Process chemist vs quality control chemist

The differences between process chemists and quality control chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process chemist has an average salary of $81,542, which is higher than the $58,892 average annual salary of a quality control chemist.

The top three skills for a process chemist include lab equipment, HPLC and R. The most important skills for a quality control chemist are QC, HPLC, and lab equipment.

Process chemist vs quality control chemist overview

	Process Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Yearly salary	$81,542	$58,892
Hourly rate	$39.20	$28.31
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	29,813	90,467
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a process chemist do?

Process chemists are lab professionals who perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of chemicals in laboratories for quality control or to develop new products. These chemists are required to develop synthetic plans and run experiments to test their suitability for large-scale use. They must use different analytical methods and modeling software to monitor the reaction processes of chemicals as well as determine how changes in the process affect the final product. Process chemists must also be familiar with regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

What does a quality control chemist do?

A Quality Control Chemist uses chemistry lab skills to test and measure materials, usually in a manufacturing or pharmaceutical field. They analyze samples using scientific equipment, prepare study protocols, collect data, and identify and investigate abnormal test results.

Process chemist vs quality control chemist salary

Process chemists and quality control chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Average salary	$81,542	$58,892
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $121,000	Between $45,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Wilmington, DE	North Kingstown, RI
Highest paying state	Delaware	Vermont
Best paying company	Bio-Rad Laboratories	Hallstar
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between process chemist and quality control chemist education

There are a few differences between a process chemist and a quality control chemist in terms of educational background:

	Process Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Process chemist vs quality control chemist demographics

Here are the differences between process chemists' and quality control chemists' demographics:

	Process Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 20.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 21.4% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between process chemist and quality control chemist duties and responsibilities

Process chemist example responsibilities.

Manage synthesis and production of specialty chemicals for carpet and textile industry.
Support new, modify and existing chemical processes by developing and validating HPLC and GC methods with a rapid turnaround time.
Analyze unknown materials with FTIR, Raman, and SEM-EDS.
Display improving working knowledge of business processes as they relate to GMP manufacturing.
Create titration solution and other solutions such as stock solutions used in analysis.
Show a desire to learn about and understand advance chemistry principles underlying project assignments.

Quality control chemist example responsibilities.

Manage investigations of out of spec results and complaints in CatsWEB CAPA management system.
Verify raw material compliance utilizing ICP, FTIR, and USP wet chemistry methods.
Perform analysis utilizing UV/VIS, FTIR, Karl Fischer, and TLC.
Perform the potency studies, dissolution, and uniformity, by using HPLC, GC, and UV/VIS.
Analyze active ingredients in sunscreens, volatile organics, and preservatives utilizing ICP, GC, NIRS, and HPLC.
Execute dissolution and disintegration testing and microbiology testing with compliance requirements within GMP, GLP, and FDA regulatory environments.

Process chemist vs quality control chemist skills

Common process chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 7%
HPLC, 6%
R, 5%
GMP, 5%
NMR, 4%
Sigma, 4%

Common quality control chemist skills

QC, 9%
HPLC, 7%
Lab Equipment, 7%
GMP, 6%
Analytical Methods, 5%
UV/Vis, 4%

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Process Chemist vs Quality Control Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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