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As you consider the decision to let them go, consider the impact on other people in your work place too. Other developers notice someone like that underperforming and getting overpaid, and it can hurt the good climate you aim for. It may feel bad to fire them, but it may be worse to keep them.
- a sheet of paper i found in a desk 20 years ago
A good strategy would be to have them be a lead on a minor project that requires technical chops and communication. Ensure there is a daily standup and grind them on details and timelines. Get them some juniors as direct reports to expose their lack of knowledge, then have meetings with these junior devs about project performance.
The stress alone will probably make them quit. Document as much as you can in emails and messaging systems.
This is what the 'probation' period is for?
Why it needs another 6-12 months to get them to be productive? Is it some system programming position? I can't imagine anything else that would require a year to get people into shape.
Kernel development, simulations, numerical methods, ML, graphics, database internals, compilers, infosec engineering, etc.
It sounds more like legacy / messy systems with no dev/staging platform, or very bad documentation, or even a terrible onboarding process if you really need 9 months for someone to deploy code.
If they lied, fire them.
If they were honest during interview and their previous company salary, wasnt higher than your junior pay, give them an option for either demotion or resignation (with decent severance if you can afford to so that they have safety net to look for new jobs)
If you were going to hire someone junior too in the short term, then just demote this new dev to his real level.
If not, and you desperately need senior dev, make this current new dev resign or fire them.
Letting go of someone sucks, but offset that against upsetting your current good, hard-working team. The quicker you let this person go, the more easily they can pretend the job never happened on their CV.
Critically, discuss your options and intentions with HR. It can get messy for everyone if you don't approach dismissal in the right way.
Get that interview process fixed ASAP and let this lemon go. Don’t be surprised if there is pushback from non-technicals if this hire checked a bunch of boxes for other departments. A good strategy would be to have them be a lead on a minor project that requires technical chops and communication. Ensure there is a daily standup and grind them on details and timelines. Get them some juniors as direct reports to expose…