How to hire a senior technical developer

How to hire a senior technical developer, step by step

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

What does a senior technical developer do?

Post a senior technical developer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior technical developer 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 technical developer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior technical developers 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 presents senior technical developer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Technical Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Technical Developer	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	$41-69
   Developer Analyst	A developer analyst is a professional who is responsible for building application requirements and develops database solutions that allow operational efficiency and user-friendly tools. Developer analysts are required to develop a detailed definition of business solutions that can include database design, data flow, and transaction processing requirements... Show more	$30-54
   Team Lead And Developer	A team lead and developer is a person who handles a group of employees in a particular section, geared to accomplish daily specific goals. The team lead and developer ensures that the team works cohesively and efficiently to achieve its goals... Show more	$23-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Emerging Technologies
   • JavaScript
   • Apex
   • C++
   • Application Development
   • API
   • Database
   • CSS
   • Cloud Computing
   • Web Services
   • Html Css
   • SR
   • HTML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Configure and manage JGroup multicasting communication for apache tomcat web servers.
   • Develop the UI for the claim modules.
   • Design, develop complex SQL queries for PL/SQL API.
   • Transition dated HTML to validate W3C XHTML transitional/strict code.
   • Develop user interfaces using JSF, AJAX, CSS and Facelets.
   • Create live scoring XML parsing, data conversion and data feeds.

   More senior technical developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior technical developer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior technical developer 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 technical developer in Maine may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level senior technical developer usually earns less than a senior-level senior technical developer. Additionally, a senior technical developer 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 technical developer salary

   $112,642yearly

   $54.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior technical developer salary

   $87,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average senior technical developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$146,089	$70
   2	Washington	$140,582	$68
   3	Oregon	$132,566	$64
   4	Nevada	$118,907	$57
   5	New York	$118,466	$57
   6	District of Columbia	$117,561	$57
   7	New Jersey	$116,463	$56
   8	Massachusetts	$114,283	$55
   9	Virginia	$112,088	$54
   10	Connecticut	$110,300	$53
   11	Ohio	$108,961	$52
   12	South Carolina	$106,783	$51
   13	Texas	$106,755	$51
   14	Georgia	$106,355	$51
   15	North Carolina	$106,052	$51
   16	Nebraska	$104,157	$50
   17	Iowa	$103,790	$50
   18	Arizona	$103,547	$50
   19	Utah	$103,089	$50
   20	Pennsylvania	$102,011	$49

   Average senior technical developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$146,327	$70.35	284
   2	Algolia	$145,912	$70.15
   3	Twilio	$141,759	$68.15	8
   4	Bloomberg	$141,647	$68.10	181
   5	Centerbridge Partners	$139,697	$67.16
   6	Barclays	$136,910	$65.82	2
   7	GameStop	$136,904	$65.82	8
   8	Citi	$136,860	$65.80	49
   9	Amazon	$136,167	$65.46	763
   10	Automation Anywhere	$135,846	$65.31	4
   11	Invesco	$132,316	$63.61	5
   12	Naughty Dog	$132,109	$63.51	2
   13	OCC	$131,874	$63.40	18
   14	McKinsey & Company Inc	$129,896	$62.45	1
   15	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$127,358	$61.23	1,200
   16	Live Nation Entertainment	$124,862	$60.03	7
   17	Blue Line Foodservice Distribution	$124,552	$59.88
   18	BD	$123,317	$59.29	11
   19	Janus Henderson U.S.	$122,198	$58.75	8
   20	ANN INC.	$121,589	$58.46

4. Writing a senior technical developer job description

   A job description for a senior technical developer 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 technical developer job description:

   Senior technical developer job description example

   Are you ready to rise to the challenge of climate change with the team that will deliver? Form Energy is a U.S. technology and manufacturing company that is developing and commercializing pioneering energy storage technologies to enable the electric grid to run on 100% renewable energy, every day of the year.
   
   Supported by leading investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, ArcelorMittal, TPG Rise, MIT's The Engine, and others, we share a common belief that low-cost, multi-day energy storage is the key to enable tomorrow's zero carbon electric grid. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, we are deeply motivated and inspired to create a better world. We need talented, hardworking individuals who share our goal of tackling the challenge of climate change. Do you want to work with us today to build a better tomorrow?
   Role Description
   We are looking for a Senior Development Technician to work closely with the Berkeley-based Module Design team to fabricate and assemble prototypes for our grid-scale batteries. This role is embedded directly in the engineering team and will support various mechanical engineering efforts including design, prototyping, and testing. The Senior Development Technician will work independently to build prototypes and set up tests based on high-level direction. They will collaborate with facilities and technical operations to build and maintain test infrastructure and provide feedback to the engineering team to optimize designs for performance and manufacturability. The ideal candidate has great mechanical intuition, knowledge of prototyping techniques, and can come up with innovative solutions on the fly.
   What You'll Do: Use shop tools (sheet metal brake, 3D printers, manual mill, etc.) to build and assemble prototypes and on-offs for engineering efforts Fabricate new hardware for unique test instrumentation associated with new prototypes Complete basic design tasks (e.g. fabricate an enclosure) based on high level instructions Participate in design reviews and give design feedback to the engineering team Facilitate installation and assembly of new equipment
   What You'll Bring:4+ years experience as a technician or in a hands on role, ideally 2-3 years in a startup environment Proficient with common shop tools (table saw, manual mill, hand tools) Experience working with plastics, plumbing, and sheet metal Ability to do basic wiring and sensor installation from simple schematics Excellent written and verbal communication skills Comfortable using Gsuite tools (Gmail, Google Docs, etc.) Experience with CAD a plusA positive get-it-done attitude!
   Besides joining a community of people working to make the world better, Form Energy commits to you equitable compensation, stock options, and offers a generous benefits package to make sure you have the support you need to thrive.
   
   We cover 100% of employee premiums and 80% of dependent premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance for full time employees. We offer a flexible Paid Time Off program and every employee, regardless of gender identity or expression, is eligible for 12 weeks of paid parental bonding leave. A full listing of our benefits is available on our careers page.
   
   At Form Energy, we are working toward a 100% renewable energy future for everyone in the world. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees and are seeking to build a team that reflects the diversity of the people we hope to serve with our revolutionary products. Form Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior technical developers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior technical developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior technical developers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior technical developer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior technical developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior technical developers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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.

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

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior technical developer 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior technical developer. 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 technical developer?