Salesforce developer job description templates: general, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, and lead. With FLSA, certification, and hiring guidance.
6 templates by level: general, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, and lead, with the FLSA, certification, and honest hire-vs-consultant guidance the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
The Salesforce developer job description is one a small business should write carefully, because the bigger question usually comes first: do you actually need a full-time developer, or an administrator and an occasional consultant? A dedicated in-house Salesforce developer is a six-figure software engineering role, and the steady custom-code work that justifies one is mostly found at larger and regulated companies. The generic templates online skip that question entirely and hand you a one-size-fits-all posting.
This page covers both. The six templates below give you a starting point by level, general, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, and lead, and the guidance is honest about when a small team is better served by an admin, a consultant, or a freelancer. Fill in the brackets and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals behind any posting.
TL;DR
Six Salesforce developer job description templates by level: General, Junior, Senior, Platform / Engineer, Admin / Developer Hybrid, and Lead. A developer writes Apex and Lightning Web Components, is exempt under the computer employee exemption, and is a six-figure role (the closest federal benchmark, software developers, reports a median near $133,080). Most small businesses need an administrator or a consultant first. Download as DOCX.
What a Salesforce Developer Does
A Salesforce developer builds, customizes, and maintains solutions on the Salesforce platform that go beyond point-and-click configuration. The core work is writing Apex and Lightning Web Components, building integrations through the Salesforce API, and writing the unit tests Salesforce requires for deployment.
The closest federal occupation is software developers, since no Salesforce-specific occupation code exists. What changes between roles is the level: a junior developer builds under direction, a senior owns architecture and mentoring, and a lead sets standards and leads a team. The role is distinct from a Salesforce administrator, who handles configuration and users mostly without code, which is why the templates below split by level and why the guidance addresses the developer-versus-admin choice directly. For scoping any role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Developer vs Administrator vs Consultant
Three related Salesforce roles, often confused, differ by what they do and what they cost. Naming the right one is the single most important hiring decision, because most small businesses reach for a developer when an admin or a consultant is the better fit. Here is how they compare.
Role
What they do
Typical fit
Administrator
Configuration, users, flows, reports, no or little code
Most common first hire
Developer
Apex, LWC, integrations, custom code
Steady, ongoing dev work
Consultant
Strategy and implementation, client-facing, external
One-time projects
Engineer
Synonym for developer, engineering-led framing
Same as developer
The practical takeaway: an administrator keeps Salesforce running and is the realistic full-time hire for most small teams, a consultant or freelancer handles occasional code without a permanent salary, and a developer is justified only by steady development demand. If your need is broader software work rather than the Salesforce platform specifically, a software engineer posting may fit better.
Salesforce Developer Duties and Responsibilities
Salesforce developer duties cluster into four areas: development and code, platform and data, integration and delivery, and requirements and collaboration. The level sets the depth, but every developer role shares these. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
Development and code
Build Apex classes, triggers, and Lightning Web Components
Write unit tests and meet code-coverage requirements
Debug, optimize, and document customizations
Platform and data
Work within the Salesforce data and security model
Build flows, objects, and configuration
Optimize for governor limits and performance
Integration and delivery
Build REST and SOAP API integrations
Manage deployments with Salesforce DX and Git
Run code review and CI/CD
Requirements and collaboration
Translate business needs into technical specs
Work with admins, analysts, and stakeholders
Estimate and document work
A strong posting grounds these in your specifics: your org, your clouds, your integrations, and the level you actually need. It also states the technical stack precisely, since Salesforce developers scan a posting for the languages, the certifications, and the level before applying. Vague requirements like "Salesforce experience" attract the wrong applicants for a role this specialized.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by the level you need, once you have confirmed you need a full-time developer at all. The development core runs through all six, but the seniority, the certifications, and the classification differ enough that the matched version reads more credibly to candidates. Use this guide to choose.
General Salesforce Developer
Mid-level, the baseline
The universal version: build Apex and Lightning Web Components, develop integrations, and turn requirements into tested, documented features. Start here and adapt.
Junior / Entry-Level
Supervised, will grow
For an early-career hire who builds under direction and learns your platform and standards. Note that junior pay can affect the FLSA exemption, so confirm classification.
Senior Developer
Architecture and mentoring
For a senior who owns technical architecture, sets standards, mentors the team, and handles the hardest problems. Platform Developer I and II expected.
Platform Developer / Engineer
Engineering-led
For a platform developer or Salesforce engineer who applies full software engineering practices, testing, CI/CD, and version control, alongside platform work.
Admin / Developer Hybrid
One person, both jobs
For a smaller team that needs one person for both administration and light development. Often the realistic shape of a first Salesforce technical hire.
Lead / Technical Lead
Sets direction, leads a team
For a technical lead who owns architecture and standards and leads a small team of developers and admins. Architect-track certifications expected.
Match the Template to the Level
A standard mid-level build role: General. An early-career hire who works under direction: Junior. A senior who owns architecture and mentors: Senior. An engineering-led platform role: Platform / Engineer. One person for both admin and light code on a smaller team: Admin / Developer Hybrid. A technical lead over a small team: Lead. If you are not sure you need a full-time developer, read the section below before posting any of them.
6 Salesforce Developer Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company context, position summary, key responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, classification, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the level and certifications, and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, and lead. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: General Salesforce Developer
The universal mid-level version: build Apex and Lightning Web Components, develop integrations, and turn requirements into tested, documented features. Start here and adapt.
For an early-career hire who builds under direction and learns your platform and standards. Note that junior pay can affect the FLSA exemption, so confirm classification.
For a senior who owns technical architecture, sets standards, mentors the team, and handles the hardest problems. Platform Developer I and II expected.
Senior Salesforce Developer Job Description
SENIOR SALESFORCE DEVELOPER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State] / Remote)
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Technical Lead / CTO]
For a platform developer or Salesforce engineer who applies full software engineering practices, testing, CI/CD, and version control, alongside platform work.
•Develop and maintain integrations with external systems
•Manage the development lifecycle with Salesforce DX and Git
•Optimize for scalability, governor limits, and performance
•Write maintainable, documented, well-tested code
•Collaborate across engineering, product, and operations
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[3+] years of Salesforce or platform development experience
•Strong Apex, LWC, SOQL, and API skills
•Salesforce Platform Developer I certification
•Experience with Salesforce DX, Git, and CI/CD
•Solid software engineering fundamentals
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Platform Developer II certification
•Full-stack or JavaScript framework experience
•Experience with DevOps tooling for Salesforce
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary: [$_ per year] [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume and Salesforce
certifications.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Salesforce Admin / Developer Hybrid
For a smaller team that needs one person for both administration and light development. Often the realistic shape of a first Salesforce technical hire.
Certification is a useful filter for a Salesforce developer, but it should sit alongside demonstrated hands-on skill. The posting should separate the must-have credential from the senior-level and preferred ones.
The Salesforce Developer Certification Stack
The baseline is Platform Developer I, which validates Apex and Lightning Web Component fundamentals. Platform Developer II is the advanced credential for senior developers. Many developers also hold the Administrator certification, and leads often pursue the Architect track (Application, System, and Technical Architect). Require Platform Developer I for most roles, add II for senior roles, and verify hands-on skill with a Trailhead profile or code sample, since a certificate alone does not prove practical ability.
Beyond certification, the technical must-haves are Apex, Lightning Web Components, SOQL, and the Salesforce API, with Git and deployment tooling for any modern team. Write the requirements precisely and keep every line job-related and neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
FLSA Classification and Pay
A Salesforce developer is generally an exempt employee, and a six-figure one. Getting the classification and the pay band right matters before you post, and the one wrinkle is the junior level.
Level
Typical classification
Note
Junior / entry-level
Confirm by salary
May not clear the exemption threshold
Mid / general
Exempt (computer employee)
Salary clears the threshold
Senior / platform
Exempt (computer employee)
Well above the threshold
Lead
Exempt (computer or executive)
Often manages a team too
The computer employee exemption covers software developers and similarly skilled workers whose primary duties are software design and development, provided they are paid on a salary basis at the standard level or hourly at no less than $27.63 an hour. At typical developer salaries the threshold is cleared comfortably; the place to confirm is a junior role whose pay may fall below it. On pay, no Salesforce-specific federal occupation exists, so the closest benchmark is software developers.
A Six-Figure Role (BLS, May 2024)
The closest federal occupation, software developers, reported a median annual wage of $133,080 as of May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $79,850 and the highest 10 percent over $211,450, on employment of about 1.7 million and projected growth of 15 percent through 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
National compensation surveys focused on the Salesforce ecosystem tend to put developers somewhat below that broad software-developer median, but still firmly in six figures, with junior roles lower and senior and lead roles higher. The takeaway for a small employer is the same either way: this is an expensive role, so confirm the ongoing workload justifies it, and the exempt versus non-exempt guide covers the broader classification test. This is general information, not legal advice.
How to Write a Salesforce Developer Job Description
A strong developer posting takes about twenty minutes once you have settled the level, the technical stack, and, most importantly, whether you need a full-time developer at all. Here is the process the templates are built around. If this is among your first technical hires, the guide to hiring your first employee covers the surrounding steps.
1
Confirm you need a full-time developer
Decide honestly whether you have ongoing development work or a one-time project. An administrator or a consultant is often the better fit for a small team.
2
Pick the template by level
General, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, or lead. The level decides the duties, the certifications, and the salary band.
3
State the technical skills precisely
Name Apex, Lightning Web Components, SOQL, and the Salesforce API, and separate required certifications (Platform Developer I) from preferred (II, Architect track).
4
Classify and price the role
A full-time developer is exempt under the computer employee exemption; confirm a junior role clears the salary threshold. Post a salary range where your state requires it.
5
Add EEO and apply steps
Include an equal opportunity statement, ask for a Trailhead profile or code sample, and bridge into onboarding once someone accepts.
Do You Actually Need a Full-Time Developer?
This is the question the generic templates never ask, and for a small business it is the most important one. A full-time Salesforce developer is a six-figure hire, and the work that keeps one busy is mostly an enterprise and regulated-industry reality. Here is how a smaller team should think it through before posting.
For a small team, a full-time Salesforce developer is usually the wrong first hire
This is the honest part most templates skip. A dedicated in-house Salesforce developer is a six-figure software engineering role, and the work that justifies one full time, constant custom Apex, integrations, and platform engineering, is mostly found at mid-market and enterprise companies and in regulated industries. A small business that simply runs Salesforce as its CRM rarely has enough development work to keep a full-time engineer busy, and the budget for one is steep. Before writing this posting, ask honestly whether you have ongoing development work or a one-time project. If it is a project, the options below usually fit a small team better than a full-time developer hire.
A Salesforce Administrator is the more common first Salesforce hire for a small business
Most small businesses meet their Salesforce needs with an Administrator long before they need a developer. An admin handles users, configuration, flows, reports, dashboards, and data quality, the day-to-day work that keeps the CRM useful, and modern Salesforce lets an admin automate a great deal with no code at all. National compensation surveys put a Salesforce Administrator meaningfully below a developer, and the role is a far more realistic full-time hire for a 5-to-50-person company. If your real need is keeping Salesforce running well rather than building new custom code, hire an admin first, and consider the admin-and-developer hybrid template above if you need a bit of both in one person.
For occasional code, a consultant, partner, or freelancer beats a full-time hire
When a small business does need real development, a one-time integration, a custom build, a migration, the efficient answer is usually a Salesforce consulting partner, an independent consultant, or a freelance developer, not a full-time employee. You pay for the project, get specialized expertise, and avoid carrying a six-figure salary between projects. This is genuinely how most small companies handle Salesforce development. Reserve a full-time developer posting for the case where you have steady, ongoing development demand that will keep one person busy, and use the templates here when you have confirmed that need.
