How to hire a software engineer lead

How to hire a software engineer lead, step by step

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

What does a software engineer lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The software engineer lead 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

   Hiring the perfect software 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 engineers lead.

   Type of Software Engineer Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Software 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	$44-80
   Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead	Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Leads are responsible for managing the designing and operations of hardware or software testing. Their duties include developing testing plans, implement risk mitigation strategies, communicate process improvements to cross-teams such as marketing and engineering, resolve the conflict between teams, and ensures product or software adheres to the organization and industry standards... Show more	$40-68
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Python
   • Software Development
   • AWS
   • Spring Boot
   • JavaScript
   • GIT
   • Emerging Technologies
   • Scrum
   • Database
   • Object Oriented Programming
   • API
   • Jenkins
   • CSS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead project for setting up DR for Bitbucket and clustering for improve performance.
   • Manage development and production server environments in Linux.
   • Manage entire QA process from requirements documentation to final release testing.
   • Manage technical investigations of software and database problems; coordinating between users and developers, and developing fixes or recommending workarounds.
   • Enhance visualization and user friendly front-end are designed and develop using JSP, HTML, CSS.
   • Develop C++ and Java tools to perform monitoring and analysis of dynamic memory allocation and graphics image conversions.

   More software engineer lead duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software engineers lead' average salary in mississippi is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software engineers lead earn 45% less than senior-level software engineers lead.
   • Certifications. A software engineer lead 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 software engineer lead's salary.

   Average software engineer lead salary

   $125,565yearly

   $60.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software engineer lead salary

   $93,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average software engineer lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$152,851	$73
   2	California	$152,662	$73
   3	Oregon	$140,393	$68
   4	New York	$122,230	$59
   5	District of Columbia	$121,344	$58
   6	Massachusetts	$121,005	$58
   7	Arizona	$119,605	$58
   8	Texas	$117,567	$57
   9	Virginia	$115,275	$55
   10	North Carolina	$113,181	$54
   11	Florida	$112,703	$54
   12	Pennsylvania	$110,257	$53
   13	Illinois	$108,359	$52
   14	Ohio	$108,111	$52
   15	Georgia	$108,084	$52
   16	New Jersey	$107,917	$52
   17	Minnesota	$106,880	$51
   18	Missouri	$101,984	$49
   19	Colorado	$101,665	$49
   20	Indiana	$97,454	$47

   Average software engineer lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$204,092	$98.12	3,609
   2	BitGo	$195,299	$93.89	14
   3	Google	$185,299	$89.09	1,005
   4	eBay	$181,266	$87.15	54
   5	Addepar	$180,566	$86.81	6
   6	Levi Strauss & Co.	$178,261	$85.70
   7	Grubhub	$176,226	$84.72	7
   8	Stitch Fix	$174,038	$83.67	8
   9	Move	$172,350	$82.86
   10	The Walt Disney Company	$172,035	$82.71	445
   11	Microsoft	$171,878	$82.63	991
   12	Pixar Animation Studios	$170,081	$81.77
   13	MongoDB	$169,904	$81.68	74
   14	HealthTap	$169,292	$81.39
   15	New Relic	$168,233	$80.88	13
   16	Apple	$168,123	$80.83	596
   17	Quantcast	$167,446	$80.50	3
   18	Zulily	$167,026	$80.30
   19	Roofstock	$166,614	$80.10
   20	Square	$166,016	$79.82	4

4. Writing a software engineer lead job description

   A software 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 engineer lead job description:

   Software engineer lead job description example

   This role demonstrates proficiency in all areas of the professional function and advanced in-depth specialization to perform and implement activities that impact components / processes of specified functional areas of the Walgreens Digital/Online application. This role is typically assigned to strategic, complex undertakings. Receives work in the form of short- and mid-term outcomes that regularly require the application of independent judgment and creativity.
   Mentors less experienced members of the team. May lead teams / projects.
   
   Job Responsibilities
   
   Plans, designs, develops and tests back-end software systems or applications for software enhancements and new products including cloud-based or internet-related tools.
   Writes code that establishes and enhances coding specifications, typically for software programs and systems that have little or no precedence.
   Delivers software features with exceptional quality, meeting designated release plans and delivery commitments.
   Works on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors. Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
   Leads the daily work of assigned work group / team. Recommends modifications to the daily operations of the assigned work group / team. Makes needed adjustments to short-term priorities.
   Owns a functional area. Breaks large requests down into sub-tasks, gives higher-level status updates. Writes test plans. Takes operational responsibility. Sets measurable goals, and meets them. Reviews code changes.
   Networks with senior internal and external personnel in own area of expertise. Interacts with direct team of accountability, peers and/or managers in other teams. May interact with vendors and/or customers to share information and improve workflow processes.
   May design specifications of assigned projects and may lead in implementation.
   Demonstrates proficiency in all areas of the professional function and advanced in-depth specialization in some.
   Participates in developing technical / business approaches and new or enhanced technical tools. Has proven expertise in software design, architecture and software and system interrelationships. Has expert knowledge of programming languages important to the organization.
   Sets software engineering project schedules, defines project parameters and tasks and monitors project tasks. Develops and keeps the "vision" of the project, leading others toward its completion.
   Resolves a wide range of issues in creative ways.
   Owns the development and rollout for an entire product, or large project. Champions process (Scrum, TDD, etc.). Writes tech specs and identifies risks before starting major projects. Sets standards. Goes out of their way to reduce complexity. As needed, takes on additional "tech lead" responsibilities for driving an initiative to completion.
   Allocates and tracks the work of individual contributors. Participates in teaching and training members of work group / team.
   
   
   jeid-68faf058bf5a2c47a7a04961df638e97

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find software engineers lead 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your software engineer lead job on Zippia to find and attract quality software 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

   To successfully recruit software engineers lead, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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.

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

   Once you've found the software engineer lead 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.

   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 software 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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