How to hire a vice president, software development

How to hire a vice president, software development, step by step

Here's a step-by-step vice president, software development hiring guide:

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

What does a vice president, software development do?

Post a vice president, software development job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The vice president, software development 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a vice president, software development to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a vice president, software development that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of vice presidents, software development and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Vice President, Software Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Vice President, Software Development	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	$50-86
   Development Team Member	A development team member performs various support tasks to help complete projects according to client specifications and requirements. In the information technology industry, a development team member writes codes, creates programs, implements test systems, troubleshoots issues, performs repairs and upgrades, maintains records, and presents reports to managers... Show more	$8-18
   Software Engineering Manager	A software engineering manager oversees the team involved in computer and software development. Typically, it is their responsibility to design and create software applications in collaboration with fellow skilled engineers in the group... Show more	$48-95

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cloud
   • Java
   • QA
   • Product Development
   • Linux
   • Product Management
   • SQL Server
   • Debugging
   • API
   • Web Services
   • JavaScript
   • Scrum
   • UI
   • C++

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage offshore development team including development and QA.
   • Hire and manage blended team, design and implement test lab leveraging existing infrastructure and execute application test plans.
   • Work with team of designers to get HTML templates with supporting CSS and JavaScript.
   • Implement SaaS solution for local sports league.
   • Utilize sprint planning, retropresective meeting and standup scrum meetings.
   • Design and implement new third-party GPS gateways and API integration to great success.

   More vice president, software development duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $137,241yearly

   $65.98 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level vice president, software development salary

   $104,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 11, 2026

   Average vice president, software development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$173,331	$83
   2	Washington	$171,702	$83
   3	Nevada	$151,795	$73
   4	Connecticut	$136,839	$66
   5	Massachusetts	$136,595	$66
   6	New York	$131,091	$63
   7	Utah	$128,133	$62
   8	New Hampshire	$128,028	$62
   9	New Jersey	$126,341	$61
   10	Texas	$124,210	$60
   11	Colorado	$123,231	$59
   12	Georgia	$122,618	$59
   13	Illinois	$121,988	$59
   14	Arizona	$120,654	$58
   15	Florida	$120,650	$58
   16	Oklahoma	$115,279	$55
   17	North Carolina	$112,054	$54
   18	Minnesota	$109,173	$52
   19	Tennessee	$108,391	$52
   20	North Dakota	$108,327	$52

   Average vice president, software development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$166,631	$80.11	12
   2	AQR Capital Management	$165,728	$79.68	6
   3	Citi	$161,290	$77.54	208
   4	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$161,172	$77.49	2,098
   5	Knight Capital Funding	$157,876	$75.90
   6	CyberCoders	$156,436	$75.21	2
   7	Nomura Securities	$151,624	$72.90	48
   8	Compass SLS and ILS	$151,374	$72.78	21
   9	Barclays	$150,261	$72.24	3
   10	Cantor Fitzgerald	$147,705	$71.01	5
   11	Deutsche Bank	$147,566	$70.95	62
   12	Arch Capital Group	$145,694	$70.05	101
   13	Nexgrid	$143,495	$68.99
   14	Markit North America, Inc.	$143,495	$68.99
   15	RELX	$143,475	$68.98	137
   16	AGCO	$142,832	$68.67	4
   17	DB US Holding Corporation	$142,691	$68.60
   18	WorldQuant	$140,493	$67.54	7
   19	Merrill Lynch	$140,272	$67.44
   20	Morgan Stanley	$139,065	$66.86	86

4. Writing a vice president, software development job description

   A job description for a vice president, software development 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 vice president, software development job description:

   Vice president, software development job description example

   Role Summary/Purpose:
   Billions of transactions and you'll touch all of them if you join our IT team as API Software Development Engineer. Imagine the sheer scale of what we impact every second of every day. Now imagine what you can do with that influence. This is where you can shape the future of payments.
   As an API Software Development Engineer you'll be developing API's and leading an amazing team of engineers working on our API's leveraging cloud technologies.
   It's the ideal time to come aboard - we're focused on the future, continuing to evolve a company and help define the financial technology industry. With so much opportunity available, this is where you can make your mark.
   
   Essential Responsibilities:
   You're the one we're looking for if you:
   Are passionate about creating software that makes things easier for hardworking families Have common sense-can you think through your designs to make sure they're the best?Are a coder who's also a problem solver, capable of creating elegant, testable code that's robust and scalable Are ready to be disruptive and interesting in the commerce space Can work with product, operations and project management as one agile team Are ready to own your own career and destiny Value results Have tech chops: Software development skill are a must
   
   We'll depend on you to:
   To work in flexible shift timings and participate in a cross-shore development team Influence and collaborate to create amazing API'sCoach Junior Engineers and empower them to work efficiently Review and Approve code modules using formal approval process Participate in Agile scrums with cross-functional teams Participate in Agile sprints including story writing, planning, daily standups, backlog grooming sessions and reviews Provide on-call support Analyze production defects, troubleshoot systems, identify root cause and implement fixes Work with third party vendors to develop software and/or integrate their software into our products Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned
   
   Qualifications/Requirements:
   Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related degree with modern application development experience Minimum of 7+ years of experience in Technology and 2+ years in API development using Java.Strong Technical Expertise in Java, Spring Projects - Spring Boot, Spring Framework, Spring Cloud, Git, Maven, REST and SOAPStrong Experience in developing microservices with 12-factor app methodology Strong Experience with Agile application development and familiarity with tools like JIRAStrong Experience with continuous integration environments and using tools like JenkinsStrong Experience writing unit and integration tests and familiarity with frameworks like Junit, Mockito, Spring TestStrong desire to develop high quality code with ability to review and leverage quality check tools like Sonar, PMD etc.Familiarity in designing application using SOLID principles, Java and microservice design patterns Familiarity with Cloud Platform like Pivotal Cloud FoundryWorking knowledge in RDBMSStrong communication skills with technical and non-technical peers Strong cross-functional team player with the ability to work seamlessly across a matrix organisation Strong attention to detail in a team environment Strong oral and written communication, analytical and problem-solving skills Ability to analyze, use structured problem solving and available tools to troubleshoot systems, identify root cause, action plans, impact and resolution options Passionate to learn and understand diversified business domains and technologies Ability to quickly learn new technologies and frameworks For Internal Applicants: Understand the criteria or mandatory skills required for the role, before applying.Inform your Manager or HRM before applying for any role on Workday.Ensure that your Professional Profile is updated (fields such as Education, Prior experience, Other skills) and it is mandatory to upload your updated resume (Word or PDF format) Must not be any corrective action plan (First Formal/Final Formal, PIP) Employees who have completed 18 months in the organization and 12 months in current role and level are only eligible.Level 8+ employees can apply
   
   Desired Characteristics:
   Desire to work in a dynamic, fast paced environment Strong interpersonal skills with ability to influence clients, team members, management and external groups
   
   Grade/Level: 10
   
   Job Family Group:
   Information Technology

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right vice president, software development 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 vice presidents, software development they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit vice presidents, software development 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 vice president, software development job on Zippia to find and recruit vice president, software development candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with vice president, software development candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a vice president, software development 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 vice president, software development

   Once you've decided on a perfect vice president, software development 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 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 vice president, software development 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a vice president, software development?