How to hire a senior web application developer

How to hire a senior web application developer, step by step

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

What does a senior web application developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior web application developer, 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 web application developer 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 web application developer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior web application developers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Web Application Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Web Application Developer	Web developers design and create websites. They are responsible for the look of the site... Show more	$37-61
   Lead Software Developer	A lead software developer is responsible for creating and designing software applications and systems to support business functions and client requirements. Lead software developers analyze specifications to build efficient applications, conduct multiple quality testing, and enhance the user's interface... Show more	$41-72
   Developer	Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible... Show more	$36-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Web Application
   • Scrum
   • JavaScript
   • Web Services
   • Html Css
   • CSS
   • QA
   • HTML
   • Regression
   • Debugging
   • GIT
   • Net Core
   • API

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform as JIRA administrator and manage documentation, tracking, and releases.
   • Manage multiple web and database servers in multiple locations to ensure constant availability, functionality, synchronization and security.
   • Develop the presentation layer using HTML5 and CSS according to internal standards and guidelines.
   • Create view-model and controllers and work with demo JSON data and services until API gets ready.
   • Front end development with CSS and HTML/XHTML, organic search engine optimization and strategy, web systems administration.
   • Course API documentation can be find here: http: //bit.ly/QEUdOm.

   More senior web application developer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $100,403yearly

   $48.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior web application developer salary

   $79,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average senior web application developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$121,607	$58
   2	California	$120,609	$58
   3	North Carolina	$103,548	$50
   4	New Jersey	$99,768	$48
   5	Connecticut	$99,264	$48
   6	District of Columbia	$98,845	$48
   7	Massachusetts	$98,820	$48
   8	New York	$95,982	$46
   9	Utah	$94,588	$45
   10	Georgia	$94,393	$45
   11	Virginia	$93,577	$45
   12	Minnesota	$93,100	$45
   13	Maryland	$91,497	$44
   14	Colorado	$91,454	$44
   15	Missouri	$90,980	$44
   16	Texas	$90,632	$44
   17	Illinois	$90,439	$43
   18	Pennsylvania	$90,396	$43
   19	Michigan	$86,441	$42
   20	Florida	$80,829	$39

   Average senior web application developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	$153,138	$73.62
   2	Apple	$139,473	$67.05	176
   3	Starbucks	$129,944	$62.47	1
   4	Cantaloupe	$128,490	$61.77
   5	Barclays	$126,280	$60.71	4
   6	Rocket Fuel	$122,778	$59.03
   7	SiriusXM	$122,256	$58.78	1
   8	OCC	$120,978	$58.16
   9	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority	$120,378	$57.87	2
   10	AIG	$119,978	$57.68	4
   11	Talent Plus	$118,715	$57.07
   12	Travelzoo	$116,334	$55.93
   13	CyberCoders	$116,329	$55.93
   14	Kroger	$115,983	$55.76	1
   15	Tesoro	$115,926	$55.73
   16	MathWorks	$114,977	$55.28
   17	Ellis Medicine	$114,713	$55.15
   18	Grainger	$114,315	$54.96	1
   19	Autodesk	$114,141	$54.88	4
   20	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$113,825	$54.72	59

4. Writing a senior web application developer job description

   A senior web application developer 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior web application developer job description:

   Senior web application developer job description example

   Since 2007, some remarkably skilled professionals have been writing the online compliance software, Tandem. Our goal is to make information security compliance better and easier for financial institutions.

   For this position we look for individuals with excellent programming skills to assist with the development of the Tandem software suite.

   We offer a great working environment, scoring 11 out of 12 on The Joel Test .

   Interested?

   If so, we are looking for people who will enjoy and enrich our company culture. These individuals exhibit character and professional traits such as:

   • You are conscientious, honest, and trustworthy. In a word you are a person of integrity.
   • You like people and want to help them. Your goal will be to help our customers get the solutions they need.
   • You are good at listening, speaking, and writing. Yes, accurate and effective communication, presentation and training skills are essential for this position.
   • You are tenacious. You don’t give up. You will be dedicated and creative when it comes to problem solving and developing solutions for our clients.
   • You love learning new stuff, and have the initiative to discover and share fresh ideas to make Tandem even better.
   • You live in Lubbock or the Lubbock area, or have ties to the Texas South Plains. This position is in our main office in Lubbock, Texas.
   • Icing on the cake. Two or more years of experience with relevant technologies will give you a head start on other candidates.

   If you like what you see here, please Apply Now .

   Company DescriptionTandem is a cybersecurity and compliance software designed specifically to help organizations improve their information security, stay in compliance, and lower overhead costs. The first Tandem product was released in 2008. Since that time, Tandem has grown into a 12-product suite and is used by more than 1,400 financial institutions in all 50 states.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior web application 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 web application developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior web application 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 web application developer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior web application developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior web application developer 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with senior web application developer 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 web application developer

   Once you've found the senior web application developer 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior web application developer. 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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How much does it cost to hire a senior web application developer?