Chemist lead vs product development chemist

The differences between chemist leads and product development 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 $73,084 average annual salary of a product development chemist.

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

Chemist lead vs product development chemist overview

	Chemist Lead	Product Development Chemist
Yearly salary	$83,663	$73,084
Hourly rate	$40.22	$35.14
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,860	109,244
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Chemist lead vs product development chemist salary

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

	Chemist Lead	Product Development Chemist
Average salary	$83,663	$73,084
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $117,000	Between $51,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Pleasanton, CA	Vacaville, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Washington
Best paying company	Momentive	Cargill
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between chemist lead and product development chemist education

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

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

Chemist lead vs product development chemist demographics

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

	Chemist Lead	Product Development Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%	Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between chemist lead and product development 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.

Product development chemist example responsibilities.

Lead a collaboration with another biotechnology company to design ELISAs for the purpose of evaluating novel reagents.
Execute HPLC method development and method validation to provide data toward supporting specification, and testing of reference materials.
Write and review work instructions and maintain ISO paperwork.
Develop and implement CAPA as an outcome of investigations.
Create validation protocols, OOS reports and final reports for test methods.
Authore and revise operating procedures to reflect changes in the testing methods to comply with ISO requirements.

Chemist lead vs product development chemist skills

Common chemist lead skills

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

Common product development chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 10%
Product Development, 8%
Analytical Methods, 7%
HPLC, 5%
QC, 5%
Test Methods, 5%

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Chemist Lead
Chemist Lead vs Product Development Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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