If you do hire a developer, classify and onboard them as the exempt engineer they are
When the role is genuinely full time and ongoing, a Salesforce developer is an exempt employee under the computer employee exemption, paid on a salary basis well above the federal threshold, and onboarding looks like any senior software hire: the offer letter with salary and equity if any, the I-9 and tax forms, an IP-assignment and confidentiality agreement given the access to your CRM data, and provisioning of Salesforce access, sandboxes, and version control. A clear first-weeks plan helps a developer learn your org, standards, and codebase. FirstHR fits this people side for a small team: send the offer for e-signature, store the signed offer, IP agreement, and certifications, and run a structured onboarding checklist. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a Salesforce or development tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
After You Hire: Onboarding
If you have confirmed the need and made the hire, a Salesforce developer onboards like any senior software engineer, with one addition that matters given the access involved. Send the offer with the salary and level stated, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms.
Send the offer
Confirm the salary, level, equity if any, and start date in writing. An offer letter template makes a senior exempt hire fast and clear.
Sign the IP and NDA
A developer touches your CRM data and code, so an IP-assignment and confidentiality agreement belongs in the first-day paperwork.
Run the onboarding checklist
I-9 and tax forms, Salesforce and sandbox access, version control, and a documented path through your org and standards.
Store the records
Keep the signed offer, IP agreement, and Salesforce certifications organized and current in one place.
Because a developer touches your CRM data and code, an IP-assignment and confidentiality agreement belongs in the first-day paperwork, alongside the usual onboarding documents. A clear first weeks helps a developer learn your org, standards, and codebase, so a 30-60-90 day plan works well. Once terms are agreed, the offer letter template handles the core terms and the onboarding checklist template structures the first weeks. FirstHR connects the offer, signed paperwork, IP agreement, certifications, and onboarding workflow in one place so a small team can manage the full process. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a Salesforce or development tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A Salesforce developer writes Apex and Lightning Web Components and builds integrations, going beyond the configuration an administrator handles.
Pick the template by level: general, junior, senior, platform, admin hybrid, or lead. Each shapes the duties, certifications, and pay.
Require Platform Developer I as the baseline certification, add Platform Developer II for senior roles, and verify hands-on skill with a Trailhead profile or code sample.
A developer is exempt under the computer employee exemption and a six-figure role; the closest federal benchmark, software developers, reports a median near $133,080.
Most small businesses need an administrator first and a consultant or freelancer for occasional code; a full-time developer is justified only by steady demand.
If you do hire, onboard as a senior software hire: offer letter, I-9, an IP and confidentiality agreement, and provisioned Salesforce and version-control access.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Salesforce developer do?
A Salesforce developer builds, customizes, and maintains solutions on the Salesforce platform that go beyond point-and-click configuration. The core work is writing Apex (Salesforce's programming language) and Lightning Web Components, building triggers and classes, developing integrations through the REST and SOAP APIs, and writing unit tests to meet Salesforce's code-coverage requirements for deployment. Developers translate business requirements into technical specifications, manage deployments across sandboxes using version control, and debug and optimize existing customizations. They work within Salesforce's data model, security model, and governor limits. The emphasis shifts by level: a junior developer builds under direction, a senior developer owns technical architecture and mentors others, and a lead sets standards and leads a team. A developer is distinct from a Salesforce administrator, who handles configuration, users, and reports mostly without code.
What is the difference between a Salesforce developer, administrator, and consultant?
They are three distinct roles. A Salesforce administrator manages the platform through configuration: users, profiles, permissions, flows, reports, dashboards, and data quality, mostly without writing code. This is the most common first Salesforce hire for a small business. A Salesforce developer writes code, Apex and Lightning Web Components, to build custom functionality, integrations, and automation that configuration alone cannot handle. It is a higher-paid software engineering role. A Salesforce consultant is typically external and client-facing, advising on strategy, implementation, and best practices across multiple clients, often through a consulting partner or as an independent. Salesforce engineer is generally used as a synonym for developer. For hiring, the distinction drives both cost and fit: most small businesses need an admin first, bring in a consultant or freelancer for occasional development, and only hire a dedicated in-house developer when they have steady, ongoing development work.
