How to hire a bioengineer

How to hire a bioengineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bioengineer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The bioengineer 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

   Hiring the perfect bioengineer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of bioengineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Bioengineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Bioengineer	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	$17-73
   Embedded Software Developer	An embedded software developer designs and develops software embedded into systems and devices. They are primarily in charge of writing codes that implement systems and solutions, ensuring the embedded software adheres to project goals and requirements... Show more	$32-56
   Firmware Developer	A firmware developer mainly develops firmware and designs hardware for online supervision systems and protocol converters. Firmware developers lead workflow resolution and automate the process by routing information to queues for flexible management of exceptions... Show more	$31-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cell Culture
   • FDA
   • Cell Biology
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • Prototyping
   • MATLAB
   • Laboratory Experiments
   • CAD

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage firmware of automate bench top devices that utilize a microprocessor.
   • Perform biomechanical analysis of multiple tissues utilizing uniaxial, biaxial, hydrodynamic, fatigue and DSC tests.
   • Used Frontline's Bluetooth protocol analyzer to troubleshoot, debug and decode Bluetooth communication streams on a target platform.
   • Customize installation and performance management kernel subsystems and system applications for UNIX box, to provide kernel and driver development.
   • Manipulate the data obtain from the GPS.
   • Develop an embed battery quality analyzer system and relate PC console software.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the bioengineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A bioengineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a bioengineer in Mississippi may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level bioengineer. Additionally, a bioengineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average bioengineer salary

   $75,613yearly

   $36.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bioengineer salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average bioengineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Virginia	$88,355	$42
   2	Massachusetts	$84,494	$41
   3	Pennsylvania	$84,136	$40
   4	California	$81,795	$39
   5	Maryland	$80,562	$39
   6	Ohio	$77,284	$37
   7	Wisconsin	$70,485	$34
   8	Texas	$67,561	$32

   Average bioengineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meridian Bioscience	$109,976	$52.87
   2	3D Systems	$108,072	$51.96
   3	Quidel	$98,901	$47.55
   4	Novavax	$88,473	$42.54
   5	Celularity	$81,704	$39.28
   6	Patricio Enterprises	$77,353	$37.19
   7	Pulse Biosciences	$77,107	$37.07
   8	University of Pennsylvania	$66,905	$32.17	1
   9	University of Pittsburgh	$64,562	$31.04

4. Writing a bioengineer job description

   A good bioengineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a bioengineer job description:

   Bioengineer job description example

   Celularity is a next-generation Biotechnology company creating off-the-shelf cellular medicines for Cancer, Infectious Diseases, and Degenerative Diseases. Our employees are experienced cellular medicine leaders and innovators and are revolutionizing the way the industry approaches disease.
   
   We are looking for a motivated Bioengineer-Cell Culture Process Development to join our Process Development team to contribute to the development and optimization of cell culture and bioreactor processes for clinical stage cell therapy products.
   
   This position requires hands-on execution of process optimization, cell culture media/feeds, and improvements, along with process characterization of cell culture production processes that can be transferred to the manufacturing operations team. This individual will work both independently and collaboratively on assigned tasks/projects within a matrix team setting and provide insight to improve processes and communicate results to the CMC team.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Develop robust, scaled platform for Allogenic NK/T cell expansion/directed differentiation.
   * Develop cell isolation, purification, separation and formulation protocols and technologies in support of product development from clinical to commercial scale.
   * Apply DOE/QBD principals to process characterization, establish process parameters, and contribute to CMC sections of regulatory filings.
   * Work with Manager to support technology transfer to manufacturing and provide training for GMP production.
   * Design, execute experiments using approaches such as DOE and analyze data.
   * Present experimental outcomes, process analytics and trends to larger cross functional groups and leadership.
   * Implement a strategy for automation and high throughput approaches to experiments in Process Development.
   * Support evaluation of novel technologies for unit operations in PD.
   * Perform routine documentation of process for knowledge/ Tech Transfer knowledge.
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Degree in immunology, molecular/cellular biology, biological science and/or bioengineering discipline with relevant industry experience, including cell therapy process development and/or immunology. Bachelor's degree with 7+ years of academic and/or industrial lab experience or a Master's degree with 3+ years industrial experience and/or a PhD with 1+ years industry experience.
   * Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture cultivation/harvest, aseptic techniques, understanding of biochemical engineering concepts, and biochemical pathways.
   * Experience in scale-up and improving scalable upstream processes in PD setting.
   * Excellent record keeping abilities to adequately document process development data.
   * Strong verbal and written communication skills.
   * Experience with DoE software and application is required.
   * Experience in transferring to Manufacturing.
   * Experience with wave rocker systems and benchtop bioreactor.
   * Experience with close harvest systems.
   * Experience with genetic modification of cells through either transduction or transfection.
   * Familiarity with FDA guidance and GMP/quality systems preferred.
   * Must be familiar with BSL-II lab safety requirement.
   * Occasional weekend work may be required.
   * Role will be hired at the level commensurate with experience.
   
   #ZR

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find bioengineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bioengineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality bioengineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit bioengineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a bioengineer 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 bioengineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect bioengineer 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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.)

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