Chemist lead vs process chemist

The differences between chemist leads and process chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chemist lead has an average salary of $83,663, which is higher than the $81,542 average annual salary of a process chemist.

The top three skills for a chemist lead include laboratory instruments, analytical methods and R. The most important skills for a process chemist are lab equipment, HPLC, and R.

Chemist lead vs process chemist overview

	Chemist Lead	Process Chemist
Yearly salary	$83,663	$81,542
Hourly rate	$40.22	$39.20
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,860	29,813
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a chemist lead do?

A Chemist Lead is responsible for conducting qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses and experiments. They generally work in laboratories.

What does a process chemist do?

Process chemists are lab professionals who perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of chemicals in laboratories for quality control or to develop new products. These chemists are required to develop synthetic plans and run experiments to test their suitability for large-scale use. They must use different analytical methods and modeling software to monitor the reaction processes of chemicals as well as determine how changes in the process affect the final product. Process chemists must also be familiar with regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

Chemist lead vs process chemist salary

Chemist leads and process chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemist Lead	Process Chemist
Average salary	$83,663	$81,542
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $117,000	Between $54,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Pleasanton, CA	Wilmington, DE
Highest paying state	Delaware	Delaware
Best paying company	Momentive	Bio-Rad Laboratories
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between chemist lead and process chemist education

There are a few differences between a chemist lead and a process chemist in terms of educational background:

	Chemist Lead	Process Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Chemist lead vs process chemist demographics

Here are the differences between chemist leads' and process chemists' demographics:

	Chemist Lead	Process Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 20.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between chemist lead and process chemist duties and responsibilities

Chemist lead example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Ensure FDA and ISO certification due to attention to detail.
Prepare testing protocols for raw materials, finish products, and APIs utilizing classical wet chemistry and HPLC techniques.
Use LIMS system to input data.
Learned how to troubleshoot/maintain ICP-MS instruments.
Evaluate and propose changes to existing USP test methodologies.

Process chemist example responsibilities.

Manage synthesis and production of specialty chemicals for carpet and textile industry.
Support new, modify and existing chemical processes by developing and validating HPLC and GC methods with a rapid turnaround time.
Analyze unknown materials with FTIR, Raman, and SEM-EDS.
Display improving working knowledge of business processes as they relate to GMP manufacturing.
Create titration solution and other solutions such as stock solutions used in analysis.
Show a desire to learn about and understand advance chemistry principles underlying project assignments.

Chemist lead vs process chemist skills

Common chemist lead skills

Laboratory Instruments, 13%
Analytical Methods, 7%
R, 6%
Method Development, 5%
Lab Equipment, 5%
HPLC, 4%

Common process chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 7%
HPLC, 6%
R, 5%
GMP, 5%
NMR, 4%
Sigma, 4%

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Chemist Lead
Chemist Lead vs Process Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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