How to hire a validation scientist

How to hire a validation scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step validation scientist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a validation scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new validation scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a validation scientist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a validation scientist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect validation scientist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents validation scientist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Validation Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Validation Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$26-52
   Fellow	A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities... Show more	$22-44
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • FDA
   • Chemistry
   • GMP
   • Data Analysis
   • Troubleshoot
   • Method Validation
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • Lims
   • Cleaning Validation
   • Test Methods
   • Elisa
   • QC
   • Method Development
   • CAPA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage customer complaints investigations using CAPA system.
   • Develop, implement, and maintain validation procedures according to regulatory requirements/guidelines (GMP, GLP, ICH, USP).
   • Perform technical writing including documentation of test methods and validation protocols in compliance with FDA regulations.
   • Audit the GMP labs for inspection readiness.
   • Conduct investigation process through CAPA system when adverse conditions are find.
   • Provide front line technical support for document management systems and SQL LIMS.

   More validation scientist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average validation scientist salary

   $77,661yearly

   $37.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level validation scientist salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average validation scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$114,418	$55
   2	Maryland	$93,457	$45
   3	New Jersey	$84,187	$40
   4	Pennsylvania	$83,761	$40
   5	Illinois	$81,172	$39
   6	New York	$78,545	$38
   7	Massachusetts	$71,813	$35
   8	North Carolina	$67,705	$33
   9	Washington	$64,247	$31
   10	Michigan	$64,090	$31
   11	Kansas	$57,008	$27
   12	Puerto Rico	$51,993	$25
   13	Missouri	$51,859	$25

   Average validation scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AstraZeneca	$99,503	$47.84	2
   2	Eli Lilly and Company	$97,884	$47.06	63
   3	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$96,334	$46.31	47
   4	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$84,461	$40.61	79
   5	Quanterix	$80,456	$38.68
   6	Mentor	$78,410	$37.70	3
   7	Pharmaceutical Product Development	$76,889	$36.97
   8	Nostrum Laboratories	$74,866	$35.99
   9	MillenniumSoft	$74,689	$35.91	47
   10	Freenome	$73,984	$35.57	3
   11	Eurofins	$73,965	$35.56	78
   12	Lilly & Company	$73,236	$35.21	69
   13	West-Ward Pharmaceuticals	$71,361	$34.31
   14	Tris Pharma	$71,112	$34.19	2
   15	Staffing Resources	$69,032	$33.19	1
   16	OHM Corporation	$67,766	$32.58
   17	Kelly Services	$67,762	$32.58	36

4. Writing a validation scientist job description

   A validation scientist 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. Below, you can find an example of a validation scientist job description:

   Validation scientist job description example

   We are looking for an experienced Imaging Method Validation Scientist develop high quality validation documentation, design method validation approach, interpret data, and analyze results across multiple teams. The right candidate will have exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, meets deadlines while managing changing priorities, is highly motivated with a proactive skillset to work autonomously, and excels in a fast-paced work environment.
   Job Description:
   
   Collaborates with cross-functional teams to develop high-quality documentation such as validation reports/plans, white papers outlining imaging methods, manuscripts, publications, or similar
   Develop method validation procedures and approaches to assess and validate imaging and image analysis methods for accuracy, reproducibility, and repeatability
   Writes statistical methods sections of manuscripts and abstracts for publications or presentations
   Define and establish acceptance criteria for image analysis methods
   Reviews, interprets, and analyzes data for technical, quality, and compliance to method validation plans
   Monitors, processes, and codes data for statistical analysis utilizing various technologies
   Interprets and presents data descriptions and analysis results, including the explanation of statistical techniques used, the assumptions made, and the generalization of results
   
   Core Requirements:
   
   Bachelor's degree related field such as biotechnology, engineering, statistics, etc. preferred and at least 3-5 years of relevant work experience
   Ability to design a method validation approach based on goal of the project
   Demonstrated ability utilizing Microsoft Office Suite
   Ability to understand business process changes and accommodating for them when providing solutions, use statistical programming models, and experienced in navigating and manipulating data within a database
   
   Desired:
   
   Photography knowledge/background is advantageous
   
   Canfield Scientific, Inc. is a core imaging lab providing custom photographic systems, image monitoring, and centralized analysis services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and cosmetics industries supporting global clinical trials providing primary endpoint data and supporting documentation. Canfield has supported over 3,200 clinical studies, works worldwide with thousands of clinical study sites, and has been retained by many of the world's leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Canfield's imaging equipment leads the industry providing high-quality, registered, reproducible clinical images. This, together with proactive clinical image monitoring and a world class quality assurance regimen, sets the gold standard in image quality for clinical studies.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find validation scientists 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 validation scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit validation scientist 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 validation scientists, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 validation scientist

   Once you've decided on a perfect validation scientist 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new validation scientist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 validation scientist?