How to hire a senior piping designer

How to hire a senior piping designer, step by step

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

What does a senior piping designer do?

Post a senior piping designer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior piping designer 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 piping designer 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

   Hiring the perfect senior piping designer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior piping designers.

   Type of Senior Piping Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Piping Designer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$45-86
   Product Engineer	A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public... Show more	$32-56
   Project Engineer	A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation... Show more	$26-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autocad
   • Equipment Layout
   • Refinery
   • Navisworks
   • ISO
   • CADWorx
   • IDS
   • Pipe Supports
   • Isometric Drawings
   • As-Built
   • Auto CAD
   • Plant Layout
   • Chemical Plant
   • Stress Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with JPL / NASA packaging and fabrication engineering leads (on-site).
   • Perform field surveys, prepare piping plans & sections, fabrication and construction ISO's and BOM's.
   • Fabricate steel platforms, column, ladders and stairs associate with containment tanks, pipe racks and pumps.
   • Animate NAVISWORKS models to help clarify maintenance clearances.
   • Train and provide support to new designers in PDMS.
   • Convert 3D model to a NAVISWORKS model for client model review.

   More senior piping designer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior piping designers' average salary in south dakota is 42% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior piping designers 47% less than senior-level senior piping designers.
   • Certifications. A senior piping designer 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 piping designer's salary.

   Average senior piping designer salary

   $130,020yearly

   $62.51 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior piping designer salary

   $94,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average senior piping designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$167,180	$80
   2	California	$163,200	$78
   3	Texas	$149,355	$72
   4	Massachusetts	$136,857	$66
   5	West Virginia	$135,039	$65
   6	Virginia	$133,077	$64
   7	New Jersey	$129,830	$62
   8	New York	$129,147	$62
   9	Louisiana	$127,521	$61
   10	Illinois	$127,453	$61
   11	Tennessee	$126,497	$61
   12	Georgia	$121,855	$59
   13	Colorado	$121,208	$58
   14	Florida	$119,209	$57
   15	Alabama	$117,395	$56
   16	Oklahoma	$116,276	$56
   17	North Carolina	$115,188	$55
   18	South Carolina	$114,766	$55
   19	Delaware	$113,328	$54
   20	Missouri	$111,946	$54

   Average senior piping designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amec Foster Wheeler	$152,303	$73.22
   2	IPS-Integrated Project Services	$152,303	$73.22
   3	Jacobs Enterprises	$152,286	$73.21	451
   4	PDS Tech	$152,048	$73.10	2
   5	Valdes Engineering	$151,979	$73.07
   6	WorleyParsons	$151,935	$73.05	13
   7	KBR	$149,903	$72.07	19
   8	Hatch	$149,841	$72.04	29
   9	Nes Holdings	$148,611	$71.45
   10	Woods Services	$147,025	$70.69
   11	Randstad North America, Inc.	$144,941	$69.68
   12	Petrotech	$142,606	$68.56
   13	System One	$141,173	$67.87	24
   14	Koch Industries	$140,125	$67.37	1
   15	Hargrove Engineers + Constructors	$137,613	$66.16	17
   16	GAS Unlimited	$137,584	$66.15
   17	Tesla	$136,760	$65.75	8
   18	Smith Seckman Reid	$135,502	$65.15	14
   19	Technip USA Corporation	$133,610	$64.24
   20	Burns & McDonnell	$133,310	$64.09	62

4. Writing a senior piping designer job description

   A job description for a senior piping designer 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 piping designer job description:

   Senior piping designer job description example

   Pasadena, TX
   
   Purpose: Execute and manage pipe design projects related to heavy industrial facilities. This will include
   organization and planning of the overall design effort, and the monitoring and direction of junior
   designers and draftsmen.
   
   Work Schedule: Normal work period is Monday-Friday dayshift. Must have availability any time and day of the week as needed.
   
   Core Job Responsibilities Provide planning and direction for other piping designers in project specific tasks. Ensure design compliance with respective client/company specification and codes. Perform fieldwork necessary to gather data, check tie-ins and provide construction support Prepare proposals and estimate new projects Prepare drawings and sketches to support construction work, change orders, estimates, etc. Prepare and disseminate all required documentation records such as status reports, punch lists describing work items to be done, sketches of work already completed, material requirement calculations, etc. to piping supervisor. Ability for check and back check drawings produced by drafting personnel. Interact with designers and engineers within the engineering group, and from other disciplines, in a team environment to create multi-discipline design packages for construction. Works with client to resolve problems. Work within company policy as outlined in the H+M Employee Handbook as well as the H+M Safety Manual and OSHA Safety rules. Perform other duties as assigned by the piping design supervisor as needed. Issue and be able to check piping isometrics. Set up and be responsible for project 3D model (piping systems, tie-in locations, pipe support locations, show mechanical equipment in the 3D model, steam tracing design and layout.) Interface with designers from other disciplines to provide a complete 3D model that meets project requirements. Issue the plot layout plan drawings per the 3D model. Able to provide and check piping material take offs. Competent in understanding and updating P&ID’s Competent in performing field walk downs and verifications. Provide weekly project engineering progress reports. Able to identify piping changes and notify a project engineer of changes. Able to issue and maintain a budget and schedule. Issue to the project engineer; needs list, responses to technical queries from clients, progress to original piping scope, progress to approved change orders. Essential Skills & Qualifications 10+ years of AutoCAD, CADWorx, and Navisworks in heavy industrial projects. Experience in utilizing point cloud software such as Autodesk Recap or CloudWorx. Strong technical written and verbal skills with strong customer service attitude. Ability to develop and work from P&IDs for use in plant layout & piping design. Able to obtain TWIC Card. Experience leading small to mid-capital projects. Thorough understanding and efficiency with standard design and drafting practices. Solid understanding of Code and Plant Specific Standard knowledge.
   
   Physical Requirements Occasionally lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds Sit for long periods of time Occasionally stoop, kneel or crouch Use hands and arms to reach for, grasp and manipulate objects
   Tool Requirements None
   Environment: Most work time is spent in an office environment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior piping designer 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 piping designer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior piping designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior piping designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 piping designer

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior piping designer 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior piping designer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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 piping designer?