How to hire a signal engineer

How to hire a signal engineer, step by step

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

What does a signal engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The signal engineer 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a signal 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 signal engineer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of signal engineers.

   Type of Signal Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Signal Engineer	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).	$28-62
   Electrical & Instrumentation Designer	An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions... Show more	$28-52
   Electrical Designer	An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Field Testing
   • Control Systems
   • Project Management
   • Autocad
   • MATLAB
   • Signal Design
   • Analog
   • RF
   • C++
   • Railway
   • CMOS
   • Signal Systems
   • Customer Specifications
   • FRA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
   • Develop and debug RTL for MIPI controller in RF front end applications.
   • Carry out layout of CMOS mixed-signal circuits used in PCI-Express and SERDES products.
   • Define and implement AutoCAD requirements to meet the client's design standards.
   • Draft blueprints using AutoCAD for track wiring and other utilities in confine city areas.
   • Calculate and check braking distance base on given speed limit and relate railway information.

   More signal engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $87,939yearly

   $42.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level signal engineer salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average signal engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$118,398	$57
   2	Virginia	$99,961	$48
   3	Maryland	$98,412	$47
   4	Texas	$94,160	$45
   5	Washington	$93,395	$45
   6	Florida	$93,371	$45
   7	New York	$86,428	$42
   8	Illinois	$86,206	$41
   9	New Jersey	$86,063	$41
   10	Missouri	$84,577	$41
   11	Massachusetts	$83,635	$40
   12	Oregon	$82,796	$40
   13	Georgia	$82,419	$40
   14	Colorado	$78,256	$38
   15	Nebraska	$77,415	$37
   16	Pennsylvania	$77,318	$37
   17	Arizona	$77,077	$37
   18	Ohio	$71,383	$34

   Average signal engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$143,759	$69.11	111
   2	NVIDIA	$131,905	$63.42	12
   3	Synaptics	$119,948	$57.67
   4	Amazon	$118,195	$56.82	71
   5	Eli Lilly and Company	$116,635	$56.07
   6	Parsons	$109,350	$52.57	51
   7	Broadcom	$104,824	$50.40	7
   8	Texas Instruments	$104,795	$50.38
   9	CableLabs	$103,116	$49.58
   10	Keysight Technologies	$99,607	$47.89
   11	Country-Wide Insurance	$97,491	$46.87	1
   12	Intel	$97,397	$46.83
   13	Mythic	$96,630	$46.46	3
   14	Analog Devices	$95,648	$45.98	14
   15	California Institute of Technology	$95,294	$45.81	1
   16	Wabtec Corporation	$94,843	$45.60	4
   17	Aricent	$94,313	$45.34
   18	Progress Rail	$93,791	$45.09
   19	Global Signal	$93,690	$45.04
   20	MediaTek	$93,436	$44.92	1

4. Writing a signal engineer job description

   A signal 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. Below, you can find an example of a signal engineer job description:

   Signal engineer job description example

   We are now looking for an Senior Analog/Mixed Signal Engineer - Circuit Design. NVIDIA has continuously reinvented itself over two decades. Our invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI - the next era of computing. NVIDIA is a "learning machine" that constantly evolves by adapting to new opportunities that are hard to solve, that only we can tackle, and that matter to the world. This is our life's work, to amplify human imagination and intelligence.
   
   We are part of the global circuits team at NVIDIA that design the state-of-the-art GPUs for all applications such as supercomputers, gaming consoles and self-driving cars. Our teams focus is on architecture and design of CMOS high-speed chip interfaces and complex analog functions. Come join our dynamic team!
   What you'll be doing:
   You will work as part of a team to design and implement high speed interfaces and complex mixed-signal circuits using state-of-the-art sub-micron CMOS technologies and various EDA tools: High speed analog and hybrid Phase Locked loops and associated subblocks including VCO, charge-pump, dividers, state machines, LDO, bandgap, TDC, interpolator circuits, high speed buffers etc. Design of data converters (analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters). Contribute to architecture development and transistor level circuit design of associated blocks like comparators, digital state machines, high performance op-amps etc. Work closely with mask design engineers to deliver the physical design as well as work with characterization groups for silicon evaluation. Help support technology transfer to product development teams. Your other responsibilities will include architecture studies, circuit designs & simulations, floor-planning, instructing mask designers, reliability verifications and silicon bring-up. If you have a strong ability to learn and explore new technologies and able to demonstrate good analysis and analytical skills, this is the ideal position for you.
   
   What we need to see:
   BSEE or equivalent experience (MS preferred) 5+ years of industry experience in deep-submicron CMOS technologies. Analytical and intuitive understanding of transistor level analog design, layout and simulation is required. Hands-on design experience in performance analog and hybrid Phase Locked Loops, analog-to-digital (ADC), digital-to-analog (DAC) data converter. Experience in all types of analog subcells is considered, VCO, LDO, bandgap, chargepump, opamps, interpolator circuits. Have experience in deep sub-micron process. Experience with the following is a plus: digital PLL, TDC or DSP and control theory experience related to digital PLLs. Have good experience with simulation tools such as spectre, hspice, AFS, and MATLAB, System Verilog, Python. You are proficient with Cadence custom circuit design tools like ADE-L and ADE-XL. You have understanding and experience in running Monte-Carlo, noise simulations and stability analysis. Capable of understanding DRC and LVS results with verification tools (Calibre, ICV, or like) Proficient in scripting languages like Perl, Python, matlab etc. is a plus. Ability to work effectively in a team, with good interpersonal skills, enthusiasm and positive energy.
   
   NVIDIA is widely considered to be the leader of AI computing, and one of the technology world's most desirable employers. We have some of the most brilliant and hardworking people in the world working for us. If you're creative and autonomous, we want to hear from you.
   
   NVIDIA is committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right signal engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your signal engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit signal engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting signal engineers 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.

   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.

   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 signal engineer

   Once you've selected the best signal 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new signal engineer. 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 signal engineer?