How to hire a senior mobile developer

How to hire a senior mobile developer, step by step

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

What does a senior mobile developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior mobile developer you need to hire. Certain senior mobile developer 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

   A senior mobile developer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior mobile 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 mobile developer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Mobile Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Mobile 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	$44-74
   Team Lead And Developer	A team lead and developer is a person who handles a group of employees in a particular section, geared to accomplish daily specific goals. The team lead and developer ensures that the team works cohesively and efficiently to achieve its goals... Show more	$23-73
   Software Developer Internship	A software developer intern is responsible for assisting the software engineers with the design implementation and shadowing their duties to understand the processes more efficiently. Software developer interns use their classroom knowledge on practical applications, suggesting recommendations on how to make the project successful... Show more	$14-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • React Native
   • Objective C
   • Mobile Development
   • GIT
   • UI
   • API
   • Objective-C
   • JSON
   • Web Services
   • Scrum
   • App Development
   • Web Application
   • Application Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used Atlassian tools such as JIRA to manage and keep track on progress of project.
   • Manage multiple web and database servers in multiple locations to ensure constant availability, functionality, synchronization and security.
   • Develop and design web pages using HTML, CSS including Ajax controls and XML.
   • Utilize expert knowledge of JavaScript, CSS and HTML to develop mobile applications for animal health professionals.
   • Track and maintain work tickets using Jira.
   • Work with management using agile process and attend scrum meetings.

   More senior mobile developer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior mobile developers' average salary in kansas is 36% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior mobile developers 41% less than senior-level senior mobile developers.
   • Certifications. A senior mobile developer 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 mobile developer's salary.

   Average senior mobile developer salary

   $119,532yearly

   $57.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior mobile developer salary

   $92,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average senior mobile developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$156,114	$75
   2	Washington	$135,386	$65
   3	Massachusetts	$126,583	$61
   4	District of Columbia	$126,037	$61
   5	New Jersey	$123,409	$59
   6	New York	$122,418	$59
   7	Ohio	$115,754	$56
   8	Georgia	$115,672	$56
   9	North Carolina	$112,761	$54
   10	Michigan	$112,241	$54
   11	Arizona	$111,268	$53
   12	Pennsylvania	$111,050	$53
   13	Texas	$109,570	$53
   14	Missouri	$108,620	$52
   15	Florida	$108,430	$52
   16	Illinois	$103,338	$50
   17	Minnesota	$100,866	$48
   18	Louisiana	$97,434	$47
   19	Wisconsin	$96,301	$46
   20	Kansas	$94,224	$45

   Average senior mobile developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	First Republic Bank	$151,802	$72.98
   2	RingCentral	$151,092	$72.64
   3	Atlassian	$150,905	$72.55	1
   4	A+E Networks	$150,496	$72.35
   5	eBay	$150,387	$72.30
   6	Macy's	$143,536	$69.01	2
   7	ServiceNow	$141,341	$67.95
   8	Barclays	$140,363	$67.48
   9	The Washington Post	$138,866	$66.76
   10	Ulta Beauty	$138,307	$66.49	1
   11	Castlight Health	$137,359	$66.04
   12	TED	$136,506	$65.63
   13	Slalom	$133,070	$63.98	102
   14	CyberCoders	$132,149	$63.53
   15	Trailer Park	$131,795	$63.36
   16	GoDaddy	$131,152	$63.05
   17	Globant	$130,062	$62.53
   18	NBCUniversal	$130,035	$62.52	4
   19	TIBCO Software	$130,010	$62.50
   20	Shipt	$129,974	$62.49

4. Writing a senior mobile developer job description

   A good senior mobile developer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior mobile developer job description:

   Senior mobile developer job description example

   We're the mobile and web development charter organization at WEX. As a Software Developer, you will be joining the Mobile Development team and focus specifically on our mobile apps. We use the Kanban agile process framework and the embedded DevOps model. Our highly autonomous team controls the full Software life cycle from development, to release, to maintenance and operations.
   
   Our team works hard, covers for one another, yet maintains a healthy work-life balance. We own our results and we take pride in the ownership of everything we do (check your ego at the door, and take pride in owning results!). We all are comfortable balancing the need to move fast with the realities of working in a highly regulated space like payments. We also enjoy hanging out and eating together.
   About the role
   You will be involved in the development and support of mobile applications using a variety of technologies and services to provide our customers with the best mobile experience possible.
   
   You will leverage the latest technology to improve the quality, stability and increase performance of our apps.
   
   Must have
   Experience with iOS development using Swift, and/or Experience with Android development using KotlinExperience with package managers and build tools such as Fastlane, Xcode, CocoaPods, etc
   
   Nice to have
   Experience with Gradle or Maven build systems Experience with CI/CD systems such as JenkinsExperience working on an Agile team, using a tracking tool such as JIRAWeb service development with Java, experience specifically with RESTful API and Spring framework Experience with Database, SQL, and Java Persistence API (JPA) Experience with Amazon Web Services
   
   The base pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual pay rates will vary and will be based on various factors, such as your qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. Base pay is one component of WEX's total compensation package. Most sales positions are eligible for commission under the terms of an applicable plan. Non-sales roles are typically eligible for a quarterly or annual bonus based on their role and applicable plan. WEX's comprehensive and market competitive benefits are designed to support your personal and professional well-being. Benefits include health, dental and vision insurances, retirement savings plan, paid time off, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more. For more information, check out the "About Us" section.
   
   Salary Pay Range: $105,000.00 - $140,000.00

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior mobile developer 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 mobile developer job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior mobile developer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior mobile developers, 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a senior mobile developer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 mobile developer

   Once you've selected the best senior mobile developer 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new senior mobile developer 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 mobile developer?