How to hire a product development scientist

How to hire a product development scientist, step by step

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

What does a product development scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the product development scientist you need to hire. Certain product development 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a product development scientist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a product development scientist that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of product development scientists.

   Type of Product Development Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Development Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$29-55
   Quality Control Analyst	Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects... Show more	$19-41
   Laboratory Analyst	A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.	$14-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Chemistry
   • Project Management
   • Data Analysis
   • FDA
   • Experimental Design
   • GMP
   • Product Development
   • Technical Support
   • Formulation Development
   • Dosage Forms
   • Drug Products
   • R
   • Troubleshoot
   • CMC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Coordinate instrument calibration, lead GMP & GLP processes.
   • Manage assigned projects within GMP pilot plant to develop the manufacturing process of oral solid dosage forms.
   • Lead all risk analysis and FDA notification documentation.
   • Train and supervise technicians & QC analysts as necessary to execute project to completion.
   • Establish formal protocols and effective QC methods for reagents from raw materials to the finished product.
   • Validate LIMS software functionality by performing advance computer simulations and trial testing runs to ensure new releases meet ISO standards.

   More product development scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the product development scientist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A product development scientist 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 product development scientist in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level product development scientist. Additionally, a product development scientist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average product development scientist salary

   $84,817yearly

   $40.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product development scientist salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average product development scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$115,891	$56
   2	Tennessee	$99,259	$48
   3	Indiana	$91,715	$44
   4	New Jersey	$91,080	$44
   5	Oregon	$83,880	$40
   6	Washington	$83,353	$40
   7	Maryland	$81,849	$39
   8	Minnesota	$81,182	$39
   9	Michigan	$80,940	$39
   10	New York	$80,828	$39
   11	Illinois	$79,795	$38
   12	Ohio	$77,116	$37
   13	Colorado	$75,434	$36
   14	Virginia	$75,012	$36
   15	Florida	$71,556	$34
   16	Texas	$68,024	$33
   17	Missouri	$58,861	$28

   Average product development scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$119,745	$57.57	1,009
   2	10x Genomics	$114,724	$55.16	2
   3	Bunge	$111,507	$53.61	2
   4	AbbVie	$106,102	$51.01	100
   5	Bayer	$102,046	$49.06	78
   6	Netflix	$100,337	$48.24	4
   7	AstraZeneca	$98,203	$47.21	19
   8	Celanese	$97,483	$46.87
   9	The Coca-Cola Company	$96,287	$46.29	14
   10	Entegris	$96,255	$46.28	20
   11	BASF	$95,904	$46.11	1
   12	Colgate-Palmolive	$95,363	$45.85	12
   13	Agilent Technologies	$95,325	$45.83	7
   14	Bio-Rad Laboratories	$95,177	$45.76	2
   15	Momentive	$94,865	$45.61	8
   16	The Kraft Group	$94,509	$45.44
   17	The Dow Chemical Company	$93,630	$45.01	28
   18	PerkinElmer	$92,833	$44.63	1
   19	Teva Pharmaceuticals	$92,620	$44.53	3
   20	Ford Motor	$92,304	$44.38	248

4. Writing a product development scientist job description

   A good product development scientist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a product development scientist job description:

   Product development scientist job description example

   Love them like family, feed them like family." ® Everything at Blue Buffalo starts with this simple idea.
   
   We think of our dogs and cats as family members, so we believe their food should be natural and healthy. In fact, this was the sole reason for starting the Blue Buffalo Company. When the beloved Bishop family dog, Blue, faced a variety of health issues, Bill and his two sons set out to create a pet food that was made with only the highest quality natural ingredients-the kind of things a family member deserves. Ten years later we have, in many ways, accomplished what we set out to do-help our dogs and cats live happy, healthy lives. And we're only getting started!
   
   Feeding healthy ingredients isn't just a trend for us. It's our history. Since we started in 2003, we've always used high-quality natural ingredients with real meat first. Never any corn, wheat or soy. And no poultry by-product meals. It's been that way since day one for every product we've ever created. And it always will be.
   
   Mission: Our vision is to feed all pets the natural BLUE way as the undisputed leader in wholesome, natural pet food.
   
   The Blue Buffalo Applications team has an opening for a Research and Development Scientist for Innovation, Technology and Quality. In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to impact this fast-growing business by leveraging your knowledge and skills to support Holistic Margin Management (HMM) projects across our main meal and treats businesses. You will participate in ideations, product formulation, process development and commercialization activities to enable the business to win in the marketplace.
   
   The right candidate for this role will leverage technical skills and knowledge, excel at collaborating fully in a cross functional team environment, have a passion for pets, a drive to learn and comfort with ambiguity. You will have the opportunity to develop technical depth and build project management, business acumen and communication skills to influence across the organization.
   
   This role is located in Minneapolis, MN and will provide relocation assistance for the selected candidate to relocate to Minneapolis. This role cannot support international relocation or international sponsorship to work in the US in an ongoing basis.
   KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:
   Collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners to develop or enhance HMM strategies and profit driving activities Lead the development of great tasting, wholesome and nutritious petfood products that deliver on consumer expectations and concept functionality Lead multiple initiatives from creation through commercialization by prioritizing work Independently design, consult, and manage the appropriate testing required to meet business needs, enhance foundational knowledge and/or deliver bottom line cost savings Manage and lead technically complex projects: create technical plans, timelines, risk assessments, and mitigation plans; identify opportunities by challenging formulation and processing assumptions Operate under the guidance of Sr HMM Scientist to support pipeline health activities Lead HMM Ideations and ensure progress on follow ups for respective area(s) Execute changes across main meal/treats portfolios to drive total value for the business
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
   Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Animal Science or related field Willingness to travel up to ~20% Strong technical problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills Ability to be agile and adapt to multiple situations with a learning mindset Results-oriented with strong bias for action and high regard for quality of work Interpersonal ability to build relationships at all levels with the organization
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
   1+ years of experience in product development or an applied science 1+ years petfood product development experience Demonstrated ability to manage and lead multiple technically-driven projects from concept to commercialization.
   COMPANY OVERVIEW
   
   We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what's next.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right product development scientist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with product development scientists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit product development scientists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your product development scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit product development scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting product development scientists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 product development scientist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the product development scientist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been 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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How much does it cost to hire a product development scientist?