How to hire a training developer

How to hire a training developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step training developer hiring guide:

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

What does a training developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your training developer 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 training developer 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

   A training developer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, training developers 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of training developers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Training Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Training Developer	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$21-42
   Instructional Designer And Trainer	Instructional designers are in charge of redesigning the courses, developing the entire curriculum, and creating all instructional mediums, including handouts, presentation materials, participant guides, and job aids. They typically evaluate training, as well as assess what was learned and check if learning solutions led to quantifiable behavior improvements... Show more	$23-41
   Epic Credentialed Trainer	Epic credential trainers are professionals who are trained at the hospital client where they provide training to users. The responsibilities of the trainers include the delivery of end-user training and assistance in technicalities... Show more	$27-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Training Materials
   • Training Development
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Training Programs
   • Instructional Design
   • Blended Learning
   • ELearning
   • Training Content
   • Course Content
   • Learning Management System
   • Logistics
   • Course Materials
   • ISD
   • DOD

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage documents on SharePoint site.
   • Lead the virtualization of military training exercises and provide periods of instruction using virtual simulations.
   • Create computer graphics for the lessons using Photoshop.
   • Create individual tasks and task management of DoD training products.
   • Develop CBTs and maintain the SCORM base LMS as necessary.
   • Create css templates for online courses in the Brainhoney LMS.

   More training developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your training developer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A training developer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, training developers' average salary in west virginia is 48% less than in virginia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level training developers 51% less than senior-level training developers.
   • Certifications. A training developer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a training developer's salary.

   Average training developer salary

   $62,974yearly

   $30.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level training developer salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average training developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Virginia	$83,202	$40
   2	California	$76,708	$37
   3	Washington	$74,361	$36
   4	Texas	$74,284	$36
   5	Maryland	$69,320	$33
   6	Illinois	$68,611	$33
   7	New York	$68,346	$33
   8	District of Columbia	$67,419	$32
   9	Massachusetts	$64,867	$31
   10	Colorado	$63,775	$31
   11	Michigan	$62,630	$30
   12	Georgia	$62,280	$30
   13	North Carolina	$60,994	$29
   14	South Carolina	$59,559	$29
   15	Ohio	$59,404	$29
   16	Pennsylvania	$55,311	$27
   17	Florida	$54,687	$26
   18	Oregon	$54,383	$26
   19	Utah	$54,286	$26
   20	Wisconsin	$49,292	$24

   Average training developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Tandem Diabetes Care	$88,312	$42.46
   2	Fujitsu	$84,757	$40.75	4
   3	SAIC	$83,272	$40.03	33
   4	Capgemini	$82,289	$39.56	256
   5	Trideum	$81,755	$39.31	2
   6	QuintilesIMS	$81,442	$39.15
   7	Leidos	$81,381	$39.13	83
   8	ISYS Technologies	$81,091	$38.99	4
   9	RetailNext	$80,739	$38.82
   10	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$80,188	$38.55	32
   11	Arista Networks	$79,329	$38.14
   12	Cirrus Aircraft	$79,232	$38.09	9
   13	Logistics Management Institute	$79,077	$38.02	4
   14	VIVA USA	$77,684	$37.35
   15	Edward Jones	$77,632	$37.32	8
   16	General Atomics	$77,361	$37.19	46
   17	CACI International	$76,303	$36.68	75
   18	Scientific Research	$75,879	$36.48	4
   19	Vestas Blades America	$74,658	$35.89	1
   20	PROLIM	$74,279	$35.71

4. Writing a training developer job description

   A training developer 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 training developer job description:

   Training developer job description example

   UHS Training- (Full Time, Day Shift) -
   
   Our mission is to participate in Jesus Christ's ministry, bringing health, healing, and wholeness to humanity by: Creating a supportive faculty practice framework that allows Loma Linda University School of Medicine physicians and surgeons to educate, conduct research, and deliver quality health care with optimum efficiency, deploying a motivated and competent workforce trained in customer service and whole person care principles and providing safe, seamless and satisfying health care encounters for patients while upholding the highest standards of fiscal integrity and clinical ethics. Our core values are compassion, integrity, humility, excellence, justice, teamwork and wholeness.
   
   The Training and Development Specialist Sr provides instruction and support in Loma Linda University Health's values, applications, and best practices to ensure clinical and administrative staff are operating at the highest levels. Responsible for facilitating one-on-one evaluations and remediation. Assesses staff readiness and computer abilities in the electronic health record. Contributes to the development of structured training programs and materials that pertain to all aspects of electronic health record system applications. Incorporates a variety of instructional methods including but not limited to lecture, audio/visual, workbook formats, and computer-guided tutorials. Initiates training communications, tip sheets, newsletters, and calendars. Manages the outpatient training queue and assists the LLEAP project team in solving training-related issues while maintaining extensive knowledge of systems and processes. Creates and maintains a robust curriculum portfolio. Leads demonstrations and discussions with key stakeholders to better optimize the training experience. Mentors other Training and Development Specialists in curriculum content and adult learning theory based on a sound understanding of industry best practices. Initiates new training programs, leading analysis, design, development, instruction, and evaluation. Performs other duties as needed.
   
   Bachelor's Degree in Education or a related field required, experience may be in lieu of degree. Minimum three years of experience in curriculum design or classroom presentation preferred.
   
   Able to keyboard 40 wpm. Able to use a computer, printer, and software programs necessary to the position (e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). Operate/troubleshoot basic office equipment required for the position. Able to work calmly and respond courteously when under pressure; collaborate and accept direction. Able to think critically; manage multiple assignments effectively; organize and prioritize workload; work well under pressure; problem solve; recall information with accuracy; pay close attention to detail; work independently with minimal supervision. Able to distinguish colors as necessary; hear sufficiently for general conversation in person and on the telephone, and identify and distinguish various sounds associated with the workplace; see adequately to read computer screens, and written documents necessary to the position.
   Additional Information
   
   * Organization: Loma Linda Univ Health Care
   * Employee Status: Regular
   * Schedule: Full-time
   * Shift: Day Job
   * Days of Week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
   * Monday Hours: 8
   * Tuesday Hours: 8
   * Wednesday Hours: 8
   * Thursday Hours: 8
   * Friday Hours: 8

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right training developer 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 training developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit training developers 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 training developer job on Zippia to find and recruit training developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit training developers, 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.

   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.

   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 training developer

   Once you've found the training developer 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new training developer 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 training developer?