How to hire a clinical research specialist

How to hire a clinical research specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical research specialist 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 research specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical research specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical research specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your clinical research specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a clinical research specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a clinical research specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a clinical research specialist that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Clinical Research Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Research Specialist	Natural sciences managers supervise the work of scientists, including chemists, physicists, and biologists. They direct activities related to research and development, and coordinate activities such as testing, quality control, and production.	$20-41
   Study Coordinator	Study coordinators oversee the entire process of clinical research from its inception to its completion. The coordinators make certain that human subjects are safe and well-protected... Show more	$16-31
   Clinical Coordinator	A clinical coordinator is responsible for monitoring a healthcare facility's daily operations, ensuring the best quality services for the patients. Clinical coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, such as organizing patient files, communicating with other departments and healthcare organizations for validating patients' information and insurance documents, prepare medical reports, assist medical professionals in medical procedures, and observe sanitary and hygienic standards... Show more	$20-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Clinical Trials
   • Informed Consent
   • Data Collection
   • IRB
   • Research Data
   • Data Management
   • FDA
   • GCP
   • Data Entry
   • Clinical Research Studies
   • Institutional Review
   • Consent Forms
   • Clinical Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the input of the subjects' data among various management database including iMedidata, EDC.
   • Develop and project manage a staffing program model to support inpatient oncology.
   • Manage all planning and execution of oncology clinical trials, domestic and international, including decision impact and companion diagnostic trials.
   • Review and edit clinical documentation for FDA submission and approval.
   • Prepare investigator initiate and industry study protocol for IRB review and approval.
   • Participate in study developments to ensure compliance with FDA regulations and guidelines.

   More clinical research specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical research specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A clinical research specialist 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 research specialist in Texas may be lower than in California, and an entry-level clinical research specialist usually earns less than a senior-level clinical research specialist. Additionally, a clinical research specialist 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 research specialist salary

   $60,945yearly

   $29.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical research specialist salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average clinical research specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$85,988	$41
   2	New Jersey	$77,000	$37
   3	New York	$76,031	$37
   4	District of Columbia	$73,785	$35
   5	Arizona	$73,661	$35
   6	Florida	$70,364	$34
   7	Massachusetts	$69,418	$33
   8	Washington	$68,525	$33
   9	Illinois	$66,582	$32
   10	Minnesota	$66,409	$32
   11	Georgia	$63,228	$30
   12	Maryland	$62,930	$30
   13	Rhode Island	$61,364	$30
   14	Pennsylvania	$59,583	$29
   15	North Carolina	$59,436	$29
   16	Hawaii	$59,246	$28
   17	Colorado	$59,046	$28
   18	Connecticut	$57,918	$28
   19	Ohio	$57,737	$28
   20	Missouri	$56,992	$27

   Average clinical research specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Edwards Lifesciences	$111,257	$53.49	74
   2	Masimo	$102,727	$49.39	5
   3	Medtronic	$97,448	$46.85	270
   4	Merck	$89,201	$42.89	121
   5	Stanford University	$76,761	$36.90	182
   6	American Medical Association	$75,148	$36.13	1
   7	Stanford Health Care	$74,904	$36.01	64
   8	AtriCure	$74,718	$35.92	4
   9	Integrated Resources	$70,219	$33.76	179
   10	Children's Hospital New Orleans	$69,709	$33.51	1
   11	Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical	$69,198	$33.27
   12	University of Washington	$69,137	$33.24	60
   13	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$68,544	$32.95	62
   14	University of Southern California	$68,446	$32.91	83
   15	Caris Life Sciences	$67,086	$32.25	1
   16	Children's Hospital Colorado	$67,075	$32.25	7
   17	Fred Hutch	$67,041	$32.23	46
   18	Dignity Health	$66,681	$32.06	169
   19	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$65,279	$31.38	17
   20	NYU Lutheran Medical Center	$65,018	$31.26	38

4. Writing a clinical research specialist job description

   A clinical research specialist 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 clinical research specialist job description:

   Clinical research specialist job description example

   Post Market Clinical Development
   
   Do you have a passion for working with clinical documentation and research for medical devices? And are you able to take responsibility and execute the right scientific level for the clinical documentation for our medical devices?
   
   At Ambu, we develop, produce and sell medical devices, enabling healthcare professionals to save lives and improve patient care around the world where you will be instrumental in securing our ongoing dedication to quality products.
   
   You will join the international Post Market Clinical Development team with highly dedicated and skilled colleagues.
   
   A global clinical position with impact
   
   As a Clinical Research Specialist, you will be involved in all clinical aspects of the post market product phase. Activities span from providing cross functional clinical support for a range of products and activities, develop and maintaining the clinical documentation to handling and executing clinical post market development and study activities.
   
   Your primary areas of responsibility will be to:
   
   * Take ownership and responsibility as post market clinical responsible for a range of products from market launch and throughout the product lifecycle.
   * Develop and maintain the right clinical documentation level and be a proactive sparring partner in development projects and improvement activities.
   * Support and continuously improve the strengthening of the clinical commercial foundation for our marketed products within the clinical indication areas.
   * Balance your clinical scientific interest with a hands-on approach in activities as you drive, develop and maintain the clinical documentation and post market clinical follow-up activities.
   * Be a strong and trusted clinical post market partner in our global organization.
   
   You will work closely with colleagues in Global Clinical Affairs, Global Innovation, Marketing and Sales supporting their efforts and ensure ongoing support and development of high-quality products. You will work in an interdisciplinary position with various external and internal stakeholder.
   
   As Ambu is a company with worldwide presence, international travelling should be expected as a part of the position, when possible again.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find clinical research specialists 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 research specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level clinical research specialists 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 research specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical research specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with clinical research specialist 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 research specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect clinical research specialist 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a clinical research specialist?