How to hire a chemical research engineer

How to hire a chemical research engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chemical research engineer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a chemical research engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 chemical research engineer 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of chemical research engineers.

   Type of Chemical Research Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Chemical Research Engineer	Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems that involve the production or use of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and many other products. They design processes and equipment for large-scale manufacturing, plan and test production methods and byproducts treatment, and direct facility operations.	$33-61
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Research Chemist	A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies... Show more	$25-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Chemical Engineering
   • Synthesis
   • R
   • Analytical Methods
   • Chemical Processes
   • Pilot Plant
   • LabVIEW
   • Technical Reports
   • Analytical Instruments
   • CO2
   • Data Analysis
   • Distillation
   • Research Projects
   • HPLC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Prepare research proposals for the synthesis of small molecules to attain designate department goals.
   • Support projects with detail analysis including SEM, spectroscopy, etc.
   • Observe modified surfaces of nanofibrils cellulose with scanning electron microscope (SEM).
   • Synthesize and characterize colloidal room-temperature ferromagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.
   • Help develop new products, produce data and run experiments.
   • Process NMR data both manually and electronically to find coupling constants and other information relevant to elucidation of the chemical structure.

   More chemical research engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the chemical research engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A chemical research engineer 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 chemical research engineer in Pennsylvania may be lower than in Texas, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level chemical research engineer. Additionally, a chemical research engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average chemical research engineer salary

   $94,803yearly

   $45.58 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chemical research engineer salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average chemical research engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Texas	$117,049	$56
   2	California	$113,543	$55
   3	New Jersey	$106,093	$51
   4	Nebraska	$98,015	$47
   5	Illinois	$97,916	$47
   6	Virginia	$96,892	$47
   7	Minnesota	$94,866	$46
   8	Tennessee	$93,079	$45
   9	Idaho	$89,250	$43
   10	North Carolina	$87,713	$42
   11	Ohio	$82,493	$40
   12	West Virginia	$81,754	$39
   13	Arkansas	$79,267	$38
   14	Colorado	$78,684	$38
   15	Pennsylvania	$76,978	$37
   16	Kansas	$67,276	$32

   Average chemical research engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BP America Inc	$130,841	$62.90
   2	Occidental Petroleum	$113,003	$54.33	2
   3	Cargill	$105,595	$50.77
   4	General Electric	$102,352	$49.21	34
   5	Eastman	$97,144	$46.70
   6	Parker Hannifin	$95,759	$46.04	5
   7	BWX Technologies	$94,245	$45.31	8
   8	BASF	$92,518	$44.48	8
   9	Alliance for Sustainable Energy	$86,699	$41.68
   10	Rentech	$85,843	$41.27
   11	FRI Holding Company LLC	$85,527	$41.12
   12	Oatey	$82,865	$39.84	3
   13	Nuclear Fuel Services	$82,761	$39.79
   14	ARA	$81,363	$39.12	3
   15	University of Illinois Springfield	$80,621	$38.76	8
   16	Centers For Disease Control And Prevention	$77,915	$37.46
   17	Board Of Regents Of The University System Of Georgia	$60,962	$29.31

4. Writing a chemical research engineer job description

   A chemical research engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a chemical research engineer job description:

   Chemical research engineer job description example

   UES Inc is seeking a Research Chemical Engineer to support the Force Health Protection Branch in the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB. The person filling this role will be part of a diverse, multidisciplinary research team with a mission to evaluate environmental exposure and other hazards specific to Air Force environments.
   
   The successful candidate for this role will be responsible for executing and supporting multiple projects relating to environmental assessment of health risks. Primary job responsibilities include sampling and compiling field data, coordinating with field teams and project leads, analyzing results, and providing timely reports on sampling results. Job responsibilities also include developing expertise with critical instrumentation and analytical methods, and be responsible for training support staff, as well as maintenance and troubleshooting. Occasional travel (up to 25%) may be required to support mission needs. The successful candidate will have excellent organizational and time management skills, demonstrable written and oral communication skills, be independent and self-motivated, and possess an ability to work in collaborative, team-based environment.
   Requirements:
   
   MS degree in chemical engineering, environmental engineering or related field.
   
   2-5 years of relevant experience.
   
   Prior experience in project management, including overseeing research projects, is highly desired.
   
   Demonstrable previous technical writing skills are required. Technical presentation skills are highly desired
   
   U.S. Citizenship is required.
   
   Additional Information
   
   UES, Inc. is an innovative science and technology company providing customers with superior research and development expertise since its inception in 1973. Our long-term success is a direct result of a strong commitment to the success of our employees. We look forward to reviewing your application.
   
   UES, Inc. is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right chemical research engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your chemical research engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit chemical research engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting chemical research engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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.

   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 chemical research engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the chemical research engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new chemical research engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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