How to hire a scientific director

How to hire a scientific director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step scientific director hiring guide:

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

What does a scientific director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the scientific director you need to hire. Certain scientific director 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

   A scientific director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, scientific directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents scientific director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Scientific Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Scientific Director	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$35-87
   Fellow	A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities... Show more	$22-44
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Medical Affairs
   • Clinical Development
   • Clinical Research
   • Pharmaceutical Industry
   • FDA
   • Immunology
   • MSL
   • Clinical Trials
   • Business Development
   • Project Management
   • Drug Development
   • HIV
   • Cycle Management
   • Biomarkers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
   • Establish analytical and QC workflows for client data.
   • Compose and submit grants and proposals to NIH and DOD
   • Establish quantitative ELISA assay to assess goat antisera titers.
   • Negotiate alliances with NIH, Biogen, Merck and other industry partners.
   • Perform GC and HPLC analysis on starting materials, intermediates and finish products.

   More scientific director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the scientific director job description is a good way to get more applicants. A scientific director 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 scientific director in South Carolina may be lower than in Tennessee, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level scientific director. Additionally, a scientific director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average scientific director salary

   $116,045yearly

   $55.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level scientific director salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average scientific director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$145,021	$70
   2	Indiana	$136,136	$65
   3	New Jersey	$134,174	$65
   4	Pennsylvania	$130,964	$63
   5	Minnesota	$127,730	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$127,037	$61
   7	Maryland	$124,213	$60
   8	District of Columbia	$121,316	$58
   9	Illinois	$118,251	$57
   10	Arizona	$116,293	$56
   11	Washington	$116,075	$56
   12	New York	$112,782	$54
   13	Oregon	$111,654	$54
   14	Michigan	$110,781	$53
   15	Virginia	$109,445	$53
   16	Ohio	$107,945	$52
   17	Wisconsin	$104,302	$50
   18	North Carolina	$100,864	$48
   19	Florida	$99,174	$48
   20	Texas	$92,325	$44

   Average scientific director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$165,158	$79.40
   2	Seagen	$133,543	$64.20
   3	Moderna	$131,947	$63.44	2
   4	Allergan plc	$131,688	$63.31	3
   5	Regeneron	$131,603	$63.27	14
   6	Incyte	$130,942	$62.95
   7	Amgen	$129,867	$62.44	31
   8	United Therapeutics	$129,728	$62.37	16
   9	Critical Path Institute	$129,296	$62.16
   10	Eli Lilly and Company	$126,538	$60.84	13
   11	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$126,168	$60.66	18
   12	Johns Hopkins University	$126,008	$60.58
   13	AbbVie	$125,828	$60.49	18
   14	Sanofi US	$124,878	$60.04	19
   15	PRWeek	$124,679	$59.94
   16	Merck	$124,621	$59.91	2
   17	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$124,177	$59.70	102
   18	Horizon Pharma USA, Inc.	$121,452	$58.39
   19	University of Pittsburgh	$120,518	$57.94
   20	Akron Children's Hospital	$120,413	$57.89

4. Writing a scientific director job description

   A job description for a scientific director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a scientific director job description:

   Scientific director job description example

   + Department: Koch Inst - Integrative Cancer Research
   
   + School Area: VP Research
   
   + Employment Type: Full-Time
   
   + Employment Category: Exempt
   
   + Visa Sponsorship Available: No
   
   + Schedule:
   
   Email a Friend Save Save Apply Now
   
   Information on MIT's COVID-19 vaccination requirement can be found at the bottom of this posting.
   
   CORE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING (HTS) FACILITY, Koch Institute (KI) for Integrative Cancer Research, to drive the scientific direction of the HTS Core Facility, the mission of which is to enable KI and the MIT community to use state-of-the-art automated screening systems and shared small molecule and genetic perturbation libraries in discovery and translational oncology and biomedical research via expertise, training, and instrumentation. Will manage the facility's day-to-day operations, collaborate with KI senior administration on strategic planning and development, and supervise a full-time automation research scientist and part-time research specialist. Responsibilities include training users; overseeing screening libraries and data management systems; advising and supporting those engaged in assay design through execution of biochemical or cell-based screens; providing consultation, training, troubleshooting, and hands-on expertise in developing robust high throughput assays; assisting with maintaining and operating instrumentation; playing a key role in crafting and implementing the facilities' scientific direction; identifying and onboarding novel technologies, shared resources, and instrumentation; providing education on best practices; initiating and engaging in cross-core collaborations; participating in writing proposals and letters of support; overseeing/tracking facility usage; supporting over 120 research groups; and other duties as needed.
   
   Job Requirements
   
   REQUIRED: doctorate in cell biology or related field; at least four years' postgraduate experience in an academic/industrial environment; documented track record in assay development and cell-based screening; excellent organizational, troubleshooting, interpersonal, presentation, problem-solving, and leadership skills; commitment to supporting and instructing faculty, postdoctoral and graduate trainees, and other researchers; ability to provide consultative services and hands-on training; and proven track record mentoring/supervising, delegating to, and collaborating with a diverse team. PREFERRED: expertise in mammalian tissue culture and knowledge of drug development and the oncology therapeutic area. Job #21350Schedule flexibility may be required.5/31/22

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right scientific director 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 scientific director job on Zippia to find and recruit scientific director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit scientific directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 scientific director

   Once you've found the scientific director 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 scientific director 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 scientific director?