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How to hire a senior software engineer manager

Senior software engineer manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring senior software engineer managers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a senior software engineer manager is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new senior software engineer manager to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a senior software engineer manager, step by step

To hire a senior software engineer manager, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a senior software engineer manager, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a senior software engineer manager do?

A Senior Software Engineer Manager oversees software development and helps manage the team to accomplish milestones on a specific project. The Senior Software Engineer Manager's task is to guide, instruct, and junior train developers and ensure efficiency and quality. The senior developer also checks every detail of the software, order adjustments in problematic areas of the program, and does troubleshooting during finalization. The Senior Developer is the primary contact person in the software development team and advises the company on the proper path to take when planning a new software.

Learn more about the specifics of what a senior software engineer manager does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the senior software engineer manager you need to hire. Certain senior software engineer manager 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?

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

    This list shows salaries for various types of senior software engineer managers.

    Type of Senior Software Engineer ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Senior Software Engineer ManagerSoftware 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$50-98
    Software ArchitectA Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.$39-75
    Lead EngineerA lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly... Show more$28-57
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Java
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Software Development
    • Cloud Computing
    • Python
    • AWS
    • Object Oriented Programming
    • Scrum
    • Infrastructure
    • JavaScript
    • Amazon Web Services
    • Web Services
    • DevOps
    • Mobile Development
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage projects in an ISO 9000 and CMM environment.
    • Cultivate strong client relationships to effectively gather and manage technology requirements throughout the entire SDLC.
    • Create UI widgets utilizing HTML, JavaScript, CSS and the Dojo JavaScript library.
    • Use Javascript to structure APIs to increase performance.
    • Team process management, implementing new methodologies (scrum, agile).
    • Develop fault injection tools (Linux modules) for testing file system derive from XFS.
    More senior software engineer manager duties
  3. Make a budget

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

    • Location. For example, senior software engineer managers' average salary in minnesota is 44% less than in california.
    • Seniority. Entry-level senior software engineer managers 48% less than senior-level senior software engineer managers.
    • Certifications. A senior software engineer manager 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 software engineer manager's salary.

    Average senior software engineer manager salary

    $147,474yearly

    $70.90 hourly rate

    Entry-level senior software engineer manager salary
    $106,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 18, 2025

    Average senior software engineer manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$197,784$95
    2Washington$175,180$84
    3Oregon$170,639$82
    4Utah$135,755$65
    5Maine$131,919$63
    6Arizona$130,726$63
    7New York$128,048$62
    8New Jersey$125,109$60
    9Massachusetts$121,824$59
    10Texas$119,978$58
    11North Carolina$118,511$57
    12Colorado$117,599$57
    13Pennsylvania$117,022$56
    14Indiana$116,349$56
    15Georgia$112,103$54
    16Illinois$111,988$54
    17Virginia$110,890$53
    18Delaware$108,577$52
    19Arkansas$108,091$52
    20Minnesota$101,776$49

    Average senior software engineer manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Google$232,515$111.791,030
    2Twitter$226,872$109.074
    3Apple$219,896$105.72512
    4Roku$219,861$105.7020
    5NVIDIA$214,367$103.06359
    6NerdWallet$209,663$100.805
    7ICE Mortgage Technology$207,440$99.73
    8LinkedIn$206,455$99.26100
    9Change.org$204,356$98.25
    10Upstart Network$203,731$97.95
    11PayPal$203,029$97.6151
    12Mirantis$202,920$97.562
    13Microsoft$201,175$96.72885
    14Sony Interactive Entertainment America$200,989$96.63
    15Rivian$199,455$95.8934
    16Juniper Networks$199,176$95.76
    17SugarCRM$195,177$93.84
    18Pandora$195,113$93.80
    19Move$194,320$93.42
    20Foundation Medicine$193,745$93.151
  4. Writing a senior software engineer manager job description

    A job description for a senior software engineer manager 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 software engineer manager job description:

    Senior software engineer manager job description example

    With us, you'll do meaningful work from Day 1. Our collaborative culture is built on three core behaviors: We Play to Win, We Get Better Every Day & We Succeed Together. And we mean it - we want you to grow and make a difference at one of the world's leading digital banking and payments companies. We value what makes you unique so that you have an opportunity to shine.

    Come build your future, while being the reason millions of people find a brighter financial future with Discover.

    Job Description

    At Discover, be part of a culture where diversity, teamwork, and collaboration reign. Join a company that is just as employee focused as it is on its customers and is consistently awarded for both. We're all about people, and our employees are why Discover is a great place to work. Be the reason we help millions of consumers build a brighter financial future and achieve yours along the way with a rewarding career.

    This Senior Manager role will manage teams in Network Authorizations which support the Digital Product area and Value Stream. As a Sr. Manager Software Engineering you will be responsible for the technical development of software engineering staff, while using your technical expertise to drive vision into action and results.

    While coaching and development of engineers is this role's primary responsibility, the Senior Manager will also work with their Sr. Manager Product Owner peers to help shape the product vision for their products. You'll be key in educating your chapter on the technical vision and turning vision into best-in-class execution across a team of software engineers. This is a high velocity environment where transaction switching and digital domain knowledge is helpful to the successful candidate.

    Responsibilities

    • Coaches and mentors team members. Supports individuals to achieve their individual development goals. Utilizes Agile and Lean practices to identify and solve systemic issues.
    • Manages the workforce on assigned teams to hire new talent and develop existing team members.
    • Consults with management in the analysis of short- and long-range business requirements and recommends innovations.
    • Utilizes tools to support data-driven decision making. Identifies and removes blockers to enable the team to meet business goals.
    • Manages software ownership and development from initial concept through continuous improvement.

    Minimum Qualifications

    At a minimum, here's what we need from you:

    • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field
    • 8+ years of experience in Application Development
    • 2+ years of People Management

    Preferred Qualifications

    If we had our say, we'd also look for

    Agile, DevOps, Digital and/or Payments experience

    What are you waiting for? Apply today!

    The same way we treat our employees is how we treat all applicants - with respect. Discover Financial Services is an equal opportunity employer (EEO is the law). We thrive on diversity & inclusion. You will be treated fairly throughout our recruiting process and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status in consideration for a career at Discover.

  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find senior software engineer managers 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 software engineer manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior software engineer manager candidates.
    • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit senior software engineer managers, 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.

    If your interviews with senior software engineer manager applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 software engineer manager

    Once you've selected the best senior software engineer manager 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.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior software engineer manager. 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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How much does it cost to hire a senior software engineer manager?

There are different types of costs for hiring senior software engineer managers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new senior software engineer manager employee.

You can expect to pay around $147,474 per year for a senior software engineer manager, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for senior software engineer managers in the US typically range between $50 and $98 an hour.

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