How to hire a principal scientist

How to hire a principal scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step principal 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 principal scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new principal scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a principal scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the principal scientist you need to hire. Certain principal scientist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A principal scientist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, principal 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.

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

   Type of Principal Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Principal Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$40-81
   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
   Chemist	Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter... Show more	$22-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oncology
   • Data Analysis
   • Drug Discovery
   • GMP
   • Experimental Design
   • Clinical Trials
   • CRISPR
   • IND
   • Clinical Development
   • FDA
   • Regulatory Submissions
   • Biomarkers
   • Pharmaceutical Industry
   • Project Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
   • Provide development of and line support for assign immunoassay reagents, calibrators and controls.
   • Transfer controls to manufacturing for product launch and include all require studies, testing and documentation under GMP guidelines.
   • Maintain several lab documents for ISO certification.
   • Understand drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics and design stable molecules.
   • Image visualization and manipulation of background plates for animation and post-processing.

   More principal scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your principal scientist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A principal scientist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a principal scientist in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level principal scientist usually earns less than a senior-level principal scientist. Additionally, a principal scientist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average principal scientist salary

   $119,982yearly

   $57.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level principal scientist salary

   $84,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average principal scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$158,068	$76
   2	New Jersey	$124,812	$60
   3	Connecticut	$121,734	$59
   4	Washington	$115,717	$56
   5	Minnesota	$113,214	$54
   6	Massachusetts	$109,371	$53
   7	New York	$107,195	$52
   8	Florida	$105,874	$51
   9	Illinois	$101,047	$49
   10	Maryland	$100,239	$48
   11	Pennsylvania	$96,077	$46
   12	Michigan	$93,262	$45
   13	North Carolina	$92,375	$44
   14	Texas	$89,658	$43
   15	Colorado	$83,767	$40
   16	Georgia	$68,644	$33

   Average principal scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$177,908	$85.53	13
   2	Microsoft	$163,822	$78.76	598
   3	Intercept Pharmaceuticals	$163,359	$78.54
   4	10x Genomics	$162,246	$78.00	1
   5	Coty	$160,444	$77.14
   6	Amazon	$156,251	$75.12	1,118
   7	ImmunoGen	$156,105	$75.05
   8	Adverum Biotechnologies	$152,679	$73.40
   9	Broadcom	$152,525	$73.33	18
   10	Yahoo	$151,256	$72.72
   11	Reata Pharmaceuticals	$151,029	$72.61
   12	Exelixis	$150,771	$72.49	7
   13	Adobe	$148,251	$71.27	72
   14	PTC Therapeutics	$146,699	$70.53	8
   15	Bunge	$146,572	$70.47	1
   16	GoDaddy	$146,444	$70.41
   17	Walgreens	$146,251	$70.31	1
   18	Fanatics	$145,903	$70.15	8
   19	Genentech	$144,985	$69.70	78
   20	Cepheid	$144,629	$69.53

4. Writing a principal scientist job description

   A principal scientist 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. Below, you can find an example of a principal scientist job description:

   Principal scientist job description example

   Event Information:
   Thursday, October 20th from 3:00 - 5:30 pm est
   
   Reserve your spot to speak with the Pfizer team at the Virtual Hiring Event. Attend from your computer or smartphone. No app download required. Click ""Apply"" to complete your registration for the virtual event.
   
   About the Position:
   

   As a Principal Scientist, you will be at the center of our operations and you ll find that everything we do, every day, is in line with an unwavering commitment to quality. You will have the important role to generate high-quality immunoassay data in a regulated GCLP laboratory setting to support Pfizer s vaccine programs according to Standard Operating Procedures.

   You will manage clinical sample testing and work with the leadership to plan, design and critically analyze experiments to support the development and qualification/validation of assays as well as monitor assay performance and actively lead efforts in assay investigations. Your skills and expertise will ensure that all work is managed in a compliant manner according to relevant Standard Operating Procedures and GCLP.

   You will be recognized as a technical expert and a significant scientific contributor. With your deep knowledge of the discipline, you will regularly contribute at the therapeutic area level and can represent the department on multidisciplinary teams. You will be using your scientific judgment to adapt standard methods and techniques by applying prior work experience. You will undertake mentoring activities to guide team members. It is your hard work and commitment that will make Pfizer ready to achieve new milestones and help patients across the globe.

   
   Requirements:

   • PhD in immunology

   • 4+ years of experience

   • Demonstrated expertise in cellular immunology

   • Demonstrated expertise in multi-color flow cytometry and ELISPOT

   • Demonstrated expertise in GCLP clinical testing

   • Breadth of knowledge of different areas of science, awareness of new technologies, and familiarity with current issues to apply novel and innovative approaches to problem solving

   • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

   • Proficiency in the use of Word processing, Excel, PowerPoint and relevant scientific software

   
   About Pfizer:

   At Pfizer, we re driven to discover the cure driven to significantly improve the lives of everyone...everywhere. If you re similarly driven, you ll find there s no better place to begin and continue your career than at Pfizer.

   Science is the foundation of our company. This is why it s no surprise that our scientists are among the best in the world. We arm them with the resources, technology, and facilities they need to solve some of the world s most complex health challenges. So, it s no wonder that the most driven scientists in the world choose to do their life s passion at Pfizer.

   Join us and you ll partner with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and abilities, people who contribute to all aspects of what we do from drug development to marketing, technology to sales, and so much more.

   "

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit principal 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 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 principal scientist

   Once you've found the principal 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

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