How to hire a validation specialist

How to hire a validation specialist, step by step

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

What does a validation specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your validation specialist 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 validation specialist 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

   Hiring the perfect validation specialist 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 specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Validation Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Validation Specialist		$32-57
   System Validation Engineer	The pioneering person to manage, inspect, calibrate, test, and modify an operating system is referred to as a System Validation Engineer. Such a person does ensure all systems are running smoothly.	$33-58
   Validation Engineer	A validation engineer is a professional responsible for managing, inspecting, testing, and modifying the instrumentation, equipment, mechanics, and procedures for the production of high-quality products. The professional's tasks include analyzing test results, preparing compliance reports, and keeping updated with industry standards and regulations... Show more	$29-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GMP
   • FDA
   • IQ/OQ/PQ
   • Iq Oq Pq
   • Summary Reports
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • QA
   • Cleaning Validation
   • Computer System
   • CSV
   • Process Equipment
   • QC
   • HVAC
   • System Validation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all cleaning validation schedule and coordinate activities with QA and/or external laboratories and operations.
   • Perform cleaning validation for a bulk pharmaceutical blending facility and take part in GMP training of plant employees.
   • Qualify sterile transfer skid equipment, transfer and clean-in-place (CIP) processes.
   • Perform gap analysis of QC procedures and protocols for dissolution bath and washer machines.
   • Generate URS, ICA, and IOQ documents used to qualify and validate equipment.
   • Create and write procedures for validation, reliability, and returns departments for ISO certification.

   More validation specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your validation specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A validation specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, validation specialists' average salary in kansas is 45% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level validation specialists 43% less than senior-level validation specialists.
   • Certifications. A validation specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a validation specialist's salary.

   Average validation specialist salary

   $91,034yearly

   $43.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level validation specialist salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average validation specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,041	$56
   2	Washington	$98,603	$47
   3	Maryland	$98,141	$47
   4	Massachusetts	$95,899	$46
   5	New Jersey	$95,229	$46
   6	Virginia	$90,920	$44
   7	Texas	$89,492	$43
   8	Pennsylvania	$87,869	$42
   9	New York	$84,466	$41
   10	North Carolina	$79,368	$38
   11	Minnesota	$78,860	$38
   12	Oregon	$78,202	$38
   13	Florida	$73,740	$35
   14	Oklahoma	$65,789	$32
   15	Indiana	$61,666	$30

   Average validation specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AQR Capital Management	$118,270	$56.86
   2	Emergent BioSolutions	$108,073	$51.96
   3	Varian Medical Systems	$107,134	$51.51
   4	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$107,077	$51.48
   5	Novartis	$105,507	$50.72	3
   6	Eli Lilly and Company	$105,115	$50.54
   7	AbbVie	$104,914	$50.44	17
   8	Tech Data	$103,614	$49.81
   9	Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria	$100,447	$48.29
   10	Booz Allen Hamilton	$100,115	$48.13	2
   11	PPG	$100,021	$48.09
   12	Bayer	$99,149	$47.67
   13	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$97,730	$46.99
   14	Teva Pharmaceuticals	$97,075	$46.67
   15	FIT	$96,441	$46.37
   16	Monster Products	$96,261	$46.28
   17	Yoh	$95,948	$46.13
   18	UBS	$95,493	$45.91
   19	Salient	$94,818	$45.59
   20	Eclaro	$94,138	$45.26

4. Writing a validation specialist job description

   A validation specialist 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 validation specialist job description:

   Validation specialist job description example

   U-Haul is looking for a detail-oriented individual to work in the Hookup/Towing validation team. This towing validation specialist must be very proficient in Excel and have a strong understanding of vehicle mechanics. If this sounds like you, consider joining the Hookup/Towing validation team! **This position is in-office at our Mid Town Phoenix campus and is not eligible for remote work.
   Key job elements include:
   Continue development and maintenance of a comprehensive vehicle database with focus on attributes required for proper matching of customer vehicles to U-Haul rental equipment Ensure that logic and rules for equipment matching provide maximum customer benefit while maintaining safety and regulatory requirements as major elements Provide a forward-looking vision of future issