Chemistry laboratory technician vs lead laboratory technician

The differences between chemistry laboratory technicians and lead laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a chemistry laboratory technician, becoming a lead laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $40,072 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory technician include lab equipment, test results and laboratory tests. The most important skills for a lead laboratory technician are patients, lab equipment, and customer service.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs lead laboratory technician overview

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Lead Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$40,072	$54,230
Hourly rate	$19.27	$26.07
Growth rate	4%	3%
Number of jobs	43,043	77,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a chemistry laboratory technician do?

A chemical laboratory technician is an individual who works in a designated laboratory to conduct analytical or lab-based tests on a variety of chemicals, materials, or products. Chemical laboratory technicians receive and test samples for quality assurance, safety inspection, or environmental impact. Under the supervision of chemists and other team members, they perform lab activities such as setting up lab equipment and preparing chemical solutions. Chemistry laboratory technicians can work in different industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, food, and environmental organizations.

What does a lead laboratory technician do?

A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs lead laboratory technician salary

Chemistry laboratory technicians and lead laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$40,072	$54,230
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $33,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	New Jersey
Best paying company	Zoetis	Meta
Best paying industry	Energy	Manufacturing

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and lead laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory technician and a lead laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Lead Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	New York University

Chemistry laboratory technician vs lead laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory technicians' and lead laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and lead laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Chemistry laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Participate in audits by FDA and ISO.
Assist in preparing and storing laboratory experiments.-Guide students through laboratory procedure.-collect student data for HPLC, GC/MS, and NMR samples.
Skil in characterization of compounds using 1HNMR , 13CNMR, IR, GC, UV-Vis spec.
Train mill trainees on ISO procedures.
Inventory lab chemicals and MSDS sheets.
Maintain and repair FTIR and UV-Vis spectrophotometers.

Lead laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
Assist with FDA and OSHA audits, coordinate the center for all audits and inspections.
Accession patient information, doctor information, and testing information accurately and promptly into the NovoPath LIS system.
Develop and execute IQ/OQ/PQ at manufacturing site.
Maintain, troubleshoot, verify and calibrate laboratory equipment.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs lead laboratory technician skills

Common chemistry laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Test Results, 7%
Laboratory Tests, 5%
Chemistry Laboratory, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
HPLC, 4%

Common lead laboratory technician skills

Patients, 12%
Lab Equipment, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Ongoing Maintenance, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Chemistry, 4%

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Chemistry Laboratory Technician
Chemistry Laboratory Technician vs Lead Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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