning: technical test feasibility, test cost estimates, test plan creation, and DFTTraining and mentoring, responsible for execution success of your team Design of new methods to establish product performance and ensure testability Definition of test and validation plan to reach the target test coverage and test time Development, debugging and documenting complex test software and hardware for ATEParticipation in new design troubleshooting and providing recommendations to the rest of the team Analysis of test and characterization data, including statistical analysis Test program optimization and robustness studies Knowledge transfer to manufacturing engineering Results analysis during reliability studies
   
   Qualification and requirements
   Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering7- 8 years of related experience is desired, ideally involving IC the test Leadership experience Knowledge of semiconductor development process and new product introduction ATE or lab automation knowledge and experience
   
   An ideal candidate has relevant leadership experience of leading small teams of engineers, as well as hands on experience in semiconductor product development. They possess good interpersonal skills and are excited to drive improvement. They enjoy decision-making, problem solving, and have working knowledge in multiple areas of product development. They enjoy collaboration with other functions.
   
   #LI-MR1
   
   At Allegro, we are committed to providing a harassment-free environment of mutual respect to fuel innovation through inclusive thought collaboration. Allegro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, parental status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Allegro makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior/lead developers 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/lead developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior/lead developers 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/lead developer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior/lead developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior/lead developer 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/lead developer 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/lead developer

   Once you've found the senior/lead developer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior/lead developer. 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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