How to hire a production scientist

How to hire a production scientist, step by step

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

What does a production scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Hiring the perfect production scientist 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.

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

   Type of Production Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Production Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$23-59
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Process Improvement
   • QC
   • Lab Equipment
   • GMP
   • Molecular Biology
   • PCR
   • Cell Culture
   • QA
   • R
   • Product Quality
   • UV
   • HPLC
   • Optimize Processes
   • GDP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a team focuse on genotyping, purification, and quantitation assays, including training of new scientists.
   • Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
   • Follow current GMP, GDP and FDA regulations to maintain documentation and improve work instructions.
   • Extract biological samples and analyze via HPLC and LC/MS/MS analysis in accordance with GLP regulations.
   • Acquire good laboratory practice (GLP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) in industry.
   • Direct technology transfer from bench top to pilot scale and then to production scale at CMO.

   More production scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your production scientist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A production scientist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, production scientists' average salary in iowa is 64% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level production scientists 61% less than senior-level production scientists.
   • Certifications. A production scientist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a production scientist's salary.

   Average production scientist salary

   $77,464yearly

   $37.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level production scientist salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average production scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$98,839	$48
   2	New Jersey	$78,127	$38
   3	Maine	$70,333	$34
   4	Massachusetts	$69,287	$33
   5	Pennsylvania	$67,245	$32
   6	Maryland	$65,218	$31
   7	Oregon	$60,415	$29
   8	North Carolina	$58,591	$28
   9	New York	$56,750	$27
   10	Ohio	$55,388	$27
   11	Minnesota	$53,286	$26
   12	Texas	$52,577	$25
   13	Illinois	$52,351	$25
   14	Missouri	$51,656	$25
   15	Colorado	$50,031	$24
   16	Wisconsin	$48,616	$23
   17	Washington	$41,010	$20
   18	North Dakota	$36,125	$17

   Average production scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Beckman Coulter	$111,464	$53.59
   2	Baker Hughes	$103,371	$49.70	2
   3	Integrated DNA Technologies	$99,569	$47.87
   4	Illumina	$99,304	$47.74	2
   5	Promega	$95,632	$45.98	5
   6	Exact Sciences	$95,630	$45.98	4
   7	Weatherford International	$89,499	$43.03
   8	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$88,335	$42.47	104
   9	Aldevron	$85,008	$40.87
   10	Sigma-Aldrich	$80,372	$38.64
   11	Opus One Winery	$79,725	$38.33
   12	EMD Millipore	$76,883	$36.96
   13	Life Tech International	$72,542	$34.88
   14	Flagship Pioneering	$70,973	$34.12	32
   15	Sana Biotechnology	$68,415	$32.89	1
   16	Adaptive Biotechnologies	$65,000	$31.25
   17	DSM Services USA Inc	$64,869	$31.19	23
   18	Eurofins	$64,211	$30.87	120
   19	Alloy Therapeutics	$64,175	$30.85
   20	Sanofi US	$62,146	$29.88	20

4. Writing a production scientist job description

   A production 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a production scientist job description:

   Production scientist job description example

   Quidel's mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. We are a leading manufacturer of point of care diagnostic solutions. Quidel's comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19.
   
   We are excited to announce that Quidel Corporation is now becoming QuidelOrtho! This transaction will bring together two world-class teams and complementary product portfolios to serve patients around the world. During this transition period, we encourage you to continue visiting our career site and also check out more career opportunities at Careers at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics | Ortho Clinical Diagnostics jobs Join our journey as we become one global diagnostics leader!
   
   The Production Scientist is familiar and competent to perform all manufacture, qualification testing and manufacturing release testing for all product types within department. The Production Scientist transfers new product development from multiple company sources for their department and area of responsibility. The position is also accountable for the technical training, maintenance, product improvement projects, customer and internal investigations for those products.
   
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:Identifies and resolves assay performance issues by developing scientific plans and approaches and designing experiments to develop and optimize assays. Summarizes experimental data and draws conclusions independently. Communicating conclusions, improvements and corrections with Department Management.Reviews relevant literature and employs creative thinking and application to problem solving. Investigates the feasibility of applying a wide variety of scientific concepts to potential products and implements new methods or procedures.Plans and executes experiments and validation of protocols while maintaining detailed and organized project documentation in accordance with internal and external regulatory requirements as part of the design control process. Responsible for determination of feasibility, process development, validation, creation and implementation of documentation.Reads, understands and follows cGMP, QSOPs and SOP documentation. Understands each department's product lines and their production processes and performs job duties in accordance with required documentation while completing procedures and records in a timely and accurately fashion. Works with minimal supervision and resolves problems independently or collaboratively in a timely manner in order to minimize disruptions in production schedule or product development transfer. Maintains work flow with efficient use of equipment and material resources to maintain production and transfer schedules. Collaborates with other Production Scientist, Department Management and Research Department on the direction and expenditure of employee and equipment resources within departments. Serves as a resource for Manufacturing Associates and Technicians for issues and training. Ensures that any staff participating in the manufacture or testing of department's product lines are trained and performing the tasks according to the required documentation. Operates all lab equipment with understanding of proper operation, preventative maintenance and safety considerations of the required equipment. Maintains manufacturing areas in accordance with QSOP and safety documentation.
   
   EDUCATION, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:Bachelor's or Master's degree in life sciences or equivalent, 6+ years practical experience, and demonstrated working knowledge of research & production methods. Or Associates Degree in in life sciences or equivalent, 8+ years practical experience, and demonstrated working knowledge of of research & production methods. Or 10 years practical experience, and demonstrated working knowledge of of research and/or production methods Problem solving and troubleshooting skills required.Effective communication skills required including ability to work with multiple people.Computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel or similar programs required.Good laboratory skills including maintaining orderly and safe work areas required.Familiarity with cGMPs and FDA guidelines for biological industries preferred.
   #LI-HF1
   
   Before you apply, please make sure you share Quidel' s values. We pride ourselves on keeping these values in mind every day as we execute on goals and plan for the future. We are seeking employees who share the same mindset and commitment to be customer driven, focused on execution, and new product oriented. We succeed by being determined, optimistic team players.
   
   Quidel is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer (Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans). We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting production 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.

   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.

   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 production scientist

   Once you've decided on a perfect production scientist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 production scientist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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