How to hire a technical testing engineer

How to hire a technical testing engineer, step by step

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

What does a technical testing engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your technical testing engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a technical testing engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 technical testing engineer 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 presents technical testing engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Technical Testing Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Technical Testing Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$29-60
   Instrument And Controls Technician	An instrument and controls technician is responsible for checking and inspecting the condition of production equipment and machinery, ensuring its stability to support business functions and manufacturing processes. Instrument and control technicians study schematics and blueprints of system components to assemble parts and analyze its features for measurement... Show more	$23-41
   Engineering Technician Lead	Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement... Show more	$38-68

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Test Results
   • Schematics
   • Test Procedures
   • Test Data
   • Test Fixtures
   • RF
   • C++
   • Hand Tools
   • UL
   • Test Reports
   • Technical Support
   • Linux
   • Data Collection
   • Test Cases

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Design circuitry and write software to automate the testing of microwave data transmitters.
   • Lead project team to design and FDA validate 10-up extreme accuracy vial dosing system and CIP/SIP automate cleaning equipment.
   • Use of digital storage oscilloscopes to trace digital and analog signals during component level troubleshooting and system level integration and test.
   • Assist engineers with CE, and UL certifications.
   • Study and learn assembly, test and debug techniques.
   • Analyze software failures utilizing software base on Linux and Unix kernels.

   More technical testing engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the technical testing engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A technical testing engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a technical testing engineer in South Dakota may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level technical testing engineer. Additionally, a technical testing engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average technical testing engineer salary

   $88,367yearly

   $42.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical testing engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average technical testing engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$107,867	$52
   2	California	$107,674	$52
   3	Virginia	$96,180	$46
   4	Arizona	$94,653	$46
   5	New Jersey	$94,582	$45
   6	Maryland	$93,412	$45
   7	New York	$83,033	$40
   8	Minnesota	$81,956	$39
   9	Kentucky	$80,314	$39
   10	Texas	$80,231	$39
   11	Michigan	$77,967	$37
   12	Colorado	$76,687	$37
   13	New Hampshire	$74,016	$36
   14	South Carolina	$72,919	$35
   15	Georgia	$71,686	$34
   16	Wisconsin	$70,529	$34
   17	Florida	$69,233	$33
   18	Nebraska	$64,338	$31
   19	Missouri	$63,874	$31

   Average technical testing engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Western Digital	$128,891	$61.97	15
   2	Cisco	$115,996	$55.77	320
   3	Microsoft	$115,863	$55.70	146
   4	UBS	$113,604	$54.62	6
   5	Texas Instruments	$109,047	$52.43	22
   6	Applied Materials	$109,008	$52.41	65
   7	Comtech Telecommunications	$106,197	$51.06	1
   8	Barclays	$106,039	$50.98	1
   9	Amazon	$104,086	$50.04	294
   10	Tesla	$103,044	$49.54
   11	CDNetworks	$101,148	$48.63
   12	Delta Air Lines	$100,799	$48.46	1
   13	Crestron Electronics	$100,444	$48.29	2
   14	TÜV SÜD America	$99,329	$47.75
   15	Booz Allen Hamilton	$98,133	$47.18	17
   16	M.I.T. International, Inc.	$96,924	$46.60	11
   17	General Electric	$95,794	$46.05	117
   18	Morris & Ritchie Associates, Inc. (mra)	$95,408	$45.87	4
   19	PACCAR	$93,970	$45.18	2
   20	SMTC	$93,837	$45.11

4. Writing a technical testing engineer job description

   A job description for a technical testing engineer 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 technical testing engineer job description:

   Technical testing engineer job description example

   SMTC is hiring for a Test Engineer Technician 2!

   
   

   
   

   SMTC Corporation was founded in 1985. SMTC is a mid-size provider of end-to-end electronics manufacturing services (EMS) including PCBA production, systems integration and comprehensive testing services, enclosure fabrication, as well as product design, sustaining engineering and supply chain management services. SMTC has facilities in the United States, Mexico, China and Canada. Services extend over the entire electronic product life cycle from the development and introduction of new products through to the growth, maturity and end-of-life phases.

   
   

   Benefits Highlights:

   *401K with company match

   *PTO, Paid Holidays

   *Tuition Reimbursement

   *Medical HRA Plan

   *Short term/Long term Disability Insurance, etc.

   
   

   
   

   The Test Engineer Technician is responsible for supporting repair depot, functional and/or in-circuit test fixtures to include training of test personnel in the use of fixtures as well as supporting the overall test needs of production. Technical resource for production required to have thorough knowledge of all products, subassemblies, hardware and test processes for assigned customers

   
   

   Test Engineer Technician Education and Abilities:

   • AS or equivalent (such as military training/trade school) in electronics or electrical/electronic technology with 5+ years Test Technician Experience

   • Test Engineering Technician with 7+ years of experience in OEM/EMS

   • Experience with environmental chamber operation and support

   • Experience with vibration table operation and support

   • Experience with ATE operation and support

   • ETA Certification

   • IPC 610 certification.

   
   

   SMTC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or other protected status.

   
   

   If you require assistance completing this application due to a disability, please contact Human Resources to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

   
   

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit technical testing 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 technical testing engineer

   Once you've found the technical testing engineer 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.

   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 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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How much does it cost to hire a technical testing engineer?