How to hire a senior safety engineer

How to hire a senior safety engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior safety engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   The following list breaks down different types of senior safety engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Safety Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Safety Engineer	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$27-55
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49
   Manager, Environmental And Safety	An Environmental and Safety manager is responsible for overseeing environmental sustainability concerning production and manufacturing processes and mitigating nature's hazardous effects. Environmental and Safety managers evaluate the methods and resources used to produce and eliminate procedures that violate safety laws and internal regulations... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • OSHA
   • Safety Standards
   • ISO
   • Safety Analysis
   • Safety Engineering
   • Safety Regulations
   • Safety Issues
   • Corrective Action
   • EHS
   • Risk Assessments
   • Fall Protection
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Training Programs
   • Safety Compliance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
   • Resolve compliance questions (from both OSHA and company requirements) and comment on propose OSHA regulations.
   • Provide training at all levels of the operation including OSHA compliance, behavior-base safety, and ergonomics.
   • Review contractors' and subcontractors' asbestos and leadrelate submittals for compliance with contract documents and applicable laws/ regulations.
   • Perform accident investigations involving PSM cover processes.
   • Perform computer-based chemical dispersion modeling to support RMP reporting.

   More senior safety engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior safety engineers' average salary in west virginia is 44% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior safety engineers 51% less than senior-level senior safety engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior safety 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 safety engineer's salary.

   Average senior safety engineer salary

   $82,142yearly

   $39.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior safety engineer salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average senior safety engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$120,926	$58
   2	Massachusetts	$93,398	$45
   3	Pennsylvania	$92,732	$45
   4	New York	$88,831	$43
   5	Colorado	$88,543	$43
   6	Minnesota	$84,516	$41
   7	Texas	$84,477	$41
   8	Maryland	$82,096	$39
   9	Virginia	$81,566	$39
   10	New Jersey	$81,330	$39
   11	Michigan	$80,722	$39
   12	Washington	$79,179	$38
   13	Arizona	$77,069	$37
   14	Florida	$68,552	$33
   15	Wisconsin	$62,819	$30

   Average senior safety engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$145,238	$69.83	4
   2	Google	$141,318	$67.94	17
   3	Apple	$138,763	$66.71	3
   4	Credit Karma	$136,604	$65.67
   5	Rivian	$129,586	$62.30	4
   6	Reddit	$125,767	$60.46	1
   7	Citi	$125,457	$60.32
   8	Amd	$121,206	$58.27
   9	Amazon	$120,062	$57.72	136
   10	Nikola Motor	$114,789	$55.19
   11	Novo Nordisk	$111,766	$53.73
   12	Tesla	$110,332	$53.04	1
   13	NIO	$108,887	$52.35
   14	QuantumScape	$108,659	$52.24
   15	Lucid Motors	$107,791	$51.82
   16	Philips	$103,583	$49.80	13
   17	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$103,153	$49.59
   18	Qualcomm	$103,057	$49.55	1
   19	Medtronic	$102,949	$49.49
   20	J Ray McDermott Inc	$101,583	$48.84

4. Writing a senior safety engineer job description

   A good senior safety engineer 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 safety engineer job description:

   Senior safety engineer job description example

   ABL Space Systems was founded in 2017 by veterans of SpaceX and Morgan Stanley to develop low-cost launch vehicles for the small satellite industry. More importantly, we're building a launch system we are truly proud of - no gimmicks or over-design, just reliable, rapidly deployable launches. We're an ambitious team with big goals and, together, we're determined to prove that reaching space can be simple, efficient, and routine.
   When launch day arrives, we want you by our side
   
   As a Sr. Launch Safety Engineer, you will be responsible for performing the flight safety analysis to ensure public safety & risk are maintained throughout ABL flight operations. This will include generating the mission flight safety rules, incorporating wind data to inform its impact on public safety, working with ABL's GNC team to modify trajectories as needed to maintain safety, and working with external regulatory bodies (ie: FAA, CAA, Federal Ranges) to validate ABL's methods comply with all requirements. You will be responsible for leading, supporting, and executing meetings to discuss requirements with several agencies. This includes supporting leadership, engineers, and operations as we expand launch operations globally. We are looking for Flight Safety Engineers, who enjoy solving challenges and have the ability manage multiple tasks to meet key milestones and can work effectively in a fast-paced environment and share our passion for building and launching rockets and payloads into orbit. This is a role that directly contributes to ABL's vision and goal.
   RESPONSIBILITIES:Lead analysis and support the development of documentation to meet requirements on a per-launch basis Lead, manage, and support meetings with Launch Sites, Range Safety, and Government agencies (FAA, CAA, Federal Ranges) Develop flight safety requirements and mission rules across global launch sites Work with ABL's internal teams to assess and modify trajectories as informed by analsyis
   BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:Experience working with licensing requirements (CFR 413/414/440/450, AFSPC 91-710. RCC 319/324)2+ years experience with POST2, Astos, RRAT, or similar trajectory optimization software3+ years prior experience working with launch sites and executing launch operations Experience working with military and commercial ranges, FAA AST, ATC, USCGAbility to travel to support meetings, test campaigns, and launch campaigns
   PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:Experience with Microsoft products, confluence, and scheduling tools for developing documentation Ability to build long and trusting relationships with all personnel and agencies Possess the ability to communicate with all levels of personnel and leadership Day of launch or on-orbit systems support including launch flight safety limits and loads/GNC capabilities evaluation Demonstrated leadership of or within a small project team either in current role or during project based team in school Proficiency in Matlab or Python
   WHAT WE LOOK FORCritical thinking: ABL engineers understand the “why” behind all design decisions, operational events and test outcomes Ability to deal with ambiguity: ABL engineers must be comfortable defining their own pathway to an objective End-to end ownership: projects are delivered fully complete and ready for flight
   PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENTS:Ability to use a computer to complete assignments Ability to communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone and telepresence While performing the duties of this job, the employee will typically work in an office environment
   
   ITAR Requirement
   This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, permanent residents, asylees, and refugees) is a required qualification for this position.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer
   We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior safety engineers, 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.

   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 safety engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior safety engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior safety engineer. 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.)

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