How to hire a senior software support engineer

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior software support engineer 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 software support engineer 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 software support engineer 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 presents senior software support engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Software Support Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Software Support Engineer	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	$42-72
   Software Architect	A 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 Engineer	A 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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Troubleshoot
   • Technical Support
   • JavaScript
   • Customer Support
   • Software Support
   • Jenkins
   • Architecture
   • HTML
   • PHP
   • XML
   • C

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct several interviews with management and end-users which lead to finish the database application.
   • Analyze logs and relevant data to troubleshoot and recreate customer issues to determine the root cause of the problem.
   • Design the relays control algorithms and used C++ code to implement a software tool for debugging Cx100 hardware processor card.
   • Develop software installation reports to reveal correlation between software releases installs and specific trace data using SQL, HTML and JavaScript.
   • Help customer with CSS, HTML, SQL configuration.
   • Automate the testing procedure for ClarifyCRM (Linux systems).

   More senior software support engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior software support engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior software support engineer 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 software support engineer in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level senior software support engineer usually earns less than a senior-level senior software support engineer. Additionally, a senior software support engineer 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 software support engineer salary

   $115,444yearly

   $55.50 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior software support engineer salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average senior software support engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$142,941	$69
   2	Pennsylvania	$128,620	$62
   3	New Jersey	$125,230	$60
   4	Massachusetts	$119,176	$57
   5	Georgia	$118,383	$57
   6	Oregon	$117,115	$56
   7	Washington	$115,237	$55
   8	Virginia	$114,027	$55
   9	New York	$112,793	$54
   10	Maryland	$110,352	$53
   11	Illinois	$107,012	$51
   12	Texas	$105,511	$51
   13	Arizona	$105,341	$51
   14	Michigan	$98,936	$48
   15	Colorado	$93,954	$45
   16	Alabama	$90,973	$44
   17	Missouri	$90,902	$44
   18	Florida	$88,660	$43
   19	Puerto Rico	$68,148	$33

   Average senior software support engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Netflix	$166,525	$80.06	26
   2	Walmart	$140,814	$67.70	595
   3	Avid	$138,034	$66.36	21
   4	AppDynamics	$136,750	$65.75
   5	Cisco	$135,756	$65.27	442
   6	Riot Games	$132,249	$63.58	16
   7	Groupon	$127,771	$61.43
   8	BNY Mellon	$127,264	$61.18	19
   9	Workday	$125,111	$60.15	8
   10	Magnitude	$124,952	$60.07
   11	Lucid Motors	$124,473	$59.84	73
   12	Natera	$123,261	$59.26	19
   13	SiriusXM	$122,677	$58.98	6
   14	KeHE	$119,274	$57.34	1
   15	MarkLogic	$116,378	$55.95
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$116,233	$55.88	35
   17	Keysight Technologies	$115,689	$55.62
   18	Qualcomm	$115,000	$55.29	111
   19	Anritsu	$114,662	$55.13
   20	Beyond Finance	$114,429	$55.01	3

4. Writing a senior software support engineer job description

   A senior software support engineer 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior software support engineer job description:

   Senior software support engineer job description example

   We are looking for a Sr. Software Engineer for our AZ location. This position will take ownership of process improvement for issue mitigation
   Responsibilities:
   Collaborate with different teams such as Cloud, Powertrain, Data Science etc to realize the project Carry out reliability testing and in-use performance evaluation of the diagnostic system Identify, develop, and implement methods to automate and streamline testing Write test cases and test plans, document test results, and author detailed test results. Troubleshoot, investigate and isolate issues on the Telematics Control Unit
   
   Requirements:
   MS/BS minimum in the areas of Computer Science, Computer engineering, Electrical engineering, or other related fields or equivalent experience At least 5-15+ years of industry experience Experience of writing Software in C/C++ & Shell Scripts Familiarity with vehicle communication protocols (CAN, DoIP, ETH, LIN, etc.) Understanding of Linux OS Fundamentals and IPC Mechanisms
   Pay range is $34-$75/hr depending on experience
   
   Benefits : Click here to learn more about benefits available to Eastridge s temporary employees. From time to time Eastridge s clients may offer additional benefits to Eastridge employees while on assignment. Information about those benefits will be communicated when applicable.
   
   Eastridge Workforce Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Please note that Eastridge is unable to provide visa sponsorship to applicants.
   
   We value diverse experiences, including prior contact with the criminal legal system, and applicants with criminal histories are encouraged to apply. Certain clients require Eastridge to perform background checks and Eastridge will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Philadelphia Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance (a copy of the notice of rights under the Philadelphia Ordinance is available by clicking on this link).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior software support engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior software support engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior software support engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior software support engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior software support engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior software support engineer 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a senior software support engineer 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 software support engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior software support engineer 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 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 software support engineer 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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