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How to hire a senior chemical engineer

Senior chemical engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring senior chemical engineers in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a senior chemical engineer is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per senior chemical engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 10,494 senior chemical engineers in the US and 54,380 job openings.
  • Houston, TX, has the highest demand for senior chemical engineers, with 5 job openings.
  • Pittsburgh, PA has the highest concentration of senior chemical engineers.

How to hire a senior chemical engineer, step by step

To hire a senior chemical engineer, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a senior chemical engineer, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a senior chemical engineer do?

A senior chemical engineer manufactures organic and inorganic chemicals. They also manage various products which include chemical works. For example, they may fabricate applications that require graphite, fiberglass, or thermoplastic materials. They may also oversee the manufacturing process of various chemical processes.

Learn more about the specifics of what a senior chemical engineer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your senior chemical engineer 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 senior chemical engineer 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?

    A senior chemical engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior chemical engineers 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 senior chemical engineer salaries for various positions.

    Type of Senior Chemical EngineerDescriptionHourly rate
    Senior Chemical EngineerChemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math to solve problems that involve the production or use of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food, and many other products. They design processes and equipment for large-scale manufacturing, plan and test production methods and byproducts treatment, and direct facility operations.$37-62
    Process EngineerA Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations... Show more$29-51
    EngineerEngineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more$31-62
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Chemistry
    • Project Management
    • IDS
    • Technical Support
    • Process Control
    • Process Engineering
    • R
    • Aspen Plus
    • Process Design
    • Statistical Analysis
    • Test Procedures
    • Process Optimization
    • Polymer
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
    • Consider one of company's batch distillation experts.
    • Work with suppliers and contractors for several distillation column packing replacement projects.
    • Process development engineer focuse on formulation and chemistry of key internal resins and adhesives.
    • Develop new chemistry routes and successfully demonstrate increased productivity without affecting the characteristics or quality of the product.
    • Maintain responsibility for manufacturing large-scale inorganic chemical synthesis.
    More senior chemical engineer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your senior chemical engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior chemical engineer salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, senior chemical engineers' average salary in new hampshire is 45% less than in new mexico.
    • Seniority. Entry-level senior chemical engineers earn 40% less than senior-level senior chemical engineers.
    • Certifications. A senior chemical engineer 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 chemical engineer's salary.

    Average senior chemical engineer salary

    $100,309yearly

    $48.23 hourly rate

    Entry-level senior chemical engineer salary
    $77,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average senior chemical engineer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Texas$121,726$59
    2Missouri$114,838$55
    3California$110,620$53
    4New Jersey$108,805$52
    5Louisiana$108,587$52
    6Tennessee$100,884$49
    7Minnesota$100,486$48
    8North Carolina$97,353$47
    9Montana$94,035$45
    10Indiana$93,700$45
    11Arizona$92,411$44
    12Illinois$90,637$44
    13New York$90,375$43
    14Nevada$88,069$42
    15Florida$87,812$42
    16Arkansas$86,185$41
    17Connecticut$74,001$36
    18Kansas$73,143$35

    Average senior chemical engineer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Tesla$112,003$53.8557
    2CyberCoders$108,523$52.17
    3Cargill$107,655$51.7615
    4Western Digital$106,729$51.31
    5Burns & McDonnell$106,493$51.2031
    6Honeywell$104,401$50.1967
    7Solugen$103,841$49.92
    8Heliogen$103,841$49.92
    9Trinity Industries$103,840$49.921
    10Solid Power$103,753$49.882
    11Micron Technology$103,719$49.8649
    12Peraton$103,359$49.6911
    13FXI Holdings, Inc.$102,892$49.47
    14Exponent$101,537$48.823
    15Corning Incorporated$100,556$48.3451
    16John Crane$99,672$47.924
    17Air Incorporated$99,003$47.60
    18Sargent & Lundy$97,559$46.904
    19Medtronic$97,146$46.7047
    20SRI International$96,799$46.542
  4. Writing a senior chemical engineer job description

    A good senior chemical engineer job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior chemical engineer job description:

    Senior chemical engineer job description example

    Requisition #:

    22000760

    Post Date:

    Jun 16, 2022

    Medtronic is an EOE, including disability/vets

    **Careers That Change Lives**

    Engineers and Scientists create our market-leading portfolio of innovations. Join us to make a lasting impact. Help bring the next generation of life-changing medical technology to patients worldwide.

