How to hire a principal biostatistician

How to hire a principal biostatistician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step principal biostatistician hiring guide:

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

What does a principal biostatistician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a principal biostatistician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect principal biostatistician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of principal biostatisticians.

   Type of Principal Biostatistician	Description	Hourly rate
   Principal Biostatistician	Statisticians use statistical methods to collect and analyze data and to help solve real-world problems in business, engineering, healthcare, or other fields.	$40-82
   Survey Statistician	A survey statistician is responsible for collecting and reviewing data and creating reports based on survey findings. Your duties include developing statistical models that will interpret the data accurately and clearly, promoting the organizational goal to increase the participation of respondents in surveys, and guiding junior statisticians in doing statistical reviews... Show more	$12-63
   Statistician	A statistician is a professional who gathers data and uses mathematical techniques to analyze and interpret data and draw conclusions. Statisticians are required to develop survey questionnaires or reporting forms so that they can collect the data they needed... Show more	$28-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Clinical Trials
   • QC
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Clinical Study Reports
   • Statistical Methods
   • Statistical Reports
   • Regulatory Authorities
   • FDA
   • Statistical Support
   • Statistical Sections
   • CDISC
   • NDA
   • Sample Size Calculations
   • Study Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Present at investigator meetings for international and domestic sites, CRAs, and country leads.
   • Manage qualification, preventative maintenance and calibration of equipment and reagents used in testing as per GLP standards.
   • Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
   • Provide technical support, measuring run parameters using GC, HPLC, viable cell count, enzyme assays and other protocols.
   • Develop and coordinate QC procedures for biometrics' deliverables.
   • Answer safety concerns of FDA.

   More principal biostatistician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your principal biostatistician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A principal biostatistician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, principal biostatisticians' average salary in iowa is 53% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level principal biostatisticians earn 51% less than senior-level principal biostatisticians.
   • Certifications. A principal biostatistician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a principal biostatistician's salary.

   Average principal biostatistician salary

   $120,026yearly

   $57.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level principal biostatistician salary

   $84,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average principal biostatistician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$141,667	$68
   2	Washington	$139,365	$67
   3	Illinois	$126,190	$61
   4	Kansas	$125,463	$60
   5	Massachusetts	$125,131	$60
   6	Maryland	$121,372	$58
   7	New York	$121,112	$58
   8	Alaska	$118,934	$57
   9	New Jersey	$114,388	$55
   10	Oregon	$113,099	$54
   11	Arizona	$112,619	$54
   12	Virginia	$111,014	$53
   13	North Carolina	$110,954	$53
   14	Delaware	$110,817	$53
   15	Connecticut	$107,058	$51
   16	Colorado	$105,726	$51
   17	Pennsylvania	$105,090	$51
   18	Georgia	$103,973	$50
   19	Texas	$103,690	$50
   20	Indiana	$99,315	$48

   Average principal biostatistician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$160,741	$77.28
   2	Quidel	$152,023	$73.09
   3	Neurocrine Biosciences	$141,598	$68.08	10
   4	Biogen	$133,798	$64.33	2
   5	Adaptimmune	$130,558	$62.77
   6	Parexel International	$129,745	$62.38	53
   7	UCB	$129,547	$62.28	3
   8	Sanofi US	$129,157	$62.09	28
   9	Allergan plc	$128,808	$61.93
   10	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$128,629	$61.84	10
   11	Regeneron	$127,954	$61.52	6
   12	Wyeth Biopharma	$127,766	$61.43
   13	Shionogi	$127,470	$61.28
   14	Incyte	$127,303	$61.20
   15	Cytel	$127,273	$61.19	165
   16	Boehringer Ingelheim	$127,226	$61.17	23
   17	Pharmaceutical Research Associates, Inc.	$126,648	$60.89
   18	Seattle Children's Healthcare System	$126,062	$60.61
   19	Sanofi Genzyme	$125,750	$60.46
   20	Edwards Lifesciences	$125,150	$60.17	72

4. Writing a principal biostatistician job description

   A job description for a principal biostatistician 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 principal biostatistician job description:

   Principal biostatistician job description example

   For more than 25 years, Veristat has built a reputation as a thoughtful partner in the clinical development and regulatory submission process. We have done so by hiring talented people who align to our core values and share a common passion for our mission driven work.
   
   Do you value a collaborative work environment and the opportunity to truly make a difference? If so, you will feel right at home here. At Veristat, you can grow both personally and professionally, with opportunities to discuss your achievements and advance your career through quarterly feedback conversations and meaningful work.
   We do things differently than large CROs and would love to have you join our Veristat team!
   
   The Principal Biostatistician provides statistical input into Phase I - IV clinical trial development, performs the analysis of clinical trial data, and provides statistical input into the reporting of clinical trial results. The Principal Biostatistician can work independently and function as a lead statistician on clinical trials.
   
   As a Principal Biostatistician you will...
   Providing statistical input into protocol and case report form (CRF) development in all therapeutic areas (e.g., trial design, sample size estimation, randomization, statistical methods for protocols, edit checks for clinical trial data) Communicating with clients regarding study protocol or statistical analysis issues; and writing detailed statistical analysis plans including specifications for analysis files, consistency checks, tables, and figures. Consult and communicate with clients one-on-one on study designs and statistical consulting concepts including, but not limited to, interim analysis designs, sample size calculations and re-estimations, etc. Interact with various regulatory agencies on behalf of clients. Analyzes clinical trial data producing accurate results representing the outcome of the trial, validates statistical output, accurately interprets and clearly communicates statistical results and concepts to non-statisticians. With the medical writer, co-authors final integrated reports of clinical trial data by writing thorough and clear statistical methods sections and producing the statistical appendix for the final report. Provides statistical output as required for manuscripts and ensure that the results are accurately interpreted in the publications. Provides input into statistical standard operating procedures (SOPs) and general standardization efforts (e.g., statistical methodology standards, standard data presentations) and participates in interactions with regulatory agencies, as required. Collaborates effectively with members of clinical trial implementation teams and with Biometrics colleagues, and keeps abreast of new developments in statistics, drug development, and regulatory guidance through literature review and attendance at workshops and professional meetings.
   Experience & Minimum Requirements:
   PhD degree in Statistics, Biostatistics, or related field, and 5 years of biostatistical experience in the clinical trials or health research environment OR a Master's degree in Statistics, Biostatistics, or related field, and 8 years of biostatistical experience in the clinical trials or health research environment. Excellent written and oral communication skills including grammatical/technical writing skills and familiarity with moderately complex statistical methods that apply to Phase I-IV clinical trials are required. Familiarity with SAS, SPSS or other statistical software package. Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel. Strong level of detail orientation. Ability to work on multiple tasks under tight timelines.
   #LI-Remote
   
   Automated Decision Making: All applicants are reviewed by a member of the Veristat Talent Acquisition team; Veristat does not utilize an automated decision making process.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find principal biostatisticians 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 principal biostatisticians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level principal biostatisticians 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 principal biostatistician job on Zippia to find and recruit principal biostatistician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with principal biostatistician 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a principal biostatistician applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 principal biostatistician

   Once you've selected the best principal biostatistician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

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