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What is a senior research and development technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior research and development technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $50.41 an hour? That's $104,850 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce -400 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreSenior Research And Development TechnicianUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $104,850

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
2.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 8.05%

Black or African American 6.26%

Hispanic or Latino 10.43%

Unknown 4.32%

White 70.79%

Gender

female 18.08%

male 81.92%

Age - 52
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 - 52
Stress level
5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior research and development technician career paths

Key steps to become a senior research and development technician

  1. Explore senior research and development technician education requirements

    Most common senior research and development technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    44.4 %

    Associate

    38.2 %

    Master's

    7.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior research and development technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Prototype7.31%
    Product Development5.85%
    Lab Notebook4.92%
    Solidworks4.89%
    Test Procedures4.55%
  3. Complete relevant senior research and development technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior research and development technicians 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 research and development technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior research and development technician resumes.
  4. Research senior research and development technician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage preliminary assembly and debugging of new products.
    • Design basic test fixtures or document exist fixtures using Solidworks.
    • Design device mask layout of RF, microwave and millimeter-wave InP devices and circuits.
    • Design and write protocols for new product testing and characterization using ASTM and ISO standards.
  5. Get senior research and development technician experience

    Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a senior research and development technician. The most common roles before becoming a senior research and development technician include research and development technician, senior engineering technician team lead and electronics technician.
  6. Prepare your senior research and development technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior research and development technician 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 research and development technician 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 research and development technician resume templates

    Build a professional senior research and development technician 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 research and development technician resume.
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
    Senior Research And Development Technician Resume
  7. Apply for senior research and development technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior research and development technician 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 research and development technician job

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Average senior research and development technician salary

The average senior research and development technician salary in the United States is $104,850 per year or $50 per hour. Senior research and development technician salaries range between $79,000 and $137,000 per year.

Average senior research and development technician salary
$104,850 Yearly
$50.41 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do senior research and development technicians rate their job?

-/5

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Senior research and development technician reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Investigation. I love to dig and dig to find hidden gems of information that can be pivtol to the project.

Cons

There is tons of reading involved, not everything is interesting so it can be a bit much to read and analyze what seems like endless information. But I still love it.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Ingenuity and the fast paced environment while critical thinking to solve the problems.


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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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