Hire or Grow a Senior Designer? Count Your Hours First
Hire or grow a senior designer: both cost money, and both cost your time, which is the one resource you can't hire more of. Put in your own numbers and see the two paths side by side.
Hire vs Grow Calculator for Design Leads
Every number below is an example: replace it with yours. The result is an estimate for the first 12 months.
Hire a Senior
43 h
of your time
- First-year added cost
- $93,182
- Senior capacity in
- 4.3 months
Grow Your Designer
36 h
of your time
- First-year added cost
- $8,705
- Senior capacity in
- 9 months
If a designer leaves because they stopped growing: replacing them costs about $32,500 to $130,000 (Gallup: half to twice the annual salary).
How it's counted: your hours are valued at $68 per hour and included in the cost. Hiring adds the hire cost and the senior salary from the start date. Growing adds the raise after promotion and the DesignPath plan. Hiring adds a person to the team; growing turns a designer you already have into a senior, so if you also need their current capacity, plan a junior or mid-level hire as well. Both are estimates from the numbers you entered.
Where Design Managers Get Their Hours Back
Every Designer’s Level in One View
Nine skill categories scored against the targets for each role and level, so you stop guessing who is ready for what.
UI/UX skills assessmentA Growth Plan You Don’t Write by Hand
Each designer’s widest gaps against the target role decide what they learn first.
Personalized UX design learning pathGet an Individual Team Offer
Individual team offer, built around your team: how many designers, which roles, what you want them to reach. Tell us a little, and we will reply with an offer for your team.
Hire or Grow a Senior Designer: Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Cheaper to Hire a Senior Designer or Grow One?
It depends on your numbers. Hiring adds a full senior salary, a hiring cost and months of onboarding; growing adds a raise and coaching time, and keeps the context your designer already has. The calculator on this page compares both on your own figures.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Designer Who Leaves?
Gallup estimates that replacing one employee costs between half and twice their annual salary, and calls that a conservative estimate. Losing a designer who stopped growing is one of the most expensive outcomes for a team.
How Long Does It Take to Hire a Senior Designer?
SHRM reports a median of 39 calendar days to fill a non-executive role, and a new hire then needs time to learn your product. Senior design roles often take longer; use your own last hire in the calculator.
How Does DesignPath Save a Design Manager Time?
Each designer's level is visible across nine skill categories, the growth plan is built from their gaps against the target role, practice runs on real tasks and mentors review work in writing. You see progress without building plans and reviews by hand.
How Much Does DesignPath Cost for a Team?
Team plans are individual: they depend on the team size and what you need. Write to us and we will send an offer for your team.
Sources: Gallup, «This Fixable Problem Costs U.S. Businesses $1 Trillion», 13 March 2019; SHRM Recruiting Benchmarking, median time-to-fill for non-executive roles. Read more on the UX designer career path and the design career ladder glossary.