What does a senior chemist do?
Senior Chemists are responsible for designing, developing, and testing formulations and compounds. They also maintain and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and relevant documentation.
Senior chemist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior chemist resumes:
- Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
- Conduct GC-MS, TGA, and FTIR, UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis of extractables and elemental impurities.
- Develop Simethicone assay method by FT-IR in liquid dosage.
- Used EPA methods for actinide, technetium, strontium, and tritium determination.
- Prepare submission documentation, including CMC sections, for IDE and PMA submissions.
- Supervise mobile lab team of analysts at various EPA super fund site locations for PCB and halo-hydrocarbons analysis testing.
- Replace and align a laser and power supply on an FTIR instrument saving $2,000 and several days of downtime.
- Develop high throughput certify and validate quantitative methods in support of non-GLP, GLP and human clinical studies using LC/MS/MS.
- Develop and revise QC systems such as sampling, sample tracking, reserve inventory, control substance inventory and stability.
- Evaluate new HPLC equipment to replace outdate instrumentation.
- Authore and implement training modules for QC laboratory.
- Perform qualification, troubleshooting and maintenance on HPLC instruments.
- Perform multiple GLP pesticide registration research studies and validations.
- Characterize pharmaceutical API by intrinsic dissolution and solubility tests.
- Coordinate instrumentation calibration program and maintain records for FDA inspection.
Senior chemist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Senior Chemists are proficient in Method Development, Laboratory Equipment, and HPLC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Chemists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Method Development, 8%
Contributed significant biophysical/method development findings and presented to scientific management in development organization.
- Laboratory Equipment, 6%
Perform wet and instrumental analysis of dosage forms in new and finished pharmaceutical products by using computerized laboratory equipment.
- HPLC, 5%
Developed and validated LC-MS and HPLC quantitative Methods according regulatory requirements.
- Analytical Methods, 5%
Develop, modification, implementation and ruggedness of analytical method using current USP/NF/BP/EP to meet specification and to maximize method performance.
- R, 4%
Used R, SSL, and SQL programming to identify and fix multiple processing and GUI problems with StarLIMS v9.
- GMP, 4%
Performed inspection of manufacturing operations for GMP compliance (including sanitation) and provided recommendations.
Most senior chemists use their skills in "method development," "laboratory equipment," and "hplc" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior chemist responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior chemist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "chemists and materials scientists need to evaluate the results of experiments to ensure accuracy in their research." Senior chemists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "conducted sampling, extraction, analysis, and submitted formal reports to the fda and the florida department of agriculture. "
Communication skills. Many senior chemist duties rely on communication skills. "chemists and materials scientists must be able to convey information clearly in reports and presentations for both technical and nontechnical audiences.," so a senior chemist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior chemist responsibilities rely on communication skills: "maintained communications with fda, major analytical facilities, vendors, and service contractors. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior chemists is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday senior chemist duties, as "chemists and materials scientists regularly use calculus, algebra, statistics, and other math for calculations." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of ink and ink-related products utilizing a variety of analytical instrumentation and software. "
Organizational skills. A big part of what senior chemists do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to senior chemist responsibilities because "chemists and materials scientists must document processes carefully when conducting experiments, tracking outcomes, and analyzing results." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior chemist tasks: "well versed in implementing standard operating procedures, organizational policies, and analytical methodologies accurately and consistently. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for senior chemist responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior chemists all the time, as "chemists’ and materials scientists’ work involves posing questions during research and finding answers through results." An excerpt from a real senior chemist resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior chemist does: "participated and presented at fda meeting to discuss the resolution of an outstanding phase iv dissolution commitment. "
Time-management skills. Another skill commonly found on senior chemist job descriptions is "time-management skills." It can come up quite often in senior chemist duties, since "chemists and materials scientists usually need to meet deadlines and must be able to prioritize tasks while maintaining quality." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day senior chemist responsibilities: "maintained and repaired crucial laboratory equipment, reducing labor costs and impact on project deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most senior chemists are:
- Deloitte14 senior chemists jobs
- Eurofins12 senior chemists jobs
- Ernst & Young10 senior chemists jobs
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Compare different senior chemists
Senior chemist vs. Quality control associate
In a manufacturing setting, a quality control associate is in charge of conducting various tests to ensure that the products meet the company's standard criteria. Their responsibilities revolve around inspecting the workforce and workload involved in the production process, identifying errors or inconsistencies, recommending solutions and alterations, and maintaining records and documentation. Furthermore, as a quality control associate, it is essential to coordinate with department staff and produce progress reports, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior chemists and quality control associate. For instance, senior chemist responsibilities require skills such as "product development," "ms," "chromatography," and "analytical procedures." Whereas a quality control associate is skilled in "qc," "data entry," "endotoxin," and "qa." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Quality control associates tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $54,631. In contrast, senior chemists make the biggest average salary, $93,450, in the manufacturing industry.quality control associates tend to reach lower levels of education than senior chemists. In fact, quality control associates are 9.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Senior chemist vs. Postdoctoral research associate
A postdoctoral research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior chemist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "method development," "laboratory equipment," "analytical methods," and "gmp." Meanwhile, a postdoctoral research associate has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "research projects," "chemistry," and "post-doctoral." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Postdoctoral research associates earn a lower average salary than senior chemists. But postdoctoral research associates earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $69,999. Additionally, senior chemists earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $93,450 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Postdoctoral research associates tend to reach similar levels of education than senior chemists. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior chemists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Betsy Smith
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College
Senior chemist vs. Postdoctoral scholar
A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior chemists are more likely to have skills like "method development," "laboratory equipment," "analytical methods," and "gmp." But a postdoctoral scholar is more likely to have skills like "chemistry," "python," "patients," and "nih."
Postdoctoral scholars earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $72,557. Senior chemists earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $93,450.postdoctoral scholars typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior chemists. Specifically, they're 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 15.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior chemist vs. Quality control coordinator
A quality control coordinator is in charge of organizing and overseeing an organization's quality control procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They coordinate teams and activities, delegate tasks, conduct audits, set goals, establish guidelines, gather and analyze client feedback, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They must also conduct inspections to ensure the facility's compliance with state laws and standards. Furthermore, a quality control coordinator must monitor the progress of all operations, resolving issues promptly and efficiently while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior chemists and quality control coordinators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior chemist might have more use for skills like "method development," "analytical methods," "product development," and "gc." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of quality control coordinators require skills like "patients," "data entry," "quality standards," and "corrective action. "
The pharmaceutical industry tends to pay the highest salaries for quality control coordinators, with average annual pay of $69,043. Comparatively, the highest senior chemist annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.quality control coordinators reach lower levels of education compared to senior chemists, in general. The difference is that they're 8.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 8.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior chemist
Updated January 8, 2025
