How to hire a lead laboratory technician

How to hire a lead laboratory technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead laboratory technician hiring guide:

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

What does a lead laboratory technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The lead laboratory technician 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 lead laboratory technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead laboratory technicians 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of lead laboratory technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Lead Laboratory Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Laboratory Technician	Medical laboratory technologists (commonly known as medical laboratory scientists) and medical laboratory technicians collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue, and other substances.	$15-41
   Clinical Technician	A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations... Show more	$12-23
   Laboratory Coordinator	A laboratory coordinator is responsible for supporting laboratory examinations and experiments, collecting laboratory samples, and ensuring the efficiency and performance of laboratory tools and equipment. Laboratory coordinators maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the laboratory facility at all times to avoid contaminations and hazards that may affect laboratory results and accuracy of examinations... Show more	$18-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Lab Equipment
   • Customer Service
   • Ongoing Maintenance
   • Patient Care
   • Chemistry
   • Safety Procedures
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Math
   • Lab Procedures
   • Phlebotomy
   • Test Results
   • Microbiology
   • CLIA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
   • Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
   • Assist with FDA and OSHA audits, coordinate the center for all audits and inspections.
   • Accession patient information, doctor information, and testing information accurately and promptly into the NovoPath LIS system.
   • Develop and execute IQ/OQ/PQ at manufacturing site.
   • Maintain, troubleshoot, verify and calibrate laboratory equipment.

   More lead laboratory technician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average lead laboratory technician salary

   $54,230yearly

   $26.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead laboratory technician salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average lead laboratory technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$73,761	$35
   2	New Jersey	$72,272	$35
   3	Maryland	$66,508	$32
   4	Massachusetts	$66,432	$32
   5	New York	$64,715	$31
   6	Ohio	$64,422	$31
   7	Oregon	$59,762	$29
   8	Connecticut	$59,562	$29
   9	Virginia	$57,829	$28
   10	Pennsylvania	$55,805	$27
   11	Louisiana	$55,609	$27
   12	Alaska	$55,221	$27
   13	Minnesota	$53,884	$26
   14	Florida	$52,813	$25
   15	Georgia	$52,736	$25
   16	Arizona	$52,186	$25
   17	Indiana	$50,117	$24
   18	Kansas	$48,053	$23
   19	Colorado	$47,430	$23
   20	Tennessee	$47,331	$23

   Average lead laboratory technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$125,254	$60.22	23
   2	IBM	$96,750	$46.51	10
   3	Alliant Energy	$94,529	$45.45	2
   4	Sutter Health	$92,149	$44.30	82
   5	Tenet Healthcare	$90,758	$43.63	229
   6	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$90,376	$43.45	4
   7	Zoetis	$89,479	$43.02	20
   8	Mohawk Valley Health System	$83,804	$40.29
   9	NCH Healthcare System	$83,303	$40.05	39
   10	Spark Therapeutics	$80,430	$38.67
   11	Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.	$78,960	$37.96
   12	PeaceHealth	$77,140	$37.09	23
   13	One Brooklyn Health	$76,875	$36.96
   14	UofL Hospital	$75,774	$36.43	17
   15	Mount Sinai Health System	$75,044	$36.08	35
   16	Northrop Grumman	$70,485	$33.89	10
   17	Southcoast Health	$69,835	$33.57	14
   18	Mayo Clinic	$69,154	$33.25	139
   19	Johnson & Johnson	$68,640	$33.00	1
   20	UL	$68,635	$33.00	15

4. Writing a lead laboratory technician job description

   A lead laboratory technician 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 lead laboratory technician job description:

   Lead laboratory technician job description example

   If you are a Lab Tech or Lab Professional who is looking to advance your career and be part of a world-renowned healthcare organization, take the first step and apply now! Your best future is waiting to be discovered! Contract to Permanent hire!
   Benefits
   Top pay!- $35.00-$39.00 per hour! Great Schedule! Great working location! Contract to Permanent Hire! Health insurance Refer-a-friend bonus Weekly payroll 24-hour accessibility Personalized service Required Education/Experience: Minimum of 2 years college education in biology or related field plus 2 years of experience in a life science or chemistry laboratory; or 4 years college education including laboratory experience. Bachelor’s degree preferred. License/Certification: None
   KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS & ABILITIES
   Required experience must include hands-on experience with sample handling, quantitative chemical analysis, assays, or procedures with equivalent complexity, in addition to basic procedures such as weight and volume measurements of chemicals, reagent preparation, pipetting and centrifugation. Knowledge of computer use including moderately advanced Microsoft Excel (beyond simple data entry). Experience with operating laboratory instruments such as automated measurement instruments. Critical thinking and ability to implement corrective actions when needed. Must be able to understand and apply laboratory policies and procedures; must adhere strictly to established protocols. Must be highly attentive to detail and be able to handle large number of samples accurately. Will be required to use computer, photocopier, fax and other office equipment. Must communicate effectively in spoken and written English with individuals of diverse backgrounds. Responsibilities Prepare clinical samples and products for testing, including accessioning and processing, following laboratory protocols. Set up instruments (programming instructions, specimen and reagent placement, and labware) for automated laboratory tasks. Maintain instruments, including reagent replenishment, cleaning, and other required actions. Prepare reagents for the lab, as requested. Change equipment supplies when needed. Document and transcribe quality control measures, including environmental readings for lab, equipment function checks, and isolation quality control. Train back-up staff as necessary. Recommend necessary changes for better work flow and coordinates implementation with supervisor. Perform additional tasks assigned by Supervisor or Laboratory Director. Respond to emergency staffing situations as requested. May be assigned to assist or substitute for other lab members. Other tasks may include (but not be limited to) ordering receiving and stocking suppliers and laboratory maintenance Maintain sample inventories, including receipt, processing, storage and disposal of samples when necessary. Update computer databases for sample storage. Fix errors in data entry.
   
   About Us
   
   Power Personnel has been working with healthcare professionals like you since 1994. We are the experts in healthcare staffing in Northern California. That’s why so many hospitals, clinics and healthcare facilities rely on us for filling critical positions. If you want competitive pay, excellent working conditions and a team that supports you, we can help!
   
   Refer a friend and get $125 bonus for every referral! *
   
   *In order to get the bonus, the person referred must work at least 20 shifts.

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5. Post your job

   To find lead laboratory technicians 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 lead laboratory technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level lead laboratory technicians 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 lead laboratory technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality lead laboratory technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit lead laboratory technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 lead laboratory technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect lead laboratory technician 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   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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