Cost per hire by role, entry-level to executive.
Role level is the single largest variable in hiring cost. Entry runs $1.5K to $3K. Mid $4K to $8K. Senior $8K to $15K. Executive $28K+ and often much more. Here is the full table plus the drivers behind each range.
Role-level ranges at a glance.
| Level | Cost range | Interviewer hours | Time to fill | Deep dive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | $1,500 to $3,000 | 6 to 10 | 25 days | below |
| Mid-level IC | $4,000 to $8,000 | 12 to 20 | 40 days | below |
| Senior IC | $8,000 to $15,000 | 20 to 30 | 55 days | Engineering |
| Manager | $10,000 to $18,000 | 24 to 32 | 50 days | below |
| Director | $18,000 to $35,000 | 25 to 35 | 60 days | below |
| VP / executive | $28,000 to $200,000+ | 30 to 40 + search firm | 90 days | Executive |
Why senior roles cost 5 to 10x more.
The spread is not linear with salary. A $180K senior IC costs roughly 6x a $50K entry-level analyst, and a $300K executive costs 20x. Four factors compound:
Senior and executive loops run 5 to 7 rounds, often with 3 to 5 interviewers per round. Entry-level loops are 2 rounds with 1 to 2 interviewers. Panel-hour multiplication alone accounts for 3 to 4x of the cost spread.
Senior roles are interviewed by other seniors. At a $150 per hour loaded rate vs $50 for entry-level interviewers, the panel-hour cost is 3x higher even before accounting for more hours.
Executive and senior-specialist roles are often hired via retained firms at 25 to 35 percent of first-year comp. That line item does not exist on entry or mid-level hires. A $300K hire at 30 percent retained is $90,000, which dwarfs everything else.
Senior and executive roles take 55 to 120 days to fill vs 20 to 30 for entry-level. At a higher salary and higher impact multiplier, daily vacancy cost compounds: $400K CEO at 3x for 90 days = $415K in vacancy.
Entry-level
Entry-level hiring is the cleanest cost profile in the model. Typical loop: one recruiter screen, one hiring manager interview, optional skills assessment, and a reference check. 6 to 10 interviewer-hours total. Sourcing is the swing variable: inbound applications through a career site keep CPH under $2,000, while campus recruiting and career fair spend can push it to $3,000. Industries that hire at volume (retail, hospitality, customer support) often run bespoke high-volume processes with per-hire costs below $1,500.
Mid-level IC
Mid-level ICs (3 to 7 years of experience) form the backbone of most organisations and are the most-hired category. Typical loop: recruiter screen, hiring manager screen, 2 to 3 peer interviews, debrief. 12 to 20 interviewer-hours. In-house recruiter. Virtual logistics. Tech and finance sit at the top of the range due to higher loaded rates. Manufacturing and customer success sit lower. Agency usage is moderate (30 to 40 percent of mid-level hires in US tech use contingency recruiters); add $15,000 to $25,000 if so.
Senior IC
Senior ICs (7+ years, staff-track) carry more interview depth: longer loops with system design or case-study rounds, more interviewers per round, and structured debriefs. Salary and loaded rates are higher, which inflates interviewer time cost. Senior IC loops in engineering often include a 2-hour system design interview, a 4-hour coding onsite, and a 2-hour architectural discussion on top of the standard behavioural rounds. Agency usage is higher (40 to 60 percent) for specialist senior ICs, which can push CPH well past $20,000.
Manager
Manager hires add leadership-assessment rounds to the senior IC loop. Typical additions: a skip-level interview (the hiring manager's manager), a cross-functional partner interview (product, finance, or another engineering manager), and a people-leadership case discussion. 24 to 32 interviewer-hours. First-time manager hires often include an assessment of scope-appropriateness; experienced manager hires often include a panel of direct-report candidates who will join their team.
Director
Director hires start to involve retained or executive search in many organisations. Loops run 5 to 7 rounds with VP-level interviewers, cross-functional senior stakeholders, and often a board or audit-committee touchpoint for regulated industries. CPH ranges widely because some director hires are in-house promotions (low external cost, high internal loop cost) while others are open searches with retained agencies (high external cost). Typical direct-hire CPH is $18,000 to $25,000; retained-assisted is $25,000 to $75,000.
VP / executive
Executive hires are dominated by retained search fees (25 to 35 percent of total comp, with minimum fees of $60,000 to $150,000). The in-house interview cost for a VP or C-suite hire is still substantial at 30 to 40 leadership hours, but it is dwarfed by the search firm fee. For a $300K VP hire via retained at 30 percent, direct cost is $90,000 (fee) plus $8,000 to $15,000 (internal time) plus vacancy cost that easily exceeds $100,000 over the 90-day search. Total cost of hire for an executive is often $150,000 to $250,000 all-in.
Pick your role level in the calculator. Defaults for rounds, hours, and salary adjust automatically.