Contract chemist vs senior chemist

The differences between contract chemists and senior chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior chemist has an average salary of $91,008, which is higher than the $67,064 average annual salary of a contract chemist.

The top three skills for a contract chemist include laboratory equipment, method development and R. The most important skills for a senior chemist are method development, laboratory equipment, and HPLC.

Contract chemist vs senior chemist overview

	Contract Chemist	Senior Chemist
Yearly salary	$67,064	$91,008
Hourly rate	$32.24	$43.75
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	11,286	12,823
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Contract chemist vs senior chemist salary

Contract chemists and senior chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contract Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average salary	$67,064	$91,008
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $67,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between contract chemist and senior chemist education

There are a few differences between a contract chemist and a senior chemist in terms of educational background:

	Contract Chemist	Senior Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contract chemist vs senior chemist demographics

Here are the differences between contract chemists' and senior chemists' demographics:

	Contract Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 22.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between contract chemist and senior chemist duties and responsibilities

Contract chemist example responsibilities.

Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
Develop HPLC methods for the analysis of drugs and relate substances in a GMP environment.
Analyze polymer materials using ASTM methods.
Review routine and validation projects under GMP guidelines.
Blend specialty carrier gases, complete GMP and safety checklists.
Log in samples into LIMS and generate reports for customers.

Senior chemist example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Conduct GC-MS, TGA, and FTIR, UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis of extractables and elemental impurities.
Develop Simethicone assay method by FT-IR in liquid dosage.
Used EPA methods for actinide, technetium, strontium, and tritium determination.
Prepare submission documentation, including CMC sections, for IDE and PMA submissions.
Supervise mobile lab team of analysts at various EPA super fund site locations for PCB and halo-hydrocarbons analysis testing.

Contract chemist vs senior chemist skills

Common contract chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 17%
Method Development, 13%
R, 10%
Analytical Data, 7%
HPLC, 7%
Ms, 4%

Common senior chemist skills

Method Development, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Methods, 5%
R, 4%
GMP, 4%

Contract Chemist vs. similar jobs

Contract Chemist related careers

Contract Chemist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Contract Chemist
Contract Chemist vs Senior Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs