How to hire a formulator

How to hire a formulator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step formulator hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The formulator 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a formulator 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 formulator that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Formulator	Description	Hourly rate
   Formulator	Chemical technicians use special instruments and techniques to help chemists and chemical engineers research, develop, produce, and test chemical products and processes.	$17-55
   Analytical Technician	Analytical technicians are professionals who are responsible for managing the daily operation of activities in a laboratory as well as maintain lab equipment to ensure a high standard of sanitation. These technicians must assist in laboratory work, such as developing analytical test methods and performing analysis of raw materials and in-process samples... Show more	$19-54
   Chemical Processor	Chemical processors are the workers who prepare a variety of chemicals for manufacturing and production. The processors operate and monitor the equipment that controls the chemical reactions when processing consumer or industrial products... Show more	$13-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • FDA
   • R
   • QC
   • GMP
   • Pallets
   • ISO
   • QA
   • Formulation Equipment
   • Clinical Trials
   • Dosage Forms
   • DEA
   • PPE
   • Batch Ticket
   • Customer Specifications

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage daily production schedule, monitor machine operation, addressed any etching machinery problems.
   • wear proper PPE for the jobs need to be done.
   • Follow all PPE rules and requirements.
   • Construct spectrophotometer database for all lacquer and UV base inks.
   • Warehouse, packing and stacking pallets, fill jugs with product, and cleaning
   • Operate blend tanks, agitators, and various pump as directed by batch record.

   More formulator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average formulator salary

   $64,882yearly

   $31.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level formulator salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average formulator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	West Virginia	$99,826	$48
   2	Massachusetts	$93,959	$45
   3	New Hampshire	$93,077	$45
   4	Texas	$78,515	$38
   5	New Jersey	$77,727	$37
   6	Pennsylvania	$76,801	$37
   7	Ohio	$76,212	$37
   8	Nevada	$72,649	$35
   9	New York	$72,372	$35
   10	Illinois	$65,749	$32
   11	Florida	$63,324	$30
   12	Minnesota	$63,138	$30
   13	California	$62,604	$30
   14	Michigan	$62,376	$30
   15	Colorado	$61,363	$30
   16	North Carolina	$58,609	$28
   17	Iowa	$56,581	$27
   18	Utah	$55,132	$27
   19	Oregon	$51,148	$25
   20	Montana	$46,281	$22

   Average formulator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Qorvo	$104,730	$50.35
   2	Lannett	$90,591	$43.55
   3	ATI Physical Therapy	$79,863	$38.40
   4	Mylan	$79,583	$38.26
   5	CACI International	$79,382	$38.16
   6	Pharmaceutics International	$77,732	$37.37
   7	Precision Castparts	$77,363	$37.19
   8	BioFire Diagnostics	$73,655	$35.41
   9	Charles River Labs	$70,454	$33.87
   10	Daubert Chemical	$69,526	$33.43
   11	Advance Holding Corporation	$68,341	$32.86	1
   12	ORS Partners	$67,760	$32.58
   13	Andrew Lessman	$67,494	$32.45
   14	Management Recruiters International(MRI)	$63,328	$30.45
   15	AMVAC Chemical	$61,461	$29.55
   16	Saint-Gobain	$60,129	$28.91
   17	Robinson Pharma	$59,487	$28.60
   18	ADM	$59,271	$28.50
   19	Litehouse Foods	$57,437	$27.61
   20	Central Garden & Pet	$53,657	$25.80	1

4. Writing a formulator job description

   A job description for a formulator 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 formulator job description:

   Formulator job description example

   Responsible for the design and development of new products, creation of new technologies, and improvements to existing products
   Essential Functions: Defines project design & strategy consistent with application requirements; reviews and shares with project team members and others in the organization as appropriate. Develops formulations and related product constructions including selection of raw materials, experimental evaluations (e.g. compatibility, stability, performance, etc.) and specifications; frequently works on more than one project at a time with number depending on scope and timing. Designs & conducts experiments on lab and production scale; draws valid conclusions upon analysis of technical data from experimental testing, expertise, and literature references. Defines test methodologies and requirements; prepares test samples and conducts tests on raw materials, in-process intermediates, and/or finished products as required to support programs; develops new tests as necessary to support development or product improvement projects. Fulfills responsibilities in an efficient and effective manner; makes critical distinctions in support of prioritizing and organizing work; anticipates and proactively addresses potential lab development, scale-up, validation, clinical, regulatory and commercial issues during development. Efficiently troubleshoots and solves technical problems. Participates in the design and specification of production-scale processes and validation thereof. Contributes and represents R&D while serving on cross-functional teams chartered to develop and commercialize new drug delivery products; interacts effectively fulfilling functional responsibilities, collaborating with functional counterparts & customers to assure overall project success. Researches literature and patents as needed to effectively assure freedom-to-operate and otherwise support projects. Maintains up-to-date, well-organized, clear and accurate information in lab notebooks and design records consistent with established company & divisional practices. Supports and contributes to maintaining office and laboratory environment consistent with LEAN 6S and all regulatory requirements. Interacts with customers as needed to support projects; behaves in a respectful and professional manner and able to earn & maintain the confidence of associates and customers. Recognizes opportunities for and participates in patenting technology yielding sustainable competitive advantage. Maintains a current awareness of pharmaceutical and drug delivery technologies to build expertise and applies same to benefit business. Ensures up-to-date compliance with all training requirements; understands overall business strategy and plans while also working to execute responsibilities in accordance thereof. Makes identifiable and beneficial contributions to continuous improvement; performs all duties safely and consistent with established company and divisional procedures and guidelines; actively complies with and endorses department, divisional and company objectives. Responsible for following all applicable waste handling procedures. Additional Responsibilities: Benchmarks equipment and systems. Performs other related duties as assigned. Job Specifications: B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or Polymer/Materials Science with a minimum of 4 years experience in pharmaceutical and/or drug delivery systems formulation; advanced degree and/or more extensive experience preferred. Polymer formulation and mixing process experience in drug delivery required with coatings experience preferred; oral solid dosage form experience required; Knowledge of and experience with cGMP, 21CFR Part 211 required; QbD, PAT, & ICH experience preferred. Must communicate fluently in English and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Capable of performing duties independently with limited supervisory direction. Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities. Familiarity and aptitude with chemical analytical techniques, i.e. liquid/gas chromatography, TGA, DSC, FT-IR etc. and associated data analysis. Working knowledge of statistical-based software (Minitab) and experimental techniques (DOEs). Ability to maintain confidentiality. Ability to conduct self in a professional manner & maintain appearance accordingly. Functioning capability with standard computer software (word-processing, spreadsheets, internet & database searching, email, etc.) and Oracle ERP systems. Company DescriptionAdhesives Research is your expert developer and manufacturer of high-performance adhesives, tapes, specialty films, coatings, laminates, release liners and drug delivery technologies.
   
   We are committed to provide adhesive design flexibility by:
   
   Partnering with our customers
   Fast development capabilities
   Unique turn-key solutions
   Established in 1961, AR’s modest beginnings originated in a converted garage to develop specialty adhesive-coated materials and processing equipment to meet the evolving needs of the graphics arts label market.
   
   Through several moves and expansions, AR grew significantly, continuing to add new capabilities and technologies that enabled the company to address the unmet needs of new markets. Rapid growth led to facility expansions in the USA, South America (1980), Europe (1999) and Asia (2000). With our global headquarter in Glen Rock, PA and regional headquarter Limerick, Ireland, today the company’s facilities span over 250 acres, cover over 300,000+ square feet of development and manufacturing space and employ approximately 300 associates.
   
   Adhesives Research is serving three distinctive markets:
   
   Healthcare. We develop and manufacture expert products for wearables, diagnostics, medical electronics, device supported drug delivery systems, and advanced wound care applications.
   ARx Drug Delivery Systems develops and manufactures client-specific transdermal and thin film drug delivery systems with pharmaceutical and biotech partners.
   Electronics & Industrial. Our products are suitable for display & mobile, hard disk drives, renewable energy, window & door, splicing tapes, and release liner applications.
   For more than 60 years, we have positioned ourselves as a leader in our field through the continuous development of core technologies and capabilities. Today we remain an independent and family-owned company, committed to working with customers as our partners in the development of application-specific products that fill your unmet material needs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right formulator 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 formulator job on Zippia to find and recruit formulator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with formulator 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 formulator

   Once you've decided on a perfect formulator 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new formulator. 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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