    Together, we can change healthcare worldwide. At Medtronic, we push the limits of what technology can do to help alleviate pain, restore health and extend life. We challenge ourselves and each other to make tomorrow better than yesterday. It is what makes this an exciting and rewarding place to be.

    Join us to make a lasting impact. We believe that when people from different cultures, genders, and points of view come together, innovation is the result, and everyone wins. Medtronic walks the walk, creating an inclusive culture where you can thrive.

    Help bring the next generation of life-changing medical technology to patients worldwide.

    **A Day in the Life**

    The Senior Chemical Engineer will be responsible for developing and transferring stable, cost-effective and scalable bio-sensor chemical manufacturing processes to operations. They will develop and support processes including polymer synthesis, solution mixing and purification, perform necessary experiments to establish robust processes and gain a thorough understanding of capabilities and interactions with upstream and downstream processes. The engineer will define equipment needs, including tooling and operator interactions, establish design rules, metrologies and process controls and establish a high-volume production strategy.

    Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned.

    + Leads the innovation, development and/or optimization of new chemical manufacturing processes and procedures for transfer to manufacturing operations.

    + This can include scouting and feasibility work, chemical process and equipment selection, installation and assessment of inputs, outputs and alignment to requirements.

    + Assist in planning and setting up of a new manufacturing area leveraging lean/six sigma/cell operating system principles Logistics, Material receiving, storage, processing and delivery, Staffing, MES system, Safety procedures, Manufacturing instructions, and product metrics tracking.

    + Determines most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, oxidation, hydrogenation, and polymerization.

    + Performs equipment qualifications (IQ), process validations (Process characterization, OQ and PQ), and gage RR studies (TMV).

    + Applies statistical methods and science-based decisions to design experiments and implement improvements

    + Perform necessary experiments to establish robust processes. Monitor, root cause and resolve process yield issues.

    + Interacts with product design and development chemists to ensure that processes and designs are compatible.

    + Generates and maintains documentation per quality system regulations.

    + Ensures processes and procedures are in compliance with regulations.

    **Must Have: Minimum Requirements**

    **_In order to be considered for this position, the following basic qualifications must be evident on your resume_**

    Bachelors degree in engineering or related science field and 4+ years of relevant experience

    OR

    Advanced degree in engineering or related science field and 2+ years relevant experience

    **Nice to Have**

    + Master in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or similar discipline

    + Manufacturing/ Process Development experience in medical device industry or pharmaceutical industry

    + Experience in developing manufacturing processes.

    + Experience in SPC and/or other statistical analysis.

    + Experience in developing a process from concept to transfer in manufacturing and/or Experience working in a high-volume facility

    + Experience with DRM / DFSS, Lean Sigma, or Green/Black Belt Lean Sigma certification

    + Knowledge of DOE, statistical analysis methods and data analysis tools (Minitab, JMP, etc.)

    **About Medtronic**

    Together, we can change healthcare worldwide. At Medtronic, we push the limits of what technology, therapies and services can do to help alleviate pain, restore health and extend life. We challenge ourselves and each other to make tomorrow better than yesterday. It is what makes this an exciting and rewarding place to be.

    We want to accelerate and advance our ability to create meaningful innovations - but we will only succeed with the right people on our team. Lets work together to address universal healthcare needs and improve patients lives. Help us shape the future.

    **Physical Job Requirements**

    The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer, and communicate with peers and co-workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role. (ADA-United States of America)
  5. Post your job

    To find the right senior chemical engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior chemical engineers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior chemical engineers who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your senior chemical engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior chemical engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with senior chemical engineer 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 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 senior chemical engineer

    Once you have selected a candidate for the senior chemical engineer 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 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.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior chemical engineer. 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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How much does it cost to hire a senior chemical engineer?

Before you start to hire senior chemical engineers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire senior chemical engineers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $100,309 per year for a senior chemical engineer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for senior chemical engineers in the US typically range between $37 and $62 an hour.

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