How to hire a senior scientist, biology

How to hire a senior scientist, biology, step by step

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

What does a senior scientist, biology do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior scientist, biology you need to hire. Certain senior scientist, biology 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

   A senior scientist, biology's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior scientists, biology from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior scientists, biology.

   Type of Senior Scientist, Biology	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Scientist, Biology	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$26-66
   Chemist	Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter... Show more	$22-43
   Quality Control Analyst	Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects... Show more	$19-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Analysis
   • Cell Biology
   • Next-Generation Sequencing
   • Cell-Based Assays
   • RNA
   • CMC
   • PCR
   • Elisa
   • Scientific Literature
   • Technical Reports
   • Assay Development
   • Research Projects
   • QC
   • Western Blotting

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
   • Contribute to a cancer cell line profiling effort.
   • Review documentation, write research reports and authore FDA submissions.
   • Cloned and express zebrafish DNA repair genes by PCR; design PCR primers.
   • Supervise transfer of methodology from GLP to GMP environment and between partner/CRO sites.
   • Investigate plant-microbe interactions using protein profiling experiments.

   More senior scientist, biology duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior scientist, biology job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior scientist, biology salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior scientist, biology in Kansas may be lower than in California, and an entry-level senior scientist, biology usually earns less than a senior-level senior scientist, biology. Additionally, a senior scientist, biology with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior scientist, biology salary

   $88,965yearly

   $42.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior scientist, biology salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average senior scientist, biology salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$119,599	$58
   2	Massachusetts	$92,400	$44
   3	New Jersey	$91,356	$44
   4	Washington	$81,995	$39
   5	Pennsylvania	$79,856	$38
   6	Illinois	$78,799	$38
   7	Virginia	$76,459	$37
   8	Maryland	$73,600	$35
   9	New York	$69,488	$33
   10	Colorado	$67,476	$32
   11	Wisconsin	$65,934	$32
   12	Texas	$62,691	$30
   13	Florida	$60,593	$29
   14	Missouri	$46,776	$22

   Average senior scientist, biology salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Theranos	$116,893	$56.20	1
   2	Schrödinger Inc	$110,668	$53.21	3
   3	Entrada	$110,063	$52.91
   4	Genentech	$108,151	$52.00	54
   5	Natera	$107,596	$51.73	18
   6	Amgen	$104,314	$50.15	29
   7	Exelixis	$103,900	$49.95	10
   8	AbbVie	$101,841	$48.96	71
   9	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$101,057	$48.59	46
   10	23andMe	$101,008	$48.56
   11	Eli Lilly and Company	$98,240	$47.23	63
   12	Novartis	$97,848	$47.04	3
   13	Merck	$96,477	$46.38	75
   14	Allergan plc	$96,154	$46.23
   15	Foundation Medicine	$94,034	$45.21
   16	Catalent Pharma Solutions	$93,955	$45.17	23
   17	Gilead Sciences	$92,475	$44.46	61
   18	NantHealth	$92,184	$44.32
   19	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$92,040	$44.25	67
   20	Ionis Pharmaceuticals	$91,390	$43.94	2

4. Writing a senior scientist, biology job description

   A senior scientist, biology job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior scientist, biology job description:

   Senior scientist, biology job description example

   We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated cell biologist to join the Cell Biology group at FibroGen. The successful applicant will be a creative and conscientious experimentalist, with experience using cell-based model systems to study complex biological pathways.
   Responsibilities include:
   Design, execution, and analysis of cell-based target validation and mechanism of action studies to support drug discovery and development programs in oncology, immunology, and fibrosis Development and optimization of cell-based screening assays (target engagement assays and functional assays) for small molecule drug discovery programs Supervision and mentorship of scientific laboratory staff Management of external biology CRO studies as required In vitro biology representative on cross-functional project teams Present data and report on project status at group, project, and departmental meetings
   Requirements:
   PhD (or equivalent) in cell biology, immunology, or a related discipline with 5-10 years of industry experience Hands-on experience in designing and executing cell-based studies using a variety of cell biology techniques including live-cell imaging (e.g. IncuCyte), flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis (e.g. Cytation), ELISAs, and Western blotting Experience with immunological and/or flow cytometry-based assays highly desirable Experience in development, optimization, and execution of cell-based screening assays Well-acquainted with molecular cell biology techniques including CRISPR, qPCR, si RNAAbility to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet aggressive project timelines Ability to conceive, design and execute hypothesis-testing experiments Experience mentoring and supervising scientific laboratory staff Critical thinking, systematic problem-solving skills, and excellent operative skills in the design and conduct of scientific experiments and interpretation of results Excellent written and verbal communication skills Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with various levels of working teams and management
   
   FibroGen is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender identity/expression, creed, national origin/ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship, status, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.FibroGen will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
   
   E-Verify: Notice to all Prospective Employees
   
   Notice to Recruiters and Search Firms
   FibroGen makes every effort to source and hire its staff through direct recruitment methods. Employment opportunities at FibroGen are managed by our internal human resources team. Please do not contact hiring managers or other FibroGen employees.
   
   FibroGen does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than from the candidates themselves. FibroGen does not accept unsolicited communications from external recruiters. If there is a specific business need, a human resources team member will contact external recruiters directly.
   
   An agency or independent recruiter must have a current, signed agreement and a work order for a specific position with FibroGen before presenting candidates and must be presented to human resources. Submission of unsolicited resumes without a signed agreement and an applicable work order will not create an obligation on the part of FibroGen to pay a fee of any kind.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior scientists, biology for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior scientist, biology job on Zippia to find and recruit senior scientist, biology candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior scientists, biology requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 scientist, biology

   Once you've found the senior scientist, biology candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new senior scientist, biology first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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