Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Senior validation engineer salary
Average senior validation engineer salary
$106,288
Understanding Senior Validation Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Validation Engineer stands at $106,288 annually, roughly $51 per hour. This role is essential in industries like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, where rigorous testing and compliance are paramount.
Salary Variations by State
Senior Validation Engineers typically earn more in states such as California, where the cost of living is higher and demand for skilled professionals is significant. Other states with competitive salaries include Texas and New York.
Factors Affecting Salary
Experience plays a crucial role in salary determination. Engineers with advanced degrees or specialized certifications often command higher salaries. Additionally, the industry sector significantly influences earnings; those working in high-stakes environments may see salaries surpassing the average.
Job Opportunities
For those looking to enter this field or advance their careers, understanding the salary landscape is critical. Job boards like Zippia provide insights into current openings and salary expectations, helping professionals make informed decisions about their career paths.
Let Zippi find your next senior validation engineer job
Let Zippi find your next senior validation engineer job
Where can a Senior Validation Engineer earn more?
Senior validation engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior validation engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior validation engineers are California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. The lowest average senior validation engineer salary states are Nebraska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior validation engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $114,393 | $55.00 |
| 2 | California | $118,473 | $56.96 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $113,891 | $54.76 |
| 4 | Texas | $111,842 | $53.77 |
| 5 | Vermont | $108,829 | $52.32 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $105,761 | $50.85 |
| 7 | Washington | $106,766 | $51.33 |
| 8 | Idaho | $109,784 | $52.78 |
| 9 | Nevada | $107,750 | $51.80 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $102,548 | $49.30 |
| 11 | Alabama | $102,172 | $49.12 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $108,515 | $52.17 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $107,065 | $51.47 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $107,576 | $51.72 |
| 15 | Colorado | $101,750 | $48.92 |
| 16 | Maryland | $103,452 | $49.74 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $95,474 | $45.90 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $99,712 | $47.94 |
| 19 | Maine | $101,938 | $49.01 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $96,722 | $46.50 |
| 21 | Virginia | $93,946 | $45.17 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $93,308 | $44.86 |
| 23 | Delaware | $93,684 | $45.04 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $94,737 | $45.55 |
| 25 | New York | $95,096 | $45.72 |
| 26 | Utah | $92,001 | $44.23 |
| 27 | Florida | $92,497 | $44.47 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $90,822 | $43.66 |
| 29 | Illinois | $91,999 | $44.23 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $91,031 | $43.76 |
| 31 | Georgia | $91,799 | $44.13 |
| 32 | Michigan | $86,120 | $41.40 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $88,894 | $42.74 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $90,661 | $43.59 |
| 35 | Oregon | $81,598 | $39.23 |
| 36 | Ohio | $85,697 | $41.20 |
| 37 | Alaska | $84,929 | $40.83 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $85,915 | $41.31 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $84,980 | $40.86 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $84,864 | $40.80 |
| 41 | Montana | $82,346 | $39.59 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $77,895 | $37.45 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $80,756 | $38.83 |
| 44 | Missouri | $81,887 | $39.37 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $82,206 | $39.52 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $77,375 | $37.20 |
| 47 | Iowa | $78,834 | $37.90 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $67,848 | $32.62 |
| 49 | Indiana | $67,493 | $32.45 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $74,763 | $35.94 |
| 51 | Kansas | $67,938 | $32.66 |
Highest paying cities for senior validation engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior validation engineers are San Francisco, CA, Phoenix, AZ, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $127,950 | $61.51 |
| 2 | Phoenix, AZ | $114,799 | $55.19 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $114,080 | $54.85 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $112,580 | $54.13 |
| 5 | Union, NJ | $107,620 | $51.74 |
| 6 | Bothell, WA | $107,357 | $51.61 |
| 7 | Salisbury, MD | $105,165 | $50.56 |
| 8 | Longmont, CO | $101,542 | $48.82 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $94,031 | $45.21 |
| 10 | Newark, DE | $93,527 | $44.96 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $91,839 | $44.15 |
| 12 | North Charleston, SC | $91,262 | $43.88 |
| 13 | Warren, MI | $86,539 | $41.61 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $85,253 | $40.99 |
| 15 | Madison, WI | $84,505 | $40.63 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $82,465 | $39.65 |
| 17 | Hillsboro, OR | $80,920 | $38.90 |
| 18 | Columbus, IN | $67,431 | $32.42 |
Senior validation engineer salary details
A senior validation engineer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $140,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior validation engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $140,000 | $11,667 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $106,288 | $8,857 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
Highest paying senior validation engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior validation engineers are senior engineer, senior quality engineer, and senior validation specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Validation Analyst | $84,626 | $7,052 | $40.69 | 29,657 |
| Validation Engineer | $82,004 | $6,834 | $39.42 | 28,394 |
| System Validation Engineer | $92,322 | $7,693 | $44.39 | 25,362 |
Top companies hiring senior validation engineers now:
Which companies pay senior validation engineers the most?