Is a Salesforce developer exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A Salesforce developer is generally exempt under the computer employee exemption. The U.S. Department of Labor provides an exemption from minimum wage and overtime for computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, and other similarly skilled workers whose primary duties are software design and development, provided they are paid on a salary basis of at least the standard salary level or hourly at no less than $27.63 an hour. At typical Salesforce developer salaries, well into six figures for mid and senior roles, the pay threshold is cleared comfortably, and the duties (designing, developing, and testing software) fit the exemption squarely. The one place to confirm is a junior or entry-level role: if the salary falls below the federal threshold, the exemption may not apply, in which case the role would be non-exempt and owed overtime. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment attorney, since some states apply stricter or higher thresholds.
What certifications should a Salesforce developer have?
The core developer credential is Salesforce Platform Developer I, which validates the fundamentals of building custom applications with Apex and Lightning Web Components. Platform Developer II is the advanced credential for more senior developers and demonstrates deeper expertise in programmatic development. Beyond those, many developers also hold the Salesforce Administrator certification, since understanding configuration makes for better development, and senior or lead developers often pursue the Architect track (Application Architect, System Architect, and ultimately Technical Architect). For a posting, require or prefer Platform Developer I for most developer roles, add Platform Developer II for senior roles, and treat Architect-track certifications as a strong plus for lead roles. Certifications are a useful filter, but verify actual hands-on experience, a Trailhead profile, and a portfolio or code sample, since certification alone does not guarantee practical skill.
How much does a Salesforce developer make?
A Salesforce developer is a six-figure software engineering role in the United States. There is no Salesforce-specific federal occupation code, so the closest Bureau of Labor Statistics benchmark is software developers, which reported a median annual wage of about $133,080 as of May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $79,850 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $211,450. National compensation surveys that track the Salesforce ecosystem specifically tend to place developers somewhat lower than that broad software-developer median but still solidly in six figures, with junior developers lower and senior and lead developers higher. Pay varies by experience, location, and certifications. The practical takeaway for an employer is that this is a high-salary role: a small business should confirm it has enough ongoing development work to justify the cost before posting, since an administrator or a consultant is often the more economical choice.
Should a small business hire a Salesforce developer or an administrator?
For most small businesses, an administrator is the better first Salesforce hire. An administrator keeps the CRM running well through configuration, users, flows, reports, dashboards, and data quality, and modern Salesforce lets an admin automate a great deal without any code. A developer is needed only when you have ongoing work that genuinely requires custom code: complex Apex, custom Lightning components, or integrations that configuration cannot handle. National compensation surveys place an administrator meaningfully below a developer, and the admin role is a far more realistic full-time hire for a 5-to-50-person company. The practical path for most small businesses is to hire an administrator first, bring in a consultant or freelance developer for occasional custom development, and reserve a full-time developer hire for the point where steady, ongoing development demand will keep one person busy. The admin-and-developer hybrid role is a sensible middle option when you need a bit of both in one person.
When does it make sense to hire a full-time Salesforce developer?
Hire a full-time Salesforce developer when you have steady, ongoing development work that will keep one person genuinely busy, not a single project. The signals include a continuous backlog of custom features, multiple integrations to build and maintain, a complex org that needs constant attention, or a product built on the Salesforce platform. In-house developer demand concentrates at mid-market and enterprise companies and in regulated industries like financial services, insurance, and healthcare, where Salesforce is deeply customized. A 5-to-50-employee business that simply uses Salesforce as its CRM rarely meets this bar. For a one-time project or occasional code, a consulting partner, an independent consultant, or a freelance developer is more economical, since you pay for the work without carrying a six-figure salary between projects. If you have confirmed steady demand, the templates on this page give you a starting point by level.
What should a Salesforce developer job description include?
A strong Salesforce developer job description names the level up front (junior, mid, senior, platform, hybrid, or lead), since that drives the duties, the certifications, and the pay. Include a short company and team summary, a position summary that makes the development focus clear, and responsibilities grouped into development and code, platform and data, integration and delivery, and requirements and collaboration. State the required technical skills precisely (Apex, Lightning Web Components, SOQL, the Salesforce API), separate required from preferred certifications (Platform Developer I as the baseline, II for senior roles), and note the FLSA exempt classification and salary range where your state requires it. Add an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions, and ask for a Trailhead profile or code sample. The most useful thing a small employer can do, which generic templates omit, is confirm honestly that the role needs a full-time developer at all rather than an administrator or a consultant.
