How to hire a systems designer

How to hire a systems designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step systems designer hiring guide:

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

What does a systems designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the systems designer you need to hire. Certain systems designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A systems designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, systems designers 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 presents systems designer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Systems Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Systems Designer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$33-60
   Mechanical Engineering Internship	One of the primary responsibilities in a mechanical engineering internship is to follow directives from engineers and managers while gaining practical experience. There are instances when an intern must take part in crafting various materials under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, produce reports and paperwork, operate tools and devices, and provide assistance should anyone need... Show more	$15-25
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • System Design
   • CRM
   • Sales Proposals
   • Control Systems
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • HVAC
   • C++
   • C #
   • Performance Agreements
   • PLC
   • Project Management
   • Database
   • Auto CAD
   • Management System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead development effort for JavaScript vehicle configuration component.
   • Manage relationships through CRM documentation and complete post-sale customer follow ups.
   • Design and manage wireless infrastructure using WPA2 encryption and a centralize authentication using SSL and a user base lightweight directory database.
   • Modify and support COBOL, DB2, IMS, CICS, batch and online processes.
   • Design and draft mechanical systems for remodels and new construction at BYU using Revit, and AutoCAD.
   • Cover the database management system architecture, query processing and optimization.

   More systems designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your systems designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A systems designer 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 systems designer in Nebraska may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level systems designer usually earns less than a senior-level systems designer. Additionally, a systems designer 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 systems designer salary

   $93,438yearly

   $44.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level systems designer salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average systems designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$126,887	$61
   2	Illinois	$113,910	$55
   3	Massachusetts	$110,803	$53
   4	California	$109,508	$53
   5	Maryland	$101,134	$49
   6	Texas	$99,631	$48
   7	Wisconsin	$96,164	$46
   8	Arizona	$93,940	$45
   9	Michigan	$92,898	$45
   10	Pennsylvania	$91,078	$44
   11	Colorado	$89,532	$43
   12	Georgia	$88,443	$43
   13	New Jersey	$88,257	$42
   14	New York	$88,203	$42
   15	Minnesota	$82,684	$40
   16	Ohio	$82,501	$40
   17	Florida	$82,355	$40
   18	Indiana	$81,113	$39
   19	North Carolina	$80,987	$39

   Average systems designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$129,074	$62.05	910
   2	Apple	$124,714	$59.96	165
   3	Intuit	$122,268	$58.78	48
   4	Amazon	$117,716	$56.59	442
   5	AbbVie	$115,789	$55.67	14
   6	Henry Ford Village	$115,009	$55.29	3
   7	Slalom	$113,187	$54.42	6
   8	Microsoft	$112,954	$54.30	103
   9	Dynatrace	$111,767	$53.73	2
   10	TEKsystems	$111,149	$53.44	37
   11	Argonne National Laboratory	$110,462	$53.11	8
   12	Henry Ford Health System	$110,221	$52.99
   13	Best Buy	$109,095	$52.45	2
   14	DXC Technology	$108,366	$52.10	2
   15	USG	$107,487	$51.68
   16	Cirrus Aircraft	$106,601	$51.25	7
   17	GE Healthcare Holdings Inc.	$106,262	$51.09	7
   18	Tesla	$105,324	$50.64
   19	Massachusetts General Hospital	$105,150	$50.55
   20	Calypso Technology	$104,705	$50.34

4. Writing a systems designer job description

   A good systems designer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a systems designer job description:

   Systems designer job description example

   Purple, Rock, Scissors (PRPL) employs a number of creative professionals that work full time within our clients’ organizations. These individuals are hired full time by PRPL but their day to day work is directed by the client team. These roles vary but are typically 2-12 month engagements that provide additional support to various internal teams. Commonly, they are Visual Designer and Product Designer oriented roles.

   The following is a current opportunity within one of our client teams:

   
   

   Do you have a keen sense of design fundamentals? Are you able to streamline and operationalize a design system program?

   
   If you’ve answered Yes to both of these questions, this opportunity will interest you! It is with a well known social media platform. They are looking for a full-time Designer with significant design system experience and expert knowledge of Figma to support their team for a limited engagement.
   The ideal candidate will thrive in creating order from chaos, most notably, helping various internal teams and owners make sense of Figma files, adopting shared processes as well as organizing templates and other prototyping tools. The impact and benefit of this work is that it will enable the team to work more efficiently, to create prototypes faster and to onboard new members more easily. There is also an opportunity to create new components and expand the existing library.

   
   Reports To: Director, Product Design

   
   Qualifications

   • A self-driven Designer that can demonstrate workflows, efficiencies, and strategies for collaboration
   • 5+ years of experience in digital design
   • An online portfolio that demonstrates strong, varied interactive work
   • Expert knowledge of design software and workflows, primarily Figma
   • Strong grasp of user experience design, information architecture, and prototyping
   • Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with or without supervision
   • Strong oral and written communication skills

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find systems designers 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 systems designer job on Zippia to find and recruit systems designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit systems designers, 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 systems designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the systems designer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   To prepare for the new systems designer 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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How much does it cost to hire a systems designer?