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What is a senior quality control chemist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior quality control chemist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $38.56 an hour? That's $80,208 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 5,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior quality control chemist?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.
ScoreSenior Quality Control ChemistUS Average
Salary
6.3

Avg. Salary $80,208

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 22.62%

Black or African American 7.53%

Hispanic or Latino 9.24%

Unknown 4.54%

White 55.81%

Gender

female 38.46%

male 61.54%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress level
5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior quality control chemist career paths

Key steps to become a senior quality control chemist

  1. Explore senior quality control chemist education requirements

    Most common senior quality control chemist degrees

    Bachelor's

    74.4 %

    Master's

    16.5 %

    Doctorate

    4.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior quality control chemist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    QC8.83%
    HPLC5.59%
    GMP5.44%
    Test Methods4.38%
    OOs4.10%
  3. Complete relevant senior quality control chemist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior quality control chemists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior quality control chemist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior quality control chemist resumes.
  4. Research senior quality control chemist duties and responsibilities

    • Help achieve FDA approval of the first generic unit dose nasal spray drug product.
    • Help management with audit duties for FDA, NSF or USP.
    • Perform FTIR on raw materials and confirm identity.
    • Maintain compliance with GMP, DEA, safety and training requirements.
  5. Get senior quality control chemist experience

  6. Prepare your senior quality control chemist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior quality control chemist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior quality control chemist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior quality control chemist resume templates

    Build a professional senior quality control chemist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior quality control chemist resume.
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    Senior Quality Control Chemist Resume
  7. Apply for senior quality control chemist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior quality control chemist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior quality control chemist job

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Average senior quality control chemist salary

The average senior quality control chemist salary in the United States is $80,208 per year or $39 per hour. Senior quality control chemist salaries range between $61,000 and $105,000 per year.

Average senior quality control chemist salary
$80,208 Yearly
$38.56 hourly

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How do senior quality control chemists rate their job?

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Senior quality control chemist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

To discover new formulas and mixtures thats can break through the science world

Cons

I do not have a bachelor in chemistry but i do have a associate's in biology from the university of belize.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Quality compliance, Concurrent documentation, Good Laboratory practice


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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