How to hire a senior web developer

How to hire a senior web developer, step by step

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

What does a senior web developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior web developer 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 web developer 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 web developer 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 web developer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Web Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Web Developer	Web developers design and create websites. They are responsible for the look of the site... Show more	$35-61
   Mobile Applications Developer	A mobile application developer is responsible for designing programming applications for mobile devices according to clients' specifications and business demands. Mobile application developers must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as computer system commands to develop efficient scripts and smooth navigation of operating systems... Show more	$36-62
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • JavaScript
   • Web Application
   • CSS
   • HTML
   • Html Css
   • Java
   • JQuery
   • Front End
   • HTML5
   • GIT
   • API
   • UI
   • Database
   • PHP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage project, create project requirement documents, design modular SCSS file structure, create and assign tasks to other developers.
   • Develop LARAVEL application for managing google analytics test.
   • Manage multiple web and database servers in multiple locations to ensure constant availability, functionality, synchronization and security.
   • Develop all the UI pages using extensive markup and scripting languages (HTML, DHTML, JavaScript and CSS).
   • Convert data from database into JSON format files and retrieve useful information using AJAX calls to render the response in UI.
   • Develop AJAX base web base UI framework by utilizing JQUERY library.

   More senior web developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior web developer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior web developer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior web developers' average salary in arkansas is 35% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior web developers earn 42% less than senior-level senior web developers.
   • Certifications. A senior web developer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior web developer's salary.

   Average senior web developer salary

   $97,916yearly

   $47.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior web developer salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average senior web developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$121,685	$59
   2	Washington	$103,651	$50
   3	New Jersey	$100,422	$48
   4	Pennsylvania	$99,232	$48
   5	Massachusetts	$98,935	$48
   6	New York	$98,752	$47
   7	District of Columbia	$96,965	$47
   8	Maryland	$94,351	$45
   9	South Carolina	$93,887	$45
   10	Arizona	$92,906	$45
   11	Texas	$90,283	$43
   12	Michigan	$89,813	$43
   13	Ohio	$89,793	$43
   14	Minnesota	$88,651	$43
   15	Illinois	$88,608	$43
   16	Indiana	$88,395	$43
   17	North Carolina	$87,571	$42
   18	Tennessee	$85,716	$41
   19	Colorado	$85,564	$41
   20	Georgia	$85,063	$41

   Average senior web developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$145,233	$69.82	7
   2	Discovery	$144,984	$69.70
   3	Lyft	$144,510	$69.48	7
   4	Apple	$143,820	$69.14	410
   5	Atlassian	$142,703	$68.61
   6	Safeway	$142,041	$68.29
   7	Microsoft	$141,436	$68.00	594
   8	Box	$140,148	$67.38	1
   9	eBay	$139,769	$67.20	25
   10	A+E Networks	$139,309	$66.98
   11	NVIDIA	$138,081	$66.39	130
   12	Practice Fusion	$137,964	$66.33
   13	PayPal	$137,709	$66.21	10
   14	Turner Broadcasting	$137,437	$66.08
   15	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$135,348	$65.07
   16	Bloomberg	$133,874	$64.36	169
   17	Move	$133,844	$64.35
   18	QuinStreet	$133,201	$64.04	1
   19	Ranker	$132,052	$63.49
   20	Citi	$131,788	$63.36	26

4. Writing a senior web developer job description

   A good senior web developer 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 web developer job description:

   Senior web developer job description example

   An immediate opportunity exists for a candidate with solid experience in front-end web development, to join our team. Due to an unprecedented period of growth, we have a LONG-TERM REMOTE CONTRACT position opportunity for a SR. WEB DEVELOPER. Candidates should have a combination of experience with Drupal, WordPress, AEM, PHP, CSS and backend technologies.
   What you'll do
   
   In this role, you'll collaborate with a small team of diverse individuals in a fast-paced, high-impact environment and work as a visible contributor to our development team. We are a team that values and respects each other's work ethics/individual working styles and trusts each other to get done what is necessary to make the business and each other successful.
   Collaborate closely with designers by reviewing mockups, creating proof of concepts, and providing alternative solutions when necessary Build and maintain the tools required to deliver accessible experiences across the web Build and maintain websites optimized for speed, performance, and devices Solve complex frontend challenges around performance and code reusability Review code, provide constructive feedback Identify situations where engineering solutions can enhance your team's productivity Write high-quality documented code Who you are
   
   You are an experienced web developer who will play a key role in building scalable software and driving user experiences across multiple platforms, CMS and non-CMS.
   5-8 years of experience as a Web Developer Able to showcase work portfolio A drive for efficiency and collaboration, with a history of establishing great relationships with UX and Product Management teams across time zones Ability to articulate technical strategy, value, and risks to technical and non-technical audiences Creativity and flexibility in using various technologies to solve problems Working knowledge of accessibility standards Previous success contributing to large web application as part of a team Desired skills
   Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery Experience working with WordPress or another CMS Understanding and experience with cloud-based service platforms like AWS (Amazon Web Services) Understanding of version control and continuous integration and delivery This position is 100% remote enabled for candidates in any US location.
   
   Please submit resume in response to this JOB TITLE for IMMEDIATE consideration.
   
   EXPERIS IT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, age, military or veteran status, and other characteristics protected under federal, state and local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior web developers 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 web developer 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 dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior web 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior web developer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 developer

   Once you've selected the best senior web developer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a senior web developer?