How to hire a senior research chemist

How to hire a senior research chemist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior research chemist 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 research chemist 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?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior research chemist 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 chemist that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior research chemists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Research Chemist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Research Chemist	Chemists and materials scientists study substances at the atomic and molecular levels and the ways in which the substances interact with one another. They use their knowledge to develop new and improved products and to test the quality of manufactured goods.	$33-62
   Chemist, Development	A development chemist is responsible for delivering products that are specially created for a customer. You will be responsible for conducting qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses for process or quality control... Show more	$22-52
   Quality Assurance Chemist	Quality Assurance Chemists generally offer pay of around $54K per year and require strong skills in analysis and instrumentation and general knowledge of chemistry, attention to detail, and various organizational skills. Also, they must be able to investigate and analyze problems whenever they crop up... Show more	$20-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • R
   • Chemistry
   • Product Development
   • Analytical Laboratory
   • Organic Synthesis
   • Polymer
   • HPLC
   • Analytical Techniques
   • Pilot Plant
   • GC
   • Ms
   • API
   • Technical Reports
   • LC/MS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
   • Conduct HPLC analysis of two main products to support equivalency programs.
   • Establish the fast HPLC column screening system and serve as super user.
   • Calculate amounts of unknown components of a distillation bottoms mixture using NMR.
   • Train over twenty plant operators and scientists to use the FTIR system.
   • Act as leading analyst to provide analytical services to several GMP API productions.

   More senior research chemist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior research chemist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior research chemist 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 chemist in Arkansas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior research chemist. Additionally, a senior research chemist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior research chemist salary

   $95,520yearly

   $45.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior research chemist salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior research chemist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$136,547	$66
   2	California	$121,342	$58
   3	District of Columbia	$117,884	$57
   4	Delaware	$112,299	$54
   5	Massachusetts	$106,397	$51
   6	Texas	$101,179	$49
   7	New Jersey	$99,829	$48
   8	Virginia	$99,702	$48
   9	Connecticut	$96,645	$46
   10	Minnesota	$96,163	$46
   11	Michigan	$94,025	$45
   12	Georgia	$90,268	$43
   13	Colorado	$89,649	$43
   14	Illinois	$88,680	$43
   15	Ohio	$87,194	$42
   16	New York	$86,700	$42
   17	Indiana	$84,388	$41
   18	Arizona	$82,171	$40
   19	Pennsylvania	$81,490	$39
   20	Wisconsin	$77,632	$37

   Average senior research chemist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Crunchbase	$141,039	$67.81
   2	Microsoft	$120,161	$57.77	297
   3	Netflix	$120,008	$57.70	10
   4	Adobe	$118,972	$57.20	14
   5	Versum Materials	$118,467	$56.96
   6	Exxon Mobil	$116,434	$55.98	10
   7	Cisco	$113,644	$54.64	138
   8	Riot Games	$111,912	$53.80
   9	Salesforce	$110,010	$52.89	7
   10	FireEye	$107,836	$51.84
   11	Genentech	$106,552	$51.23	21
   12	Nalco Holding Company	$104,867	$50.42
   13	VMware	$101,993	$49.04
   14	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$100,068	$48.11	11
   15	Waters	$99,898	$48.03	8
   16	Merck	$99,562	$47.87	46
   17	General Motors	$98,943	$47.57	17
   18	Abbott	$97,745	$46.99	29
   19	Nitto Avecia	$97,006	$46.64	1
   20	The Dow Chemical Company	$96,288	$46.29	34

4. Writing a senior research chemist job description

   A good senior research chemist 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 research chemist job description:

   Senior research chemist job description example

   You could be the one who changes everything for our 26 million members by using technology to improve health outcomes around the world. As a diversified, national organization, Centene's technology professionals have access to competitive benefits including a fresh perspective on workplace flexibility.
   
   A Senior Customer Experience Researcher is responsible for conducting generative research throughout the design process. To be successful in this role, the researcher must serve as an advocate for our users, utilizing data-driven insights to inform strategy and design decisions. Additionally, a Senior Customer Experience Researcher will be looked at to: Mentor and coach other members of the Customer Experience team. Contribute to research strategy and team best practices.
   
   Lead and execute qualitative and quantitative research through all phases of design to ensure user needs are translated into the final product.
   
   Utilize personas, user flows, and journey maps to help product teams and business owners better understand our users' current experience.
   Facilitate workshops, stakeholder meetings, and research sessions.
   
   Partner with UX designers and stakeholders to apply research insights throughout development.
   
   Mentor/coach other Customer Experience Research team members
   
   Lead and socialize research repository, document process, and best practices.
   
   Perform competitive analysis on existing internal applications and software created by 3rd parties.
   
   Ability to create executive style communication deliverables verbally, visually, and in written form preferred
   
   Education/Experience:
   
   + Bachelor's degree in Human Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Psychology, or equivalent experience required.
   
   + 5 year of UX research experience required.
   
   + Proficient with qualitative and quantitative UX research methodologies (including mixed methods, statistical analysis).
   
   + Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills (both verbal and written).
   
   + Ability to facilitate workshops, stakeholder meetings, moderate research studies.
   
   + Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects independently.
   
   + Experience with user testing platforms.
   
   Our Comprehensive Benefits Package: Flexible work solutions including remote options, hybrid work schedules and dress flexibility, Competitive pay, Paid time off including holidays, Health insurance coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) and stock purchase plans, Tuition reimbursement and best-in-class training and development.
   
   Centene is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, and values the ways in which we are different. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.
   
   **TITLE:** Sr Customer Experience Researcher
   
   **LOCATION:** Various, Illinois
   
   **REQNUMBER:** 1366850

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior research chemist 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 chemist

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior research chemist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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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