How to hire a clinical liaison

How to hire a clinical liaison, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical liaison hiring guide:

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

What does a clinical liaison do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The clinical liaison 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?

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   Hiring the perfect clinical liaison 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of clinical liaisons and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Clinical Liaison	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Liaison	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$18-53
   Registered Nurse Charge Nurse	A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge... Show more	$22-52
   Registered Nurse	The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions... Show more	$21-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Home Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Patient Care
   • Social Work
   • Customer Service
   • Admission Process
   • Business Development
   • Clinical Assessments
   • Discharge Planning
   • Healthcare Professionals
   • Hospice Services
   • ICU
   • Compassion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage social media outlets for the organization; such as Facebook, update weekly status and weekly inspirational videos.
   • Provide crisis intervention and triage services to clients in compassionate and responsible manner, serving individually tailor services to clients.
   • Perform clinical evaluations to determine if patients would qualify with acute rehab criteria and review with physicians.
   • Communicate with physicians regarding prospective patients and their diagnosis, rehabilitation needs and expectations of family prior to admission.
   • Spearhead marketing and business initiatives to increase patient referrals for skil nursing facility specializing in rehabilitation services for senior adults.
   • Provide elbow support for physicians learning to navigate Cerner and use PowerPlans.

   More clinical liaison duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical liaison job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A clinical liaison salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a clinical liaison in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level clinical liaison usually earns less than a senior-level clinical liaison. Additionally, a clinical liaison with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average clinical liaison salary

   $66,331yearly

   $31.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical liaison salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average clinical liaison salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$110,560	$53
   2	Rhode Island	$96,304	$46
   3	New Jersey	$80,978	$39
   4	Oregon	$79,297	$38
   5	Massachusetts	$76,025	$37
   6	New York	$75,110	$36
   7	Maryland	$74,779	$36
   8	Washington	$67,788	$33
   9	Pennsylvania	$66,713	$32
   10	Arizona	$64,972	$31
   11	Louisiana	$60,726	$29
   12	Wisconsin	$60,337	$29
   13	New Mexico	$60,090	$29
   14	Ohio	$60,036	$29
   15	Colorado	$58,592	$28
   16	Illinois	$54,390	$26
   17	South Carolina	$54,283	$26
   18	North Carolina	$53,331	$26
   19	Georgia	$52,945	$25
   20	Florida	$52,871	$25

   Average clinical liaison salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Intuitive Surgical	$99,111	$47.65	25
   2	AstraZeneca	$99,067	$47.63	22
   3	Aetna	$97,562	$46.90
   4	Hospice Plus	$93,053	$44.74
   5	Merck	$88,809	$42.70	113
   6	CVS Health	$88,065	$42.34	539
   7	Alive Hospice	$86,873	$41.77	8
   8	Encompass Health	$86,264	$41.47	541
   9	Tenet Healthcare	$85,303	$41.01	300
   10	Kindred at Home	$85,252	$40.99	94
   11	Capital Caring Health	$85,238	$40.98	17
   12	Baxter International	$84,161	$40.46	4
   13	Regional Medical Center- Orangeburg	$81,770	$39.31	5
   14	UofL Hospital	$81,090	$38.99	11
   15	Curo Health Services	$80,929	$38.91	28
   16	Integrated Resources	$80,667	$38.78	142
   17	Landmark Hospital	$79,892	$38.41	3
   18	Compassus	$79,528	$38.23	215
   19	St. Alexius Hospital	$78,477	$37.73
   20	Bridge Home Health & Hospice	$78,347	$37.67	8

4. Writing a clinical liaison job description

   A clinical liaison 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. Below, you can find an example of a clinical liaison job description:

   Clinical liaison job description example

   The Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (HBTRC), one of the largest brain tissue repositories in the country, is looking for a qualified candidate for a Research Specialist (RS) position. The HBTRC is part of the NIH NeuroBioBank. Its mission is to facilitate research on the human brain and on brain disorders by acquiring, storing, and distributing specimens and related tissue samples to investigators. The HBTRC works as a highly collaborative team, both within the HBTRC and with other tissue repositories that are part of the NeuroBioBank. The HBTRC is seeking a scientifically minded researcher with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail to join our team. The RS will, under general supervision, assist in facilitating research on human brain disorders. This role will include dissections of human brains, extraction of clinical information from medical records, and coordinating the logistics of acquiring brain donations. In addition, donation coordination will be performed remotely (off-hours - 10 weeks/year) which will involve interacting with donors' families, obtaining informed consent, arranging for removal, shipment, and dissection of the specimens. Applicants should have a strong interest in preclinical as well as translational neuroscience.
   OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
   
   McLean Hospital is a comprehensive psychiatric hospital committed to providing easy access to superior quality, cost-effective mental health services in the Boston area, Massachusetts and beyond. Since 1811, McLean Hospital has been a world leader in the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency, research into the cause of mental illness and the training of generations of mental health care providers. McLean's multidisciplinary programs treat a broad range of psychiatric illnesses across the full continuum of care.
   
   All McLean team members are expected to consistently demonstrate our values of integrity, compassion, respect, diversity, teamwork, excellence and innovation in their work activities and interactions.
   
   PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   The RS will work independently and cover a wide range of responsibilities. Major job duties may include:
   Process tissue samples Process clinical data Assist the HBTRC Neuropathologists with 'fixed tissue' brain dissections and the creation of neuropathology reports Run statistical analyses on collected data Perform general lab upkeep and maintaining a clean and tidy work environment Manage email and schedule Coordinate the logistics of after-hours brain donations (remotely and off-hours carry HBTRC 'on call' phone and perform all procedures necessary to arrange for brain donation - 10 weeks/year). Perform brain dissection off-hours Contribute to preparation and updates of standard operating procedures (SOPs) relevant to their responsibilities Perform all other duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications
   SKILLS/ABILITIES/COMPETENCIES REQUIRED: Must be able to make independent, effective decisions in appropriate situations Must have an aptitude for technical problem solving Ability to effectively supervise others Excellent organizational skills to ensure smooth functioning of lab Demonstrated analytical skills and ability to logically sequence projects to maximize research Must possess aptitude for compliance management EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree required. A degree in the neuroscience field is a plus. Training in computational neuroscience strongly preferred. EXPERIENCE:
   Minimum of 3-4 years of research experience Experience training research students and junior research assistant TECHNOLOGY STATEMENT:
   
   All employees must possess basic computer skills to use a variety of electronic or online systems for communication, clinical, and administrative purposes.
   
   EEO Statement
   It is the policy of McLean Hospital to affirmatively provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants for employment and existing employees without regard to their race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis that would be in violation of any applicable law or regulation.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find clinical liaisons for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any clinical liaisons they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level clinical liaisons with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical liaison job on Zippia to find and attract quality clinical liaison candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with clinical liaison candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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.

   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 clinical liaison

   Once you've decided on a perfect clinical liaison 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new clinical liaison 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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