How to hire a director of cell biology

How to hire a director of cell biology, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of cell biology hiring guide:

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

What does a director of cell biology do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your director of cell biology 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 director of cell biology 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 director of cell biology 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 director of cell biology that fits the bill.

   This list presents director of cell biology salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Cell Biology	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Cell Biology	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$24-59
   Researcher	A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential... Show more	$17-57
   Research Scientist	The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience... Show more	$27-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cell Biology
   • Cell Culture
   • Cell-Based Assays
   • Data Analysis
   • Drug Discovery
   • Cell Lines
   • Stem Cells
   • Pharmacology
   • RNA
   • GMP
   • Western Blotting
   • Clinical Trials
   • Molecular Biology Techniques
   • Technical Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the FDA audit of the facility as ChanTest quality representative for the site.
   • Process, analyze and upload HTS data that lead to the discovery of new structural classes of small molecules.
   • Train all staff on becoming GLP compliant.
   • Develop ELISA methods to monitor priority pollutants for the EPA and commercial clients.
   • Learned and perform various techniques relate to ELISA assays, western-blot, protein purification, phage transduction of bacteria and phage-display.
   • Conduct product verification testing against the product requirements specification, developing essential documentation for European and FDA submissions.

   More director of cell biology duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the director of cell biology job description is a good way to get more applicants. A director of cell biology 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 director of cell biology in Mississippi may be lower than in Tennessee, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level director of cell biology. Additionally, a director of cell biology with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average director of cell biology salary

   $79,225yearly

   $38.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of cell biology salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average director of cell biology salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$100,405	$48
   2	Massachusetts	$93,625	$45
   3	Connecticut	$92,576	$45
   4	Oregon	$79,038	$38
   5	North Carolina	$74,399	$36
   6	Colorado	$73,583	$35
   7	Maryland	$73,506	$35
   8	Pennsylvania	$72,405	$35
   9	New York	$71,801	$35
   10	Virginia	$70,176	$34
   11	Washington	$69,315	$33
   12	Illinois	$67,228	$32
   13	Georgia	$66,133	$32
   14	Missouri	$65,564	$32
   15	Ohio	$65,358	$31
   16	Nebraska	$62,179	$30

   Average director of cell biology salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Western Digital	$114,215	$54.91
   2	Genentech	$111,163	$53.44	46
   3	Amgen	$102,818	$49.43	5
   4	AbbVie	$102,022	$49.05	35
   5	Regeneron	$100,696	$48.41	13
   6	Bayer	$100,498	$48.32	18
   7	Eli Lilly and Company	$100,219	$48.18	28
   8	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$98,315	$47.27	4
   9	Merck	$97,475	$46.86	34
   10	AstraZeneca	$95,305	$45.82	4
   11	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$93,385	$44.90	9
   12	Sanofi US	$92,154	$44.30	1
   13	Johnson & Johnson	$89,197	$42.88	21
   14	Kelly Services	$85,117	$40.92	3
   15	Intellia Therapeutics	$83,443	$40.12
   16	Eurofins	$83,418	$40.10	4
   17	Asimov	$82,843	$39.83	5
   18	DermBiont	$82,843	$39.83
   19	Celerion	$82,797	$39.81
   20	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$82,736	$39.78	20

4. Writing a director of cell biology job description

   A job description for a director of cell biology role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a director of cell biology job description:

   Director of cell biology job description example

   Director/Senior Director, Cell Biology
   We are seeking an experienced and talented cell biologist to lead the Cell Biology group at FibroGen. This position will report to the Vice President, Research and will be responsible for directing cell-based studies in support of projects at various stages in our pipeline. This includes cell-based mechanistic studies to support early development projects, cell-based screening assays to support drug discovery projects, and cell-based target validation studies to support early exploratory projects.
   If you are looking for a place where you can use your cell biology knowledge and skills to help shape and extend our pipeline of therapeutics in oncology, immunology, and fibrosis, while still remaining close to the lab and the science, we would love to hear from you.
   Responsibilities:
   Direct activities of the Cell Biology group to support our pipeline of drug discovery projects by providing both technical and administrative leadership Apply cell biology expertise to both early and late-stage drug discovery projects to support a robust pipeline of product candidates moving towards the clinic Develop robust cell-based screening assays to support small molecule drug discovery projects Maintain and expand flow cytometry capabilities Provide leadership and mentorship to a group of talented cell biologists Generate in vitro data packages to support advancement of projects into development Manage external cell biology collaborations and contract research
   
   Requirements:
   PhD (or equivalent) in cell biology, immunology, or a related discipline with 7+ years of industry experience in drug discovery, preferably with both small and large molecules Extensive knowledge of cell biology/molecular cell biology techniques, including flow cytometry, live-cell imaging, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis, Western blotting, CRISPR, qPCR, and si RNA.Experience in flow cytometry based immune cell profiling and immune cell functional assays highly desirable Experience in development and optimization of cell-based screening assays Experience supervising and mentoring scientific laboratory staff, including PhD level scientists Experience leading drug discovery projects Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with various levels of scientific teams and management Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across scientific disciplines Highly motivated with the ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
   
   FibroGen is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender identity/expression, creed, national origin/ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship, status, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.FibroGen will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
   
   E-Verify: Notice to all Prospective Employees
   
   Notice to Recruiters and Search Firms
   FibroGen makes every effort to source and hire its staff through direct recruitment methods. Employment opportunities at FibroGen are managed by our internal human resources team. Please do not contact hiring managers or other FibroGen employees.
   
   FibroGen does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than from the candidates themselves. FibroGen does not accept unsolicited communications from external recruiters. If there is a specific business need, a human resources team member will contact external recruiters directly.
   
   An agency or independent recruiter must have a current, signed agreement and a work order for a specific position with FibroGen before presenting candidates and must be presented to human resources. Submission of unsolicited resumes without a signed agreement and an applicable work order will not create an obligation on the part of FibroGen to pay a fee of any kind.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right director of cell biology for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with directors of cell biology they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of cell biology who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of cell biology job on Zippia to find and recruit director of cell biology candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with director of cell biology 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 director of cell biology

   Once you've found the director of cell biology 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of cell biology. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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