How to hire a senior web engineer

How to hire a senior web engineer, step by step

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

Post a senior web engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior web engineer you need to hire. Certain senior web engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 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 web engineer that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of senior web engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Web Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Web Engineer	Web developers design and create websites. They are responsible for the look of the site... Show more	$39-68
   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
   Web Programmer	Also called web engineers or developers, web programmers create web applications. Their job focuses on the non-design factors of web development such as markup writing and coding... Show more	$25-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • JavaScript
   • CSS
   • Html Css
   • Java
   • Python
   • GIT
   • AWS
   • HTML
   • Web Application
   • UI
   • API
   • PHP
   • Webpack
   • CSS3

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop Linux script to automate releases from code repository.
   • Manage authentication using ASP.NET forms authentication, windows authorization and ASP.NET membership.
   • Work with HTML, CCS, jQuery and PHP on a daily basis.
   • Update business from a static html Dreamweaver website into a Wordpress CMS instance.
   • Used MVC pattern to identify all Java classes that are used by JSP pages.
   • Review the database schema and identify the relationship between JAVA classes and the database schema.

   More senior web engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $108,643yearly

   $52.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior web engineer salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average senior web engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$142,337	$68
   2	Oregon	$127,210	$61
   3	Washington	$126,665	$61
   4	Connecticut	$109,088	$52
   5	New York	$105,529	$51
   6	Arizona	$105,525	$51
   7	District of Columbia	$105,396	$51
   8	Minnesota	$105,240	$51
   9	Virginia	$103,246	$50
   10	North Carolina	$101,722	$49
   11	New Jersey	$101,586	$49
   12	Ohio	$101,306	$49
   13	Massachusetts	$100,756	$48
   14	Pennsylvania	$100,189	$48
   15	Michigan	$100,050	$48
   16	Texas	$97,938	$47
   17	Illinois	$97,618	$47
   18	Indiana	$95,414	$46
   19	Georgia	$94,973	$46
   20	Maryland	$92,353	$44

   Average senior web engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Netflix	$167,833	$80.69	24
   2	Twitter	$160,353	$77.09	3
   3	Cloudflare	$158,513	$76.21	50
   4	Pinterest	$149,836	$72.04	25
   5	Apple	$149,535	$71.89	433
   6	PayPal	$148,776	$71.53	14
   7	DocuSign	$145,048	$69.73	7
   8	Poshmark	$145,015	$69.72	10
   9	IFTTT	$144,154	$69.30
   10	Bloomberg	$143,408	$68.95	152
   11	Robinhood	$143,110	$68.80	27
   12	Palantir	$143,071	$68.78	121
   13	Grubhub	$142,480	$68.50	6
   14	Walmart	$141,558	$68.06	497
   15	Houzz	$140,435	$67.52
   16	Riot Games	$139,729	$67.18	13
   17	Activision Blizzard	$138,757	$66.71	8
   18	Citi	$138,268	$66.47	18
   19	Amazon	$137,099	$65.91	839
   20	SeatGeek	$135,489	$65.14	5

4. Writing a senior web engineer job description

   A senior web engineer 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 web engineer job description:

   Senior web engineer job description example

   This is a perfect opportunity for the right person to become a key part of a team of cyber security professionals that are executing a pivotal role in protecting and defending the nation's critical infrastructure. The Senior Cyber Defense Engineer will be a member of the Data, Application & Forensic function on the CyberDefense Engineering Team. This role will be responsible for cyber defense capability of web application and API protection technology and processes. Working closely with teammates within CyberDefense, Technology Application Development and Technology Infrastructure & Operations, this engineer will be responsible for the engineering, deployment, maintenance and enhancement of the WAAP infrastructure and content rules.
   
   Manage WAF technologies to ensure on-premises web applications as well as cloud hosted web applications are protected from OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities which includes, but is not limited to, installation, implementation, administration, content creation (rules, reports, dashboards, etc.), and operations support
   
   Manage API protection solutions to ensure online web applications are protected from OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities for APIs as well as focusing on API abuse prevention
   
   Performs environment health assessments, capacity planning and performance benchmarks providing operational assurance (operational readiness)
   
   Respond to cyber defense incident alerts (CDIA), provide appropriate CDIA reporting, investigate WAAP incidents, perform ITIL Incident \ Problem tracking
   
   Responsible for WAAP product lifecycle including, but not limited to, product patches, product upgrades, product redesigns, product end of life, etc.
   
   Interface with other Global Information Security (GIS) departments, as well as, other Technology departments and business stakeholders
   
   A minimum of 4 years' engineering experience with WAF and API Security technologies, that include Installation, Implementation, Administration, Content Creation (rules, reports, dashboards, etc.), and operations support
   Exposure \ knowledge of WAAP technology integration with SIEM technologies Expert knowledge of SSL Inspection, Access Control, Policy Management, TCP\IP layer 3-7 and general networking structures Understanding of Network Firewall technologies and operation. Knowledge of programming languages a plus (i.e. Java, .NET, Python, etc.) Knowledge System hardening concepts and techniques A good understanding of Industry Security standards such as ISO27002, NIST Cyber Security Framework, etc. Previous experience as a Network Administrator \ Network Engineer a plus Operating knowledge of ITIL (ITIL Certification a plus)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior web engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior web engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior web engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior web engineer 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

   Your first interview with senior web 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 web 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 web engineer

   Once you've selected the best senior web engineer 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.

   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 web 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

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