How to hire a software development engineer lead

How to hire a software development engineer lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step software development engineer lead hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a software development engineer lead job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new software development engineer lead
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a software development engineer lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a software development engineer lead, 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

   Hiring the perfect software development engineer lead 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 shows salaries for various types of software development engineers lead.

   Type of Software Development Engineer Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Development Engineer Lead	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$43-74
   Software Architect	A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.	$39-75
   Lead Engineer	A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly... Show more	$28-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • API
   • Python
   • Architecture
   • AWS
   • GIT
   • Test Automation
   • QA
   • UI
   • Scrum
   • Web Services
   • Azure
   • Jenkins
   • Test Cases

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and track issues and provide liaison between stakeholders, customers, management, development and QA in an agile environment.
   • Lead and coordinate developers across geographically distribute scrum teams.
   • Manage application delivery projects using background in SDLC and project management methodology.
   • Establish and direct overall QA effort for own areas including API, UI and scenario-base tests.
   • Develop and test XML, PERL, Java solutions for data migration feature.
   • Lead a global team of developers in successfully moving applications from a UNIX to a new Linux environment.

   More software development engineer lead duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software development engineers lead' average salary in indiana is 37% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software development engineers lead 41% less than senior-level software development engineers lead.
   • Certifications. A software development engineer lead 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 software development engineer lead's salary.

   Average software development engineer lead salary

   $119,557yearly

   $57.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software development engineer lead salary

   $91,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average software development engineer lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$154,047	$74
   2	California	$152,047	$73
   3	District of Columbia	$132,190	$64
   4	Oregon	$129,667	$62
   5	New York	$124,088	$60
   6	Delaware	$120,862	$58
   7	Massachusetts	$116,001	$56
   8	New Jersey	$115,614	$56
   9	South Carolina	$115,146	$55
   10	Texas	$110,484	$53
   11	North Carolina	$109,503	$53
   12	Virginia	$108,047	$52
   13	Pennsylvania	$107,521	$52
   14	Illinois	$104,650	$50
   15	Wisconsin	$103,382	$50
   16	Colorado	$103,283	$50
   17	Georgia	$102,261	$49
   18	Missouri	$101,253	$49
   19	Nebraska	$100,187	$48
   20	Florida	$100,070	$48

   Average software development engineer lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PitchBook Data	$167,345	$80.45	9
   2	Microsoft	$156,147	$75.07	871
   3	OpenGov	$155,516	$74.77	9
   4	Unify Square	$148,276	$71.29
   5	AEA Investors	$144,899	$69.66
   6	DocuSign	$141,442	$68.00	29
   7	Cantaloupe	$140,644	$67.62
   8	Remitly	$140,482	$67.54
   9	Starbucks	$139,726	$67.18	17
   10	Activision Blizzard	$138,410	$66.54	19
   11	LivingSocial	$138,377	$66.53
   12	RealNetworks	$138,257	$66.47
   13	Barclays	$138,045	$66.37	2
   14	Gap Inc.	$137,920	$66.31
   15	Citi	$137,584	$66.15	39
   16	Smartsheet	$136,457	$65.60	1
   17	Amazon	$135,103	$64.95	1,253
   18	MPG	$134,294	$64.56
   19	Glooko	$134,243	$64.54
   20	Adobe	$133,879	$64.36	197

4. Writing a software development engineer lead job description

   A software development engineer lead 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 software development engineer lead job description:

   Software development engineer lead job description example

   We are looking for a talented Lead Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) who is going to take a role of evaluating and refining the quality strategy for our projects that currently consists of extensive automation suite, as well as manual testing.In this role you will be managing both SDETs as well as test analysts on the team in order to assure the releases of our products are of the right quality with the ideal blend of manual and automated testing.
   
   The Service Tech team primarily supports the Customer Service team and our external customers by producing tools that help allow people to resolve a wide range of needs. This crosses many types of products and platforms to provide services for every game title that Blizzard actively supports and more. You will be a part of the development team, coordinating across disciplines with designers, artists, engineers, and quality assurance analysts.Everyone on our team is empowered to influence the direction of our products, and the ideal candidate will have a passion for quality and player experience.Blizzard offers a fun, creative, and technically challenging environment with excellent compensation and a full range of benefits.
   
   The infinite care and loving detail put into every aspect of our games is something we take seriously and pride ourselves on delivering to our players. Our team values creativity, collaboration, and a commitment to quality and we are looking for a like-minded quality engineers to join our team.If you are committed to leveraging your engineering skills to ensure quality in the development of our products and provide epic experiences to our players, we want to hear from you!
   
   We've transitioned to a work-from-home model and we're continuing to interview and hire during this time. This role is expected to begin as a remote position. We understand each person's circumstances may be unique and will work with you to explore possible interim options.
   Responsibilities
   Establish and deliver the quality strategy for a product based on the ideal blend of automation and manual testing Manage, recruit and lead a quality team consisting of SDETs, Test Analysts and TA lead Accountable for the quality of all deliverables, workflows and relationships for the quality team Work closely with development technical directors and program managers to align on the quality strategy Forecast and manage the product's test schedules, dependencies and resources Champion and influence software development best practices and the customer experience Drive identification, design and delivery for technical solutions (frameworks, tests, API hooks, tools) increasing test effectiveness and coverage, while reducing the cost of test execution Implement metrics, analyze test data and results to identify patterns, report on risk status to development partners, and influence software quality Share insights, solutions, and best practices within the team and across Blizzard
   Requirements
   Passion for Quality Assurance and software engineering Strong, proven programming skills (C#, .NET Core and Standard or Java) 5+ years of software engineering experience in a professional environment Architecture and creation of automation frameworks, test harnesses, and QA tools 4+ years of hands on testing experience Experience in team management and development of engineering talent
   Pluses
   Bachelor or Master degree in Computer Science, related field or equivalent experience Experience with frontend testing using Selenium Experience with backend testing of RESTful APIs Experience with performance and stress testing such as with JMeter Familiarity with best practices for Continuous Testing within CI/CD pipelines Familiarity with Jenkins
   "We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply."
   
   Blizzard Entertainment is a global company committed to growing our employees. We offer generous benefits and perks with an eye on providing true work / life balance. We've worked hard to champion an intensely collaborative and creative environment, a diverse and inclusive employee culture, and training and opportunity for professional growth. Our people are everything. Our core values are real, and our mission has never changed.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences...ever. Join us!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find software development engineers lead 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 software development engineers lead they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level software development engineers lead 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 software development engineer lead job on Zippia to find and attract quality software development engineer lead candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with software development engineer lead 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview software development engineer lead 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 software development engineer lead

   Once you've decided on a perfect software development engineer lead candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 software development engineer lead 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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