How to hire a senior research assistant

How to hire a senior research assistant, step by step

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

What does a senior research assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior research assistant you need to hire. Certain senior research assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 research assistant 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 research assistant that fits the bill.

   This list presents senior research assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Research Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Research Assistant		$15-36
   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
   Research Leader	Research Leaders are academicians who oversee a group of researchers conducting a study. They are usually well-known researchers in their field of study or area of interest... Show more	$30-85

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Research Projects
   • Data Collection
   • Cell Culture
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • Data Analysis
   • Molecular Biology
   • PI
   • IRB
   • Western Blotting
   • Research Data
   • Data Entry
   • Elisa
   • CRISPR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all aspects of HPLC method development and analysis through interpretation of data ensuring accuracy of results.
   • Facilitate the preparation of IACUC and IBC protocols, amendments and renewals.
   • Train all undergraduates and graduates in proper lab technique, including DNA extraction and PCR.
   • Maintain high quality research environment, ensuring compliance of all AALAC, IACUC and USDA standards.
   • Blood processing to include CBC, blood glucose and DNA extraction in both human and animal specimens.
   • Maintain multiple databases of confidential participant data according to IRB regulations.

   More senior research assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior research assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior research assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior research assistant in Vermont may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior research assistant. Additionally, a senior research assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior research assistant salary

   $50,643yearly

   $24.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior research assistant salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average senior research assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$70,023	$34
   2	Massachusetts	$68,425	$33
   3	California	$61,686	$30
   4	District of Columbia	$61,532	$30
   5	Pennsylvania	$57,783	$28
   6	Rhode Island	$57,454	$28
   7	New York	$56,844	$27
   8	Florida	$55,904	$27
   9	Washington	$55,472	$27
   10	North Carolina	$52,750	$25
   11	Michigan	$51,663	$25
   12	Ohio	$51,302	$25
   13	Colorado	$50,748	$24
   14	Maryland	$50,471	$24
   15	Oregon	$50,224	$24
   16	Georgia	$49,470	$24
   17	Missouri	$49,427	$24
   18	Iowa	$48,354	$23
   19	Kansas	$46,519	$22
   20	New Mexico	$41,699	$20

   Average senior research assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$132,756	$63.83	217
   2	Google	$125,606	$60.39	130
   3	VMware	$119,540	$57.47
   4	McKinsey & Company Inc	$112,145	$53.92
   5	Genentech	$107,943	$51.90	4
   6	General Motors	$102,090	$49.08	18
   7	Sonos	$97,932	$47.08
   8	Mayo Clinic	$95,173	$45.76	163
   9	Visa	$94,356	$45.36	6
   10	Deloitte	$91,772	$44.12	54
   11	Ernst & Young	$90,316	$43.42	21
   12	Edward Jones	$90,187	$43.36
   13	EPAM Systems	$89,887	$43.21
   14	Exxon Mobil	$88,596	$42.59	3
   15	Booz Allen Hamilton	$81,105	$38.99	14
   16	Dolby Laboratories	$78,297	$37.64	10
   17	Salesforce	$74,520	$35.83	11
   18	BlackBerry	$73,380	$35.28
   19	Guttmacher Institute	$72,949	$35.07	2
   20	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$68,940	$33.14	3

4. Writing a senior research assistant job description

   A job description for a senior research assistant 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 research assistant job description:

   Senior research assistant job description example

   The Nondestructive Testing technician will independently perform inspections utilizing various advanced NDT (Phased Array UT, CR, DR) techniques seeking corrosion, defects, or detrimental conditions in accordance with specific written criteria. The Technician will perform inspections, interpret indications, and report results per company requirements. The Technician will be able to communicate processes, procedures and results to customers.
   Essential Job Functions
   Maintains a safe, secure and healthy environment by adhering to Company/Customer safety standards and practices and to legal regulations, alerting others regarding potential hazards or concern Performs all duties as assigned and adheres to TEAM's Core Values and Seven Critical Choices.Supervise Apprentices on the job site.Maintains advanced NDT certification.Performs NDT inspections for which certified.Interprets and reports results of inspections.
   
   Job Qualifications
   High school diploma or equivalent required Minimum 2 yrs experience in NDT field as a certified technician in at least 1 advanced NDT methods Certified to Level II in a minimum of one methods (UTPA, Cr, DR, ET) Ability to work in Microsoft WordAbility to work with computers / computerized equipment Ability to read, understand, and communicate in EnglishTravel requirement; 0-75%Ability to follow instructions
   
   Work Conditions
   Position is based out of a branch or site location.Field duties require indoor and outdoor work in a plant atmosphere Interaction with other crew employees, as well as supervisors and client personnel Working in plant and/or shop areas around production machinery with extreme noise levels Must be able to wear safety equipment as required by the safety department for personal protection May be at more than one job site in a day and must be able to tolerate climate changes May be required to travel out of town on a periodic basis
   
   Physical and Mental Requirements
   Ability to lift and carry 75 pounds Must be able to walk and climb except when performing non-field duties Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing or other communication capabilities, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits employee to communicate effectively Sufficient vision or other powers of observation, with or without reasonable accommodations, which permits employee to investigations Sufficient manual dexterity with or without reasonable accommodation, which permit the employee to perform routine office duties Sufficient personal mobility and physical reflexes, with or without reasonable accommodations to perform office duties and travel when necessary to off-site locations Sufficient personal mobility to maneuver within a refinery or plant environment to include the ability to gain access to elevated platforms via ladders and stairwells Ability to maintain focus and multitask effectively Excellent communication skills
   
   TEAM provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior research assistant 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 research assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior research assistants 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 research assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit senior research assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior research assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 research assistant

   Once you've selected the best senior research assistant 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 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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 research assistant?