How to hire a research team leader

How to hire a research team leader, step by step

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

What does a research team leader do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your research team leader job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a research team leader for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 team 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 team leader that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of research team leaders.

   Type of Research Team Leader	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Team 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.	$31-75
   Marketing Consultant	A marketing consultant is responsible for utilizing their extensive retail expertise to develop strategies on how to strengthen client base and achieve better sales. Furthermore, a marketing consultant must perform research and analysis to determine opportunities for financial gains, devise plans to improve client satisfaction, assess the competition, look out for any risks, and develop its brand and image... Show more	$21-53
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Analysis
   • Data Collection
   • R
   • Institutional Review
   • FDA
   • Market Research
   • Research Projects
   • Financial Statements
   • Python
   • Clinical Trials
   • GLP
   • SQL
   • Research Methods
   • Inbound Calls

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and implement strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
   • Prepare agenda for IRB meeting.
   • Conduct research for FDA and FDA associate companies.
   • Utilize SPSS to analyze survey data and gain meaningful insights for new and existing EDMC program and product strategy.
   • Recode variables collect and analyze data on SPSS to determine if there are significant correlations
   • Provide continuous service by assisting customers to troubleshoot voice and data communications equipment and support of contingency planning for service interruptions.

   More research team leader duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the research team leader job description is a good way to get more applicants. A research team leader 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 research team leader in Florida may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level research team leader. Additionally, a research team leader with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average research team leader salary

   $100,872yearly

   $48.50 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research team leader salary

   $65,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 31, 2025

   Average research team leader salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$130,689	$63
   2	New Jersey	$126,055	$61
   3	New York	$112,562	$54
   4	Massachusetts	$94,044	$45
   5	Illinois	$93,604	$45
   6	Texas	$91,136	$44
   7	Georgia	$85,725	$41
   8	North Carolina	$84,462	$41
   9	Montana	$82,129	$39
   10	Colorado	$81,649	$39
   11	Virginia	$81,532	$39
   12	Michigan	$80,103	$39
   13	Pennsylvania	$78,271	$38
   14	Ohio	$77,463	$37

   Average research team leader salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$192,801	$92.69
   2	Google	$181,648	$87.33	168
   3	Oliver Wyman	$179,952	$86.52
   4	Bloomberg	$173,857	$83.59	37
   5	Apple	$173,758	$83.54	57
   6	Alere	$124,392	$59.80
   7	Abbott	$122,410	$58.85	17
   8	BASF	$114,970	$55.27	4
   9	Pfizer	$112,571	$54.12	13
   10	U.S. Bank	$111,965	$53.83
   11	Wells Fargo	$111,703	$53.70	16
   12	DuPont	$111,012	$53.37	7
   13	BA Insight	$106,712	$51.30
   14	The Home Depot	$104,578	$50.28	7
   15	Relativity	$100,580	$48.36
   16	Sabre	$99,206	$47.70
   17	Charles River Labs	$95,337	$45.84	72
   18	LYCRA brand	$92,626	$44.53
   19	PowerTeam Services	$91,955	$44.21
   20	Mendix	$91,805	$44.14

4. Writing a research team leader job description

   A research team 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a research team leader job description:

   Research team leader job description example

   For 70 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we'll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.
   
   We are seeking an experienced Team Leader, Research (Surgical) for our Safety Assessmentsite located in Shrewsbury, MA.
   
   TheTeam Leader, Research (surgical) will serve as the lead/primary technician on the surgical studies and perform technical duties, administer test substances, and generate data on any type of study (i.e., basic/complex/specialized). Perform clinical observations, sample collection, and monitor food consumption of animals on assigned studies. Provide leadership, technical guidance, and serve as a mentor to less experienced staff. Assist department management with oversight and daily supervision of technical personnel.
   The following are minimum requirements related to the Team Leader, Researchposition:
   
   + Education:Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) or equivalent in scientific related discipline.
   
   + Experience:4-8 years related experience in animal science, biology, chemistry/pharmacy, or similar lab environment or must have fully satisfied technical and experience requirements for the previous level. GLP experience preferred.
   
   + An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
   
   + Certification/Licensure:AALAS certification at the LAT level strongly preferred.
   
   + Other:Demonstrated interpersonal skills, effective communication skills, and leadership/supervisory skills. Ability to handle a variety of laboratory animals. Proficient in technical skills and the operation of data collection equipment. Knowledge of GLPs and other federal regulations and guidelines relating to the care of laboratory animals required. Understanding of routine and complex study design and protocols. Knowledge of math to calculate and prepare dosing preparations/formulations. Ability to organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines. Computer literacy including word processing, spreadsheet and database programs.
   
   About Safety Assessment
   
   Charles River is committed to helping our partners expedite their preclinical drug development with exceptional safety assessment services, state-of-the-art facilities and expert regulatory guidance. From individual specialty toxicology and IND enabling studies to tailored packages and total laboratory support, our deeply experienced team can design and execute programs that anticipate challenges and avoid roadblocks for a smooth, efficient journey to market. Each year approximately 120 investigational new drug (IND) programs are conducted in our Safety Assessment facilities.
   
   About Charles River
   
   Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients' clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.
   
   With over 17,000 employees within 90 facilities in 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client's unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world. And in 2019, revenue increased to $2.62 billion.
   
   At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people's lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly supported the development of ~85% of the drugs approved by the FDA in 2019.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity
   
   Charles River Laboratories is an Equal Opportunity Employer - M/F/Disabled/Vet
   
   .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find research team leaders 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 research team leaders they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level research team leaders 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 research team leader job on Zippia to find and recruit research team 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

   During your first interview to recruit research team leaders, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 team leader

   Once you've found the research team leader candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 research team 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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