Post Job

What is a senior validation engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

Senior validation engineers work in manufacturing operations to ensure that tools, equipment, and procedures meet quality standards and any relevant local and federal regulations.

To do this successfully, they must have years of experience in the manufacturing industry, as well as a deep understanding of their companies' protocols, processes, and guidelines. The duties of a senior validation engineer include conducting regular inspections on equipment, tools, and processes, performing calibrations, pinpointing areas for improvement, and alerting management of potential issues before they occur. Moreover, they also work closely with the production and quality assurance teams.

A senior validation engineer is usually an engineer in a related field, be it electrical, chemical, mechanical, or something other. That said, one must have a college degree in engineering as well as a valid license in order to qualify for this role. More than that, one must have extensive experience in the industry before one can attain this senior-level position.

Similar to other senior engineers, a senior validation engineer makes a high average salary of $91,000 per year, which is about $44 an hour.

ScoreSenior Validation EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $106,288

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.6

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 20.42%

Black or African American 4.05%

Hispanic or Latino 10.06%

Unknown 4.67%

White 60.52%

Gender

female 22.39%

male 77.61%

Age - 42
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 - 42
Stress Level
6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.1

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Senior Validation Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior validation engineer

  1. Explore senior validation engineer education requirements

    Most common senior validation engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.1 %

    Master's

    17.6 %

    Associate

    6.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior validation engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    FDA7.78%
    GMP6.83%
    Project Management4.28%
    Computer System4.03%
    Cleaning Validation3.96%
  3. Complete relevant senior validation engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior validation engineers 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 validation engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior validation engineer resumes.
  4. Research senior validation engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage changes, deviations, investigations, and CAPAs via TrackWise.
    • Maintain and manage positive working relationships while assisting in all stages of CAPA management and resolution.
    • Manage all site validation activities including equipment qualification, management of outside validation consultants, change control and QA calibration approval.
    • Major focus are to review, participate in process validation, FMEA, remediation, IQ/OQ/PQ.
  5. Get senior validation engineer experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior validation engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior validation engineer include validation engineer, validation specialist team lead and consultant.
  6. Prepare your senior validation engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior validation engineer 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 validation engineer 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 Validation Engineer Resume templates

    Build a professional Senior Validation Engineer 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 Validation Engineer resume.
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
    Senior Validation Engineer Resume
  7. Apply for senior validation engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior validation engineer 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 Validation Engineer Job

Zippi

Are you a Senior Validation Engineer?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average senior validation engineer salary

The average Senior Validation Engineer salary in the United States is $106,288 per year or $51 per hour. Senior validation engineer salaries range between $80,000 and $140,000 per year.

Average Senior Validation Engineer Salary
$106,288 Yearly
$51.10 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

How do senior validation engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Senior Validation Engineer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2022
Pros

Very challenging work because we work for physically ill person's and I think it is not a job it's a service for society from us.


Working as a Senior Validation Engineer? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse architecture and engineering jobs