Senior validation engineer salaries at Apple and NVIDIA are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior validation engineer salary at companies like Emergent BioSolutions and Western Digital are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $137,468 | $66.09 |
| 2 | NVIDIA | $122,577 | $58.93 |
| 3 | Emergent BioSolutions | $119,728 | $57.56 |
| 4 | Western Digital | $119,283 | $57.35 |
| 5 | Cruise Automation | $117,768 | $56.62 |
| 6 | AstraZeneca | $116,228 | $55.88 |
| 7 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $115,125 | $55.35 |
| 8 | Genentech | $114,416 | $55.01 |
| 9 | Xilinx | $114,358 | $54.98 |
| 10 | Texas Instruments | $113,966 | $54.79 |
| 11 | Iovance Biotherapeutics | $113,607 | $54.62 |
| 12 | New York Blood Center | $113,270 | $54.46 |
| 13 | J.P. Morgan | $112,395 | $54.04 |
| 14 | CyberCoders | $111,767 | $53.73 |
| 15 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $111,169 | $53.45 |
| 16 | Renesas Electronics | $109,858 | $52.82 |
| 17 | Ãœber | $109,318 | $52.56 |
| 18 | Synaptics | $109,114 | $52.46 |
| 19 | Rambus | $108,662 | $52.24 |
| 20 | NETLOGIC MICROSYSTEMS INC | $108,231 | $52.03 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Validation Engineer salary by industry
The average senior validation engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior validation engineer salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $99,979, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior validation engineer salary in the finance industry is $97,932.
- Senior validation engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $95,920, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior validation engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $99,979 | $48.07 |
| 2 | Technology | $97,932 | $47.08 |
| 3 | Automotive | $97,913 | $47.07 |
| 4 | Health Care | $97,907 | $47.07 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $96,903 | $46.59 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $95,920 | $46.12 |
High paying senior validation engineer jobs
Senior validation engineer salary trends
The average senior validation engineer salary has risen by $13,160 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior validation engineer earned $93,128 annually, but today, they earn $106,288 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for senior validation engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior validation engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior validation engineer salary over time
Compare senior validation engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior validation engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,000 | $51.10 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $102,000 | $48.95 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $99,700 | $47.94 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | $100,000 | $48.07 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | $100,000 | $48.09 | +1.4% |
Recently added senior validation engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZP Group | Senior Validation Engineer | Copiague, NY | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| Actalent | SR. Validation Engineer | Redmond, WA | 06/29/2025 | $135,655 |
| Actalent | Senior Validation Engineer | Elwood, KS | 06/29/2025 | $108,524 |
| PDS Tech Commercial, Inc. | Senior Validation Engineer-Pharma | Indianapolis, IN | 06/26/2025 | $89,678 |
| PCI Pharma Services | Senior Validation Engineer | Rockford, IL | 06/25/2025 | $97,280 |
| Genentech | Senior Compliance/Validation Engineer | Oceanside, CA | 06/20/2025 | $92,600 |
| Si-Bone, Inc. | Verification and Validation Engineer/Senior V&V Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
| Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc. | SR. Validation Engineer | Chino, CA | 06/20/2025 | $105,000 |
| Verista | 5226-Senior CQV Engineer/Senior Validation Engineer | Columbus, OH | 06/19/2025 | $53,951 |
| Verista | 5779-Senior CQV Engineer/Senior Validation Engineer | Bloomington, MN | 06/19/2025 | $70,491 |
Senior validation engineer salary FAQs
Search for senior validation engineer jobs