Process development chemist vs production chemist

The differences between process development chemists and production chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process development chemist has an average salary of $75,273, which is higher than the $62,937 average annual salary of a production chemist.

The top three skills for a process development chemist include R, HPLC and analytical techniques. The most important skills for a production chemist are GMP, laboratory equipment, and synthesis.

Process development chemist vs production chemist overview

	Process Development Chemist	Production Chemist
Yearly salary	$75,273	$62,937
Hourly rate	$36.19	$30.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	70,622	58,948
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Process development chemist vs production chemist salary

Process development chemists and production chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Development Chemist	Production Chemist
Average salary	$75,273	$62,937
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $104,000	Between $38,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Pennsauken, NJ
Highest paying state	Washington	Delaware
Best paying company	PerkinElmer	Bio-Rad Laboratories
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between process development chemist and production chemist education

There are a few differences between a process development chemist and a production chemist in terms of educational background:

	Process Development Chemist	Production Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Process development chemist vs production chemist demographics

Here are the differences between process development chemists' and production chemists' demographics:

	Process Development Chemist	Production Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 82.4% Female, 17.6%	Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between process development chemist and production chemist duties and responsibilities

Process development chemist example responsibilities.

Manage synthesis and production of specialty chemicals for carpet and textile industry.
Perform lab audits to make sure lab are in compliance with FDA regulations.
Train plant operators to run the new circuit in accordance to company's GMP.
Gain working experience with FDA, EPA, and government safety regulations and requirements.
Work also includes in QC department to analysis raw material, in-process and finish products.
Purify oligos on HPLC units that collect either manually or automatically.

Production chemist example responsibilities.

Lead the team in the isolation and purification of critical enzymes vital to the manufacture of diagnostic medical reagents.
Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Experience with running ELISA as well as SDS-PAGE.
Coordinate with technicians on ELISA performance and troubleshooting.
Perform UPLC, FTIR, and moisture analysis.
Perform in-process and finish products sample testing using HPLC.

Process development chemist vs production chemist skills

Common process development chemist skills

R, 14%
HPLC, 9%
Analytical Techniques, 8%
Process Support, 7%
GMP, 6%
NMR, 5%

Common production chemist skills

GMP, 13%
Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Synthesis, 8%
ISO, 7%
R, 5%
Safety Guidelines, 4%

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Process Development Chemist
Process Development Chemist vs Production Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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