How To Become A Senior Science Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior science consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

Senior science consultants work for research institutions or companies working with innovative scientific solutions and give advice and recommendations on complex scientific matters. They might be experts in various areas, from business to organizational issues or sharing financing or industry-related insight.

You will be hired for your fresh perspective and scientific knowledge to work with clients on outlining problems and delivering cutting-edge solutions. You might work for a consulting agency tending to various clients on a temporary basis, or you might be hired directly by a firm that needs your continuous consulting services.

You will get the chance to travel for work and experience various environments working on resolving various science-related issues. You will have to be passionate about problem-solving and have a desire to make an impact through your work, and in exchange, you can expect high salaries and a deeply satisfying career.

What general advice would you give to a senior science consultant?

Dr. Betsy Smith

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 Science ConsultantUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $97,589

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 18.09%

Black or African American 8.14%

Hispanic or Latino 9.51%

Unknown 4.63%

White 59.37%

Gender

female 46.74%

male 53.26%

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

Key steps to become a senior science consultant

Explore senior science consultant education requirements

Most common senior science consultant degrees

Bachelor's

63.4 %

Master's

22.0 %

Doctorate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific senior science consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Life Sciences	22.73%
Project Management	11.53%
SAS	8.60%
C++	8.20%
SQL	7.82%

Complete relevant senior science consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior science consultants 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 science consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior science consultant resumes.

Research senior science consultant duties and responsibilities

Select to project manage infrastructure changes in Mid-Atlantic routers for IPTV program.
Initiate business case, lead project team in BRD development, review functional design, UAT testing, user training.
Manage internal and external organizational team members regarding all RFP deliverables.
Manage project/validation deliverables using Sharepoint.

Apply for senior science consultant jobs

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

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

How do senior science consultants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Senior science consultant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client