How to hire a development scientist

How to hire a development scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step development scientist hiring guide:

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

What does a development scientist do?

Post a development scientist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The development scientist 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?

   Yes

   No

   A development scientist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, development scientists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents development scientist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Development Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Development Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$32-59
   Laboratory Analyst	A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.	$14-29
   Research Fellow	A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study... Show more	$18-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Chemistry
   • Data Analysis
   • GMP
   • HPLC
   • QC
   • FDA
   • Technical Reports
   • Clinical Trials
   • Product Development
   • Elisa
   • PCR
   • Cell-Based Assays
   • Assay Development
   • GLP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead group in performing sample preparation and delivering DNA conjugate beads for sequencing on novel NGS platform.
   • Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
   • Develop and validate a host cell protein ELISA method for drug substance and in-process samples.
   • Develop qualification protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ) for process and packaging equipment.
   • Conduct regular preventative maintenance on equipment such as titrators, Hamilton diluters, and GC.
   • Attend training for laboratory softwares, cGMP, safety, ISO and other regulatory guidelines and requirements.

   More development scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the development scientist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A development scientist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a development scientist in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level development scientist. Additionally, a development scientist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average development scientist salary

   $92,514yearly

   $44.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level development scientist salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average development scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,491	$59
   2	Delaware	$103,704	$50
   3	Connecticut	$98,562	$47
   4	Minnesota	$95,660	$46
   5	Indiana	$91,581	$44
   6	Massachusetts	$89,442	$43
   7	Washington	$87,813	$42
   8	Pennsylvania	$84,538	$41
   9	Maryland	$84,329	$41
   10	Wisconsin	$79,999	$38
   11	Rhode Island	$79,692	$38
   12	North Carolina	$78,880	$38
   13	Ohio	$77,938	$37
   14	Florida	$69,801	$34
   15	Utah	$59,672	$29
   16	Georgia	$56,617	$27

   Average development scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$116,751	$56.13	887
   2	10x Genomics	$111,635	$53.67	1
   3	Genentech	$110,412	$53.08	26
   4	Biogen	$108,166	$52.00
   5	AbbVie	$107,250	$51.56	92
   6	Bayer	$106,642	$51.27	60
   7	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$106,448	$51.18	72
   8	Waters	$105,044	$50.50	8
   9	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$103,644	$49.83	1
   10	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$103,154	$49.59	7
   11	CAMRIS International, Inc.	$102,752	$49.40	3
   12	The Dow Chemical Company	$102,040	$49.06	31
   13	Boehringer Ingelheim	$101,987	$49.03	11
   14	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$101,811	$48.95	11
   15	Broadcom	$101,811	$48.95	1
   16	Horizon Pharma USA, Inc.	$101,811	$48.95
   17	AstraZeneca	$101,645	$48.87	10
   18	Gillette	$101,621	$48.86
   19	Agilent Technologies	$101,458	$48.78	3
   20	The Chemours Company	$100,857	$48.49

4. Writing a development scientist job description

   A good development scientist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a development scientist job description:

   Development scientist job description example

   Ashland Global Holding
   
   Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?
   
   Are you always solving?
   
   Then we'd like to meet you and bet you'd like to meet us.
   
   Ashland has an exciting opportunity for an Oilfield Additives Development Scientist to join our Specialty Additives business unit at our Wilmington DE research center. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company and the specialty additives innovation function. This position will report to the North America Innovation Lead.
   
   The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:
   
   Develop chemical solutions to enhance performance of oilfield fluids, particularly downhole cementing Perform lab experiments, including high temperature and high pressure methods, in pursuit of leading-edge additive technologies Plan, execute, analyze, draw conclusions from experiments, communicate results with internal and customer bases, lead filing of IP as required Understand industry needs, and lead development projects to meet targets, with members of multi-disciplinary teams Maintain up to date understanding of critical science, and build relationships with industrial colleagues
   
   In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:
   
   High level scientific proficiency (PhD or MS or equivalent) with emphasis on polymer science, chemical principles, and material science3+ years R&D experience in industrial specialty chemicals2+ years research experience in petroleum oilfield chemical additives and formulation; sound knowledge of standard oilfield fluid testing methods, especially cementing Have demonstrated innovation
   Have strength in design of experiments, executing experimentation and data interpretation Have ability to lead development projects
   Effective communication skills, with diverse global communities, both internal and external
   
   The following skill sets are preferred by the business unit:
   
   Engagement in petroleum technology, keeping pace with technology developments Understanding of market fundamentals of oilfield industry Hands on experience running industry standard oilfield cementing laboratory tests Be facile with cement materials, formulation, and additives Customer interaction experience
   
   In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland LLC. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care and pharmaceutical. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer. At Ashland our vision is to be a leading, global specialty chemicals company whose inspired and engaged employees add value to all we touch. In fact our people, employees, customers and vendors define who we are. They are the driving force behind everything we do. Not only do we value our customers but we value our employees, and we work to offer them a dynamic and challenging environment. We hold ourselves to high standards at Ashland, and we value integrity and honesty. Ashland has a history of attracting the best people and keeping them. The reasons are simple: industry competitive salary and benefits, pay-for-performance incentive plans and a diverse work environment where employees feel challenged and valued. People come to Ashland and stay. As a growing Fortune 500 specialty chemicals company, we offer opportunities for development and advancement throughout our global organization. Our values define who we are and what we care about as a company. If you are looking for a relationship with a company instead of simply a job, this may be a great fit.
   Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. NOTE: We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right development scientist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your development scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit development scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit development scientists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 development scientist

   Once you've found the development scientist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new development scientist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a development scientist?