How to hire a software engineer/technical lead

How to hire a software engineer/technical lead, step by step

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

What does a software engineer/technical lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The software engineer/technical 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/technical 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/technical lead.

   Type of Software Engineer/Technical Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Engineer/Technical 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	$44-78
   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
   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
   • Software Development
   • JavaScript
   • Scrum
   • Database
   • API
   • Azure
   • Html Css
   • Code Reviews
   • Microservices
   • CSS
   • Web Application
   • Linux
   • Web Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform extensive UNIX and NT administration to large UNIX servers to accomplish installation of software and troubleshooting.
   • Manage continuous integrations using Jenkins.
   • Develop GUI's with JavaScripts, HTML, and XML.
   • Direct colleagues in HTML development/layout and JavaScript functions.
   • Create CSS for styling the components on UI.
   • Step in to implement new features and bug fixes in C++ and JavaScript to expedite schedule.

   More software engineer/technical lead duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $123,110yearly

   $59.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software engineer/technical lead salary

   $92,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average software engineer/technical lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$160,964	$77
   2	Oregon	$134,611	$65
   3	District of Columbia	$133,756	$64
   4	Washington	$133,032	$64
   5	Utah	$125,659	$60
   6	Virginia	$125,384	$60
   7	Pennsylvania	$124,439	$60
   8	Delaware	$122,895	$59
   9	North Carolina	$122,058	$59
   10	Massachusetts	$121,706	$59
   11	Texas	$115,337	$55
   12	New York	$113,552	$55
   13	New Mexico	$109,330	$53
   14	Illinois	$107,169	$52
   15	Colorado	$105,658	$51
   16	Ohio	$102,109	$49
   17	Kansas	$100,776	$48
   18	Missouri	$100,165	$48
   19	Georgia	$99,862	$48
   20	Minnesota	$98,589	$47

   Average software engineer/technical lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$189,550	$91.13	3,623
   2	Aspiration	$176,293	$84.76
   3	Google	$174,848	$84.06	1,107
   4	DoorDash	$166,660	$80.13	94
   5	The Walt Disney Company	$163,455	$78.58	453
   6	Pinterest	$161,531	$77.66	39
   7	Twilio	$157,801	$75.87	5
   8	Apple	$156,542	$75.26	548
   9	Walmart	$153,069	$73.59	634
   10	Safeway	$152,261	$73.20
   11	Gap Inc.	$151,086	$72.64	3
   12	Macy's	$150,320	$72.27	4
   13	Health Nucleus	$149,150	$71.71
   14	Logitech	$148,957	$71.61	2
   15	Über	$148,621	$71.45	200
   16	Bloomberg	$147,780	$71.05	227
   17	Cisco	$147,403	$70.87	558
   18	Upwork	$145,844	$70.12	2
   19	Varian Medical Systems	$145,712	$70.05
   20	Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.	$144,514	$69.48	9

4. Writing a software engineer/technical lead job description

   A job description for a software engineer/technical lead role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a software engineer/technical lead job description:

   Software engineer/technical lead job description example

   This job posting is not specific to any one job with Enterprise Holdings IT. This posting will be used to identify candidates for all Lead Software Engineer roles who will then be reviewed, qualified and aligned to a specific Lead Software Engineer opportunity after interviews and careful consideration. If you are interested in the opportunity to be reviewed for all Lead Software Engineer roles within Enterprise Holdings IT, please apply today!
   
   Enterprise Holdings is the world's largest car rental operator and an industry leader in mobility and technology. We're one of the top global travel companies, ranking ahead of many airlines and most cruise lines and hotels. And no matter what transportation challenges our customers face, we have an innovative solution.
   
   We operate the Enterprise Rent-A-Car National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands via more than 9,500 fully staffed neighborhood and airport offices, including franchisee branches, in nearly 100 countries and territories.
   
   Through this robust global network, we operate a fleet of nearly 1.7 million vehicles and provide a comprehensive portfolio of transportation solutions, including car rental, carsharing, vanpooling, car sales, truck rental, vehicle-subscription and affiliated fleet management services. As a total mobility provider, we serve the needs of a wide variety of customers, businesses, government agencies and organizations every day.
   
   At the center of it all, our dedicated IT teams innovate, design and develop the technology that is redefining how customers rent, buy and share vehicles from our family of brands. Here, you will be part of a diverse and talented team that creates and delivers powerful technology solutions for our customers and employees across the world with the resources and support to develop in a variety of career paths.
   
   As you are considering a position with Enterprise Holdings, we invite you to learn more about our business. Today - and every day - the safety and wellbeing of employees, customers and the communities we serve is our top priority. For the latest on our COVID-19 response, please click here.
   
   As an Enterprise employee, we offer an excellent package with market-competitive pay, comprehensive healthcare packages, 401k matching & profit sharing, schedule flexibility, work from home opportunities, paid time off, and organizational growth potential.
   
   This position is open to candidates who wish to work from home (WFH). Employees who choose virtual / remote work should have an adequate space to serve as their home office. #LI-REMOTE
   Responsibilities As a Lead Software Engineer (Engineer 3) you will design, develop and modify many different elements of technology. You will be required to understand advanced methodologies and research and help standardize new techniques. You will be responsible for establishing ongoing direction and implementation of the technology vision and strategy. In the role of Lead Software Engineer your team will look to you as a subject matter expert in multiple areas of technology. You will represent your team in a collaborative efforts and meeting outside of your department. You will be leading implementations and providing viable recommendations for implementing new solutions. You will be providing instruction and guidance to less experience engineers on new tasks and assignments; ensuring deadlines are met. Daily activities will include collaborating with Architects and peers recommending adjustments to the architecture to improve the overall quality and integration. You will also be required to monitor key performance metrics to ensure compliance of established standards, processes, and procedures. You will be responsible for evaluating elements of technology's effectiveness through requirements gathering, testing, research and investigation and make recommendations for improvements that result in increased quality and effectiveness. You will be required to listen to and evaluate customer needs to determine and provide high quality solutions that align with customer expectations.
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans Qualifications Required: Must be presently authorized to work in the U.S. without a requirement for work authorization sponsorship by our company for this position now or in the future Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, or related field Must be committed to incorporating security into all decisions and daily job responsibilities The Lead Software Engineer requires 5 or more years of related experience Subject matter expertise and extensive programming experience in one or more of the following areas or languages: Java UI development using React JS, CSS3, HTML5 including Responsive and Adaptive design Professional experience and demonstrated ability to effectively coach and mentor other engineers Experience in the full software development lifecycle and testing Knowledge of Design Patterns Experience with JIRA, Confluence or similar tool Experience with source control management (Bitbucket/GIT experience preferred) Desire to work collaboratively collaborative a team-centric environment Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, including debugging multi-threaded applications Preferred: Experience with SOA. API's and/or RESTful webservices Experience with frameworks, such as, Spring and/or Hibernate Experience working in cloud environments (AWS preferred) Experience with development methodologies, such as, Agile, Scrum and/or Kanban

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5. Post your job

   To find the right software engineer/technical lead 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 software engineers/technical lead they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit software engineers/technical lead 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your software engineer/technical lead job on Zippia to find and attract quality software engineer/technical lead candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting software engineers/technical lead 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 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a software engineer/technical lead 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 software engineer/technical lead

   Once you've decided on a perfect software engineer/technical 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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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