How to hire a system design engineer

How to hire a system design engineer, step by step

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

What does a system design engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a system design engineer, 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

   A system design engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, system design engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of system design engineers.

   Type of System Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   System Design 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).	$37-71
   Radio Frequency Engineer	A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment... Show more	$32-55
   Electronics Engineer	An electronics engineer specializes in designing and developing electronic components and systems, ensuring efficiency in all aspects. They are primarily responsible for conducting tests and maintenance for systems, identifying any faults or inconsistencies, and performing corrective measures right away... Show more	$32-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • System Design
   • Architecture
   • MATLAB
   • C++
   • CAD
   • Project Management
   • Control Systems
   • RF
   • Mechanical Systems
   • GD
   • Solidworks
   • Analog
   • System Integration
   • HVAC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and harmonize cooperation between architect, structure engineer, HVAC engineer, plumping engineer, and electrical engineer.
   • Lead the PCB design effort including component layout/placement, handling of critical nets, and test issues including PCB scan.
   • Apply technical knowledge in electromagnetic theory and microwave technology to plan and manage projects concern with ground-base radar systems.
   • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
   • Design system level test hardware for the IC designers from QFN packages to highly dense FPGA.
   • Assist in the electrical design and generate drawings utilizing AutoCAD.

   More system design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $107,704yearly

   $51.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level system design engineer salary

   $77,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average system design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$143,257	$69
   2	Washington	$111,697	$54
   3	Oregon	$103,444	$50
   4	Texas	$100,085	$48
   5	New Jersey	$94,131	$45
   6	Massachusetts	$90,746	$44
   7	Colorado	$89,820	$43
   8	Arizona	$84,238	$41
   9	Oklahoma	$81,723	$39
   10	New York	$78,869	$38
   11	Florida	$78,534	$38
   12	Alabama	$76,736	$37
   13	Kansas	$73,730	$35
   14	North Carolina	$72,782	$35
   15	Illinois	$72,323	$35
   16	Michigan	$71,543	$34
   17	Indiana	$64,940	$31

   Average system design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$146,474	$70.42	404
   2	Apple	$142,711	$68.61	473
   3	Google	$136,777	$65.76	158
   4	Rivian	$134,057	$64.45	30
   5	Microsoft	$133,944	$64.40	130
   6	Karma Automotive	$132,544	$63.72
   7	Harley-Davidson	$130,927	$62.95
   8	Zoox	$130,804	$62.89	23
   9	Tesla	$129,564	$62.29	3
   10	NVIDIA	$127,637	$61.36	143
   11	Ford Motor	$127,619	$61.36	122
   12	Rambus	$127,327	$61.21	10
   13	Dana Incorporated	$127,026	$61.07	3
   14	Synaptics	$126,942	$61.03	1
   15	Harmonic	$126,781	$60.95	2
   16	Workday	$126,717	$60.92	1
   17	Lucid Motors	$126,420	$60.78	49
   18	Adobe	$125,030	$60.11	43
   19	Nexteer Automotive	$124,258	$59.74
   20	Broadcom	$123,373	$59.31	90

4. Writing a system design engineer job description

   A system design 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 system design engineer job description:

   System design engineer job description example

   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 challenges that are hard to tackle, that only we can pursue, and that matter to the world. This is our life's work, to amplify human creativity and intelligence. We are now looking for a System Design Engineer in the Graphics Product Team. In this role, you will be working with a team of HW/SW engineers to develop NVIDIA GPU/Tegra based products for Gaming, Datacenter, Workstation, and autonomous driving platforms.
   What You'll be Doing:
   
   + Build system hardware products around GPU & Tegra chips.
   
   + Collaborate with cross-function team to pursue the balance of product cost, performance, and schedule under the guidance of system architects and product architects.
   
   + Drive initial test and bringup, lead the debug efforts.
   
   + Create schematic, supervise PCB layout and system validation.
   
   + Handle documentation required to release the product to manufactures and partners.
   
   + Optimize/invent circuits, functions for better performance, and lower cost.
   
   + Improve the design flow together with the infrastructure team.
   
   What We Need to See:
   
   + B.S or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience.
   
   + 5+ years of proven experience.
   
   + Have strong analytical skills including past experience in PCB design and review.
   
   + Experience with using lab tools such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, and logic analyzers.
   
   + Possess a nurtured knowledge of Linux, and be very comfortable working in various Linux environments as well as with Windows OS's
   
   + Strong verbal and written skills.
   
   NVIDIA is widely considered to be one of the technology world's most desirable employers. We have some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people in the world working with 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

   To find the right system design 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 system design engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit system design 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.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit system design engineers, 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.

   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 system design engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect system design engineer 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new system design 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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