How to hire a senior bioinformatics scientist

How to hire a senior bioinformatics scientist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior bioinformatics scientist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 senior bioinformatics 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 senior bioinformatics scientist that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior bioinformatics scientists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Bioinformatics Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Bioinformatics Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$31-78
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Next-Generation Sequencing
   • Data Analysis
   • Visualization
   • Computational Biology
   • NGS
   • C++
   • Linux
   • Cloud Computing
   • Perl
   • Statistical Analysis
   • SQL
   • Profiling
   • RNA-seq

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
   • Design the NGS base cancer diagnostics report.
   • Assume responsibility for programming, using Perl and CGI and shell scripting.
   • Develop and validate ELISA assays necessary for providing information for PK/PD analysis.
   • Establish purification and purity analysis procedures, and develop numerous ELISA assays.
   • Provide small-scale GLP synthetic chemistry laboratory support to bulk GMP pharmaceutical manufacturing.

   More senior bioinformatics scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior bioinformatics scientist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior bioinformatics scientist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior bioinformatics scientists' average salary in missouri is 53% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior bioinformatics scientists earn 60% less than senior-level senior bioinformatics scientists.
   • Certifications. A senior bioinformatics scientist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior bioinformatics scientist's salary.

   Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary

   $104,838yearly

   $50.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior bioinformatics scientist salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,346	$59
   2	Connecticut	$115,555	$56
   3	New York	$100,112	$48
   4	Arizona	$93,195	$45
   5	Maryland	$91,943	$44
   6	Tennessee	$89,166	$43
   7	Massachusetts	$88,758	$43
   8	Michigan	$87,422	$42
   9	Washington	$85,628	$41
   10	Wisconsin	$78,558	$38
   11	Virginia	$73,293	$35
   12	Texas	$69,223	$33
   13	Florida	$68,932	$33
   14	Georgia	$65,918	$32
   15	Utah	$59,189	$28
   16	Missouri	$55,974	$27

   Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$146,967	$70.66	24
   2	Genentech	$130,165	$62.58	54
   3	Varian Medical Systems	$127,956	$61.52
   4	Exelixis	$120,423	$57.90	10
   5	Booz Allen Hamilton	$120,291	$57.83	76
   6	DNAnexus	$119,588	$57.49
   7	Exact Sciences	$118,179	$56.82	7
   8	Agilent Technologies	$112,751	$54.21	4
   9	AbbVie	$109,952	$52.86	71
   10	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$109,136	$52.47	46
   11	Novartis	$109,080	$52.44	3
   12	Illumina	$108,651	$52.24	2
   13	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$107,580	$51.72	7
   14	PacBio	$106,671	$51.28	2
   15	Experis US Inc	$105,526	$50.73
   16	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$103,765	$49.89	77
   17	GNS Healthcare	$103,554	$49.79
   18	454 Life Sciences	$102,713	$49.38
   19	Bionano Genomics	$101,658	$48.87	2
   20	IntelliPro	$101,120	$48.62	5

4. Writing a senior bioinformatics scientist job description

   A job description for a senior bioinformatics scientist 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 senior bioinformatics scientist job description:

   Senior bioinformatics scientist job description example

   Who We Are
   Ovation.io is a clinical informatics company providing operations software and data tools for the advancement of precision medicine. Compelled by the philosophy that data drives action, Ovation is creating products that make it easier for labs to bring innovative tests to the patients that need them.
   
   Since its founding in March of 2017, Ovation has grown to develop and support world-class SaaS products used by clinical and translational labs around the globe. Along the way, Ovation's team has developed an unparalleled level of competency in this space with particular expertise in the fields of molecular diagnostics and clinical data utilization.
   Who You AreA collaborator within a fast-paced team who can adapt to new challenges in real time.Someone who strives to see connections and pursue opportunities where others cannot.Passionate for mission-driven work with a desire to be an important contributor.Enthusiastic about science, technical details, and reproducible evidence driven research and disciplined in data quality and performance.A person capable of having a deep appreciation of the challenges faced by patients and Ovation's potential role in helping drug developers accelerate delivery of life-changing precision medicines to the patients that need them.
   What You Will DoWork with engineering teams to develop strategies for end-to-end management of large clinical genomic data sets to bridge wet lab NGS protocols, harmonizing interpretation of data from different sequencing platforms and cutting-edge analyses of variants.Analyze whole genomes and transcriptomes from small RNA viromes to human genomes to benchmark their technical validity and genomic relevance.Perform exploratory genetic analysis on genomes to increase the power of biomedical discovery in human disease areas.Design and guide wetlab NGS workflows in customer clinical labs to generate consistently high quality sequence data from challenging specimens.Document, analyze and interpret project specific data to create and present genomics summaries and reports for delivery.
   What You BringExperience in bioinformatic pipelines and analyses of different genomes and transcriptomes including variant calling in human genomics.Deep understanding of concepts behind common and rare variant analysis, fine mapping, and phased sequencing.Good working knowledge of NGS methods, literature and milestone genomic projects like those associated with 1000 Genomes and UK biobank.Strong familiarity with bioinformatics algorithms and software tools for genomic analysis at DNA, methylation, and RNA levels, including open source platforms like GitHub.Experience with executing tools in Linux, Python notebook and AWS.Solid understanding of statistical concepts routinely used in bioinformatic analyses.Experience in a diagnostic CLIA/CAP environment with research data of unknown clinical significance.PhD in clinical human genomic and bioinformatics or related preferred.#LI-RC1
   Join us! Ovation is excited to be building the next-generation of cloud-based operations software and data tools for diagnostics and discovery. We're a small but rapidly growing team that values transparency, integrity, aptitude, and grit. We work in an open and supportive environment that encourages experiments, strives for perfection, and expects failures as part of the learning process in a fast-paced, innovation-driven company.
   
   A satisfactory background check is required by Ovation and will be subject to state or local regulations, including but not limited to your driving records, credit records, criminal records, education records, personal references, previous and current employers.
   
   Ovation is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity as a core of company culture. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior bioinformatics scientist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 senior bioinformatics scientist

   Once you've selected the best senior bioinformatics scientist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior bioinformatics scientist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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