How to hire a research leader

How to hire a research leader, step by step

Here's a step-by-step research leader hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a research leader job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new research leader
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a research leader do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the research leader you need to hire. Certain research leader 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 research leader 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 research leader that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of research leader salaries for various roles:

   Type of Research Leader	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Leader	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$30-85
   Marketing Coordinator	A marketing coordinator supports the marketing department on deciding strategies and business efforts to develop the brand image and boost customer satisfaction. Marketing coordinators' duties include assisting in advertising campaigns, scheduling promotional events, monitoring sales status, researching current market trends, maintaining a record of existing and potential clients, and contributing ideas to improve the brand's profitability... Show more	$16-32
   Marketing Internship	Marketing interns are usually marketing students or fresh graduates who are interested in getting actual work experiences before taking on a full-time job. They usually have an interest or academic background related to marketing... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • Data Analysis
   • Market Research
   • Python
   • Research Methods
   • Research Findings
   • User Experience
   • Chemistry
   • R
   • Business Development
   • Visualization
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Research Data
   • Public Health

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead social path-to-purchase study, incorporating social media analytics into insight community to identify spectrum of social engagement among customers.
   • Develop new business development initiatives by performing comprehensive research, evaluation and analysis of national and international healthcare markets.
   • Train other analysts to perform ELISA assay.
   • Used SQL to create reports and extract data.
   • Conduct statistical tests to find results by operating SPSS.
   • Attend seminars and lectures on various research topics in mathematics.

   More research leader duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, research leaders' average salary in florida is 54% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level research leaders 64% less than senior-level research leaders.
   • Certifications. A research leader 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 research leader's salary.

   Average research leader salary

   $107,345yearly

   $51.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research leader salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average research leader salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$141,357	$68
   2	California	$134,134	$64
   3	New York	$133,729	$64
   4	District of Columbia	$130,590	$63
   5	Delaware	$129,335	$62
   6	Washington	$126,705	$61
   7	Connecticut	$118,158	$57
   8	Pennsylvania	$109,045	$52
   9	Virginia	$108,142	$52
   10	Massachusetts	$106,890	$51
   11	Ohio	$99,101	$48
   12	Texas	$97,486	$47
   13	Indiana	$96,104	$46
   14	Oregon	$96,025	$46
   15	Michigan	$95,059	$46
   16	North Carolina	$91,401	$44
   17	Minnesota	$91,368	$44
   18	Arizona	$90,589	$44
   19	Georgia	$89,719	$43
   20	Illinois	$85,147	$41

   Average research leader salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$214,424	$103.09	744
   2	McKinsey & Company Inc	$210,715	$101.31
   3	Airbnb	$205,856	$98.97	2
   4	Google	$204,149	$98.15	214
   5	Apple	$202,628	$97.42	86
   6	Asana	$191,410	$92.02	2
   7	eBay	$189,641	$91.17	3
   8	Citi	$188,151	$90.46	9
   9	Chevron	$182,874	$87.92	4
   10	DoorDash	$176,067	$84.65	9
   11	LinkedIn	$175,799	$84.52	3
   12	First Republic Bank	$171,573	$82.49
   13	Unity Technologies	$170,120	$81.79
   14	BNY Mellon	$169,160	$81.33
   15	Amd	$168,397	$80.96	9
   16	Castlight Health	$166,497	$80.05
   17	Koch Industries	$166,131	$79.87
   18	Goldman Sachs	$164,048	$78.87	13
   19	Amazon	$163,822	$78.76	83
   20	Microsoft	$163,732	$78.72	271

4. Writing a research leader job description

   A research leader 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. Below, you can find an example of a research leader job description:

   Research leader job description example

   
   
   Degree/Experience:
   - MS degree in related field (preferably in Chemistry or Material Science) plus 10+ years’ experience in project management/product development
   
   "MUST HAVES":
   - Proven track record for discovery and development of innovative products to support existing product development and the evaluation of future opportunities
   - Requires proven track record of delivering complex objectives in alignment with timelines in a rapidly changing environment, as well as experience managing multiple projects and priorities
   - Requires demonstrated success in leading the development of innovative products that deliver significant business growth
   - Must have strong leadership and project management skills and a working knowledge of manufacturing engineering
   - Must be willing to be hands-on in chemical research in this role, it is not just a "lead/supervisory" role.
   
   Duties/Responsibilities:
   - Will be responsible for all aspects of new product development, validation, and quality, managing product pipeline, design; guiding the engineering and chemical team and collaborating with internal cross functional teams to ensure the transfer of new products from research and development into a manufacturing environment engineering design
   - Provide the vision, strategy, prioritization, and scientific and technical leadership for the R&D function
   - Oversee design and successful execution of all key R&D strategic functions
   - Plans and formulates aspects of research and development proposals such as objective or purpose of project, applications that can be utilized from findings, costs of project, and equipment and human resource requirements
   - Develops and implements methods and procedures for monitoring projects such as preparation of records of expenditures and research findings, progress reports, and staff conferences, in order to inform management of current status of each project
   - Perform actual product research, testing and analysis. Negotiate contracts with consulting firms to perform research studies, forwarding all product and part specifications
   - Work with both the quality and operations departments to ensure requirements are proactively integrated into design
   - Operates as a focal point in the engineering group for development projects and especially collaborates with sales product management, manufacturing engineering, and operations
   - Responsible for leading process engineering and assisting in root cause analysis of production problems relating to materials, products, equipment, and/or procedures
   - Responsible for writing patent applications and managing the patent portfolio
   
   Location: Springfield, MA. area
   Start Date: ASAP!
   Duration: Direct Hire
   Hours: Mon-Fri; 8am-4:30pm

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right research leader for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your research leader job on Zippia to find and recruit research leader candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting research leaders 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 research leader

   Once you have selected a candidate for the research leader 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new research leader 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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How much does it cost to hire a research leader?