How to hire a senior system designer

How to hire a senior system designer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior system designer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 system 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.

   Here's a comparison of senior system designer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior System Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior System Designer	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	$43-73
   Firmware Engineer	The job of firmware engineers focuses on the hardware from which the software runs. They play an important role in supporting the life cycle of products from its development to implementation... Show more	$35-62
   Embedded Engineer	Embedded engineers are skilled professionals who are responsible for conducting all activities that are related to embedded systems. These engineers are required to design and configure hardware components of embedded systems such as processor, controller, memory, and serial communication port... Show more	$34-60

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • CAD
   • Control Systems
   • SR
   • Java
   • UI
   • Drawing Packages
   • Debugging
   • IP
   • QA
   • MATLAB
   • Prototyping
   • RF
   • PLC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage relationships through CRM documentation and complete post-sale customer follow ups.
   • Work in the entire SDLC.
   • Improve architecture and design of website.
   • Participate in HEB's first venture into UNIX.
   • Provide IP routing and switching networks training to the internal engineering team.
   • Service orient architecture are used to isolate the services independent of each other.

   More senior system designer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior system designers' average salary in missouri is 39% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior system designers 41% less than senior-level senior system designers.
   • Certifications. A senior system 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 system designer's salary.

   Average senior system designer salary

   $117,540yearly

   $56.51 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior system designer salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior system designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$148,768	$72
   2	California	$142,384	$68
   3	Oregon	$133,837	$64
   4	Arizona	$126,941	$61
   5	Texas	$125,982	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$122,412	$59
   7	Utah	$115,860	$56
   8	Florida	$114,964	$55
   9	Alabama	$114,957	$55
   10	North Carolina	$114,625	$55
   11	Colorado	$112,468	$54
   12	New York	$110,779	$53
   13	Virginia	$110,130	$53
   14	South Carolina	$109,922	$53
   15	Michigan	$105,576	$51
   16	Delaware	$103,698	$50
   17	Indiana	$101,814	$49
   18	Pennsylvania	$101,803	$49

   Average senior system designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$159,520	$76.69	579
   2	Apple	$143,843	$69.16	105
   3	ZeniMax Media	$123,634	$59.44	2
   4	Electronic Arts	$123,240	$59.25	3
   5	Tencent	$121,712	$58.52	5
   6	Cisco	$120,392	$57.88	83
   7	Amd	$120,326	$57.85	27
   8	Activision Blizzard	$119,498	$57.45	4
   9	Sucker Punch Productions	$118,609	$57.02
   10	Gearbox Software	$117,598	$56.54
   11	ASML Holding	$115,460	$55.51	2
   12	Randstad North America, Inc.	$115,062	$55.32	5
   13	Fivetran	$113,040	$54.35	2
   14	Hardsuit Labs	$113,021	$54.34
   15	Fluor Corporation	$106,309	$51.11	15
   16	Draper	$104,412	$50.20	17
   17	Cigna	$103,168	$49.60
   18	Warner Music Group	$100,325	$48.23
   19	SSOE Group	$100,177	$48.16
   20	Northrop Grumman	$97,407	$46.83	133

4. Writing a senior system designer job description

   A senior system designer 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 system designer job description:

   Senior system designer job description example

   Crytek is looking for a passionate and experienced Senior System Designer to work on Crysis 4 (Working Title) in our Frankfurt, Germany based studio.
   
   As a Senior System Designer, you will communicate between programmers and artists to design and implement complex, cutting edge Player and/or AI system for games.
   Candidate must be proficient in using visual scripting to create high quality gameplay systems.
   
   *Required documents that allow a careful evaluation of your application are resume, cover letter and additional samples*
   
   Relocation & Remote Work
   Although we believe living close to our studio helps foster team spirit and stronger bonds between team members, we understand that people have different needs and expectations for their place of residence. You have a choice of three location options, allowing you to work with Crytek from anywhere you wish:
   
   1. Come to our modern headquarters in Frankfurt and receive an attractive relocation package and have access to all of our benefits.
   
   2. If you are already living in a European Union member state, we are able to offer you a permanent work contract and allow you to work remotely as an employee from there.
   
   3. If you are interested in full-time remote work in any other country outside of the European Union, we can offer you a freelance contract arrangement.
   ResponsibilitiesDesign and implement complex Player and or AI systems using visual scripting.Design, create and maintain asset databases for the above systems, using CRYENGINE.Iterate on behaviors and system functionality based on feedback.Contribute creative design ideas to the project.Balance and adjust systems to create fun game play.Work with other departments to ensure all required resources are scheduled and delivered.Be a technical knowledge source for other members of the development team.Contribute tool and workflow improvement ideas.Work closely with QA to debug systems.
   Requirements4+ years of professional work experience in the game industry, with at least 2 years in a Senior System Design capacity.Excellent technical skills.Strong scripting ability.Extensive experience using visual scripting languages such as Schematyc, Flowgraph, Blueprint etc.Excellent working knowledge with game engines, preferably CRYENGINE.Extensive knowledge of the principles of game design.Experience in creating player and AI systems.Strong documentation ability.Team player, self-driven and willing to learn.Solid English skills, good communication skills with strong affinity for transparence.
   PlusesStrong math skills.Programming ability.C++ knowledge.Behavior Tree knowledge.Multiplayer system design and balancing experience.
   What you can expect from us
   
   Home Office
   Work-life balance is not just a hollow term for us. At Crytek, we offer you the option to either work from home or in our studio.
   
   Career Path
   Your professional development is important to us, so we have laid out a career plan to help you progress towards your goals and objectives.
   
   Company Apartment
   To help you get settled, we provide you with a fully furnished company apartment during your first three months in Frankfurt.*
   
   Relocation Support
   We offer a relocation budget and full coverage of flights to Frankfurt for you and your family.
   You can expect extensive assistance with visa, work permits, and communication with authorities during the relocation process, as well as help settling into Germany (e.g. setting up appointments with banks, government agencies, schools, landlords, finding apartments etc.).*
   
   Public Transport Pass
   Discover Frankfurt by bus, tram and metro - free of charge.*
   
   Gym Card
   A healthy body is a healthy mind. We offer a membership at the premium gym chain Fitness First in Germany. Work out, join group fitness classes, or relax in the wellness facilities.
   
   International Environment
   We truly embody diversity at Crytek. With employees from over 42 different countries, we define ourselves by our cultural diversity.
   
   German Classes
   Understanding the local culture will make your stay abroad more enjoyable, and Crytek supports that by offering German language courses for you and your family.
   
   Vacation Days
   At our Frankfurt office you can enjoy 24 days of vacation per year, and every 2 years you get 1 more (up to a maximum of 28 days). You will also have on average 10 public holidays on top of the days you take off. If you are working from another country, local standards apply.
   
   *only applicable to employees in Frankfurt.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior system designers 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.

   To find senior system designer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior system designers, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a senior system designer 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 system designer

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior system 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior system designer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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