How to hire a quality control-associate scientist

How to hire a quality control-associate scientist, step by step

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

What does a quality control-associate scientist do?

Post a quality control-associate scientist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The quality control-associate scientist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 quality control-associate 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 quality control-associate scientist that fits the bill.

   This list presents quality control-associate scientist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Quality Control-Associate Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Quality Control-Associate Scientist		$25-55
   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
   Analytical Chemist	An Analytical Chemist uses a wide range of methods to investigate the chemical nature of substances. They analyze samples using different software, techniques, and equipment, and then interpret and report the results.	$21-40

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • QC
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Test Methods
   • GMP
   • HPLC
   • Troubleshoot
   • Lims
   • CAPA
   • Elisa
   • Data Analysis
   • FTIR
   • Microbiology
   • Analytical Methods
   • Stability Samples

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • SAP, Trackwise and outlook manage.
   • Initiate documentation of components and record all testing upon their completion according to USP and EP, in compliance with FDA.
   • Perform laboratory investigations for OOS results.
   • Research, identify, purchase & biotinylate specific commercial MMP antibodies for use in in-house ELISA's.
   • Work with QA to initiate and resolve deviations, OOS results, investigations, and audit observations.
   • Maintain a wide variety of instruments and equipment including daily calibrations and compliance with ISO and GLP.

   More quality control-associate scientist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average quality control-associate scientist salary

   $77,890yearly

   $37.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality control-associate scientist salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average quality control-associate scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$112,318	$54
   2	Washington	$93,747	$45
   3	Connecticut	$90,960	$44
   4	Massachusetts	$85,802	$41
   5	Wisconsin	$85,620	$41
   6	Maryland	$84,300	$41
   7	North Carolina	$77,564	$37
   8	Indiana	$70,782	$34
   9	Colorado	$69,018	$33
   10	Utah	$58,749	$28
   11	Florida	$56,496	$27

   Average quality control-associate scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AbbVie	$108,822	$52.32	109
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$106,770	$51.33	101
   3	Genentech	$104,671	$50.32	45
   4	AstraZeneca	$104,130	$50.06	17
   5	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$97,223	$46.74	3
   6	Eclaro	$83,702	$40.24
   7	Yoh	$81,256	$39.07
   8	Integrated Resources	$80,122	$38.52	385
   9	PTC Therapeutics	$79,530	$38.24	8
   10	Perrigo	$75,542	$36.32	3
   11	Abbott	$73,030	$35.11	98
   12	Catalent Pharma Solutions	$73,025	$35.11	76
   13	Gilead Sciences	$71,861	$34.55	134
   14	Glaxosmithkline	$71,846	$34.54
   15	Ricerca Biosciences	$71,777	$34.51
   16	Medimmune	$71,247	$34.25
   17	Eurofins	$70,406	$33.85	155
   18	HonorVet Technologies	$70,176	$33.74
   19	Lyndra Therapeutics	$68,749	$33.05
   20	Sirnaomics	$67,821	$32.61

4. Writing a quality control-associate scientist job description

   A quality control-associate 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 quality control-associate scientist job description:

   Quality control-associate scientist job description example

   Associate QC Scientist (2nd Shift)
   Contract to hire!!
   
   Must haves:

   • Bachelor s degree in science field with 0-3 years of experience
   • Master s degree in science field with 0-2 years of experience
   • GMP experience preferred
   • Must be able to read and understand English-written job instructions and safety requirements.
   • Has basic knowledge of the principles and concepts of a discipline (e.g., Biology, Chemistry)
   • Applies technical skills to complete assigned work within own group/project team

   • Location: Bloomington, IN
   • Industry: Pharmaceutical
   • Hours: Monday - Friday 2:30PM- 11PM
   • Salary: Up to $31.74 (Paid Weekly - Benefits Available)
   • Employment Type: 12 Month Contract (contract to hire)

   Environment : This client manufactures thousands of pharmaceutical, biologic, consumer health and beauty products utilizing superior and innovative drug delivery technologies to improve their value to patients and consumers. Our customer believes in a Patient First culture putting patients at the center of their work to ensure the safety, reliable supply, and optimal performance of our products.
   
   Job Scope:
   A quality control (QC) scientist s primary duty is to provide quality control environmental monitoring, critical utility systems, in-process, finished products, stability, cleaning process, and analytical method validation testing according to SOPs, cGMPs and regulatory guidelines.
   
   Job Characteristics:

   • Performing and reviewing testing during phases of production, providing technical peer review of testing data.
   • Writing/revising technical documents including laboratory procedures, protocols and technical reports.
   • Independently utilizing microbiological or analytical instrumentation such as HPLC, GC, UV, ICP-MS, FTIR, TOC, CE, ICE, Karl Fisher, Sterility Isolator, Plate Reader.
   • Performing testing using methodologies such as SDS-PAGE, western blotting, IEF, ELISA, PCR, EM, Endotoxins, Bioburden, Sterility and recognizing atypical/out of specification (OOS) results and perform investigation to determine root cause and implement corrective and preventive actions.

   EOE/ADA

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting quality control-associate 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.

   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 quality control-associate scientist

   Once you've decided on a perfect quality control-associate 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a quality control-associate scientist?