How to hire a senior test engineer

How to hire a senior test engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior test engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior test engineer, 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior test engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior test engineer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior test engineers.

   Type of Senior Test Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Test Engineer		$30-51
   Quality Assurance Team Leader	A quality assurance (QA) team leader is a professional who is responsible for managing a team of engineers from the quality assurance department of an organization to participate in the overall QA planning and activities. QA team leaders are required to play the key role as a member of the project management team to ensure that the product exceeded user expectations... Show more	$36-60
   Test Analyst	The duties of a test analyst depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a test analyst is responsible for testing computer software or hardware to ensure its quality before being released in the market... Show more	$26-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Test Cases
   • Python
   • Java
   • Test Results
   • C++
   • C #
   • Test Data
   • Test Equipment
   • Test Procedures
   • Jira
   • Regression
   • QA
   • Test Scripts
   • API

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used python to automate post processing performance results and debugging logs.
   • Participate in manual testing on UI enhancements and prepare the manual test cases to convert automation test scripts.
   • Contribute in automation testing using python test scripts.
   • Perform extensive functional, integration, regression and UI mobile testing in variety of mobile OEM devices.
   • Develop and execute manual and automate test cases for UNIX base underwriting and pricing system across multiple environments and projects.
   • Design automation framework from scratch with reusable methods using Java programming language.

   More senior test engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior test engineers' average salary in north dakota is 30% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior test engineers 41% less than senior-level senior test engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior test 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 test engineer's salary.

   Average senior test engineer salary

   $82,775yearly

   $39.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior test engineer salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average senior test engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,915	$50
   2	Maryland	$93,296	$45
   3	Virginia	$89,080	$43
   4	District of Columbia	$88,562	$43
   5	Washington	$85,515	$41
   6	Illinois	$85,154	$41
   7	Georgia	$82,362	$40
   8	Massachusetts	$81,843	$39
   9	Alabama	$81,710	$39
   10	North Carolina	$81,604	$39
   11	Pennsylvania	$81,133	$39
   12	Oregon	$80,758	$39
   13	New York	$80,382	$39
   14	Texas	$80,121	$39
   15	Arizona	$79,842	$38
   16	Michigan	$79,495	$38
   17	Colorado	$78,445	$38
   18	Ohio	$77,717	$37
   19	Nebraska	$77,168	$37
   20	Indiana	$75,497	$36

   Average senior test engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Twitter	$158,500	$76.20	1
   2	Google	$152,751	$73.44	520
   3	Credit Karma	$150,581	$72.39	2
   4	Roku	$150,428	$72.32	19
   5	Apple	$145,757	$70.08	651
   6	Marin Software	$144,608	$69.52
   7	The Walt Disney Company	$140,162	$67.39	444
   8	NVIDIA	$138,824	$66.74	310
   9	Microsoft	$138,487	$66.58	869
   10	Circle Internet Financial	$137,315	$66.02	2
   11	Amazon	$134,323	$64.58	1,060
   12	Rivian	$134,244	$64.54	26
   13	LinkedIn	$131,714	$63.32	26
   14	F5	$129,163	$62.10	33
   15	Netgear	$128,202	$61.64
   16	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$128,117	$61.59	970
   17	Macy's	$127,952	$61.52	2
   18	Comverse Technology	$127,798	$61.44
   19	CyberCoders	$126,152	$60.65
   20	The TJX Companies	$126,114	$60.63

4. Writing a senior test engineer job description

   A good senior test 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 test engineer job description:

   Senior test engineer job description example

   Have you ever wanted to drive a tank and fire the gun? BAE Systems in hiring a senior level engineer to support field testing, as well as work in the technology integration lab and mechanical components lab for combat vehicle.
   
   We are hiring a senior level engineering position at BAE Systems, Combat Mission Systems (CMS) in the Integration and Test organization in San Jose, CA. This is a hands-on and in person engineering position and includes traveling to support field tests. Veterans with applicable training/experience are highly encouraged to apply.
   
   This position supports product development, integration and testing to verify requirements on tracked and wheeled military vehicle platforms including M2 BFV, M7 BFIST, M270 MLRS, ACV 1.1 and others. The broad variety of responsibilities and skills include: test requirements analysis, decomposition and test plan development; test environment design and set-up (including fixtures, control systems, monitoring tools and instrumentation); test execution; data analysis and troubleshooting with recommendations; and test reporting.
   
   Vehicle (system) level testing includes software/hardware verification testing in a lab environment and field testing for vehicle performance, durability, navigation, targeting and weapon system testing. Component level testing includes engineering, development and qualification tests for vibration, shock, thermal, hydraulic, airflow, electrical, limit/ultimate loading and cyclic tests. Advanced skills to be developed include vibration and shock expertise, custom instrumentation setup, lab and on vehicle operational testing, data analysis and reporting.
   
   This position supports a variety of tests conducted in the Vehicle Technology and Integration Lab (VTIL); at Camp Roberts, CA; and in the Mechanical Component Lab (MCL).
   Required Skills and Education
   
   Typically a bachelor's degree in engineering and 4+ years relevant experience. We may consider additional experience in lieu of a degree. Core engineering background in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Aerospace or may consider strong mechanical background such as a combat vehicle mechanic. Initiative and leadership. Mechanical aptitude with hands-on abilities and strong troubleshooting skills. Must work well independently and as part of a team. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to provide clear direction and guidance and/or execute on given direction from others. Ability to travel for a month at a time.
   
   About BAE Systems Platforms & Services Posting
   
   BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it's what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts - defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team-making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you'll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. The Platforms & Services (P&S) sector under BAE Systems, Inc does the big stuff: the armored combat vehicles, naval guns, missile launchers, and naval ship repair...just to name a few. Our employees take pride in the work they do and why they do it. They are on the front lines every day, building our products to protect the lives of those who serve. We may be biased, but we think P&S does some of the coolest work around, and we think you will too. At BAE Systems, we celebrate the array of skills, experiences, and perspectives our employees bring to the table. For us, differences are a source of strength. We're laser-focused on high performance, and we work hard every day to nurture an inclusive culture where all employees can innovate and thrive. Here, you will not only build your career, but you will also enjoy work-life balance, uncover new experiences, and collaborate with passionate colleagues.
   
   Preferred Skills and Education
   
   System or component level integration and testing experience including instrumentation and data acquisition setup, and data analysis. Experience with CAN Bus and/or MIL-STD-1553 Bus, and familiarity with monitoring and analysis tools. Test fixture design using CREO/Pro Engineer and/or other physical based modeling skills. Advanced data processing, analysis, and presentation (MATLAB, VBA, etc). Experience with Vibration, Shock, ESS and HALT testing skills and/or MIL-STD-810 Environmental Testing with programming and operations of electrodynamic shakers. Training in spectral analysis relative to vibration testing, mechatronics skills, automotive design, or related test experience are preferred.
   
   EEO Career Site
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities . females . veterans . individuals with disabilities . sexual orientation . gender identity . gender expression

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5. Post your job

   To find senior test engineers 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 test engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior test engineers 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 test engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior test engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior test 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.

   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 test 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 test engineer

   Once you've found the senior test engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   To prepare for the new senior test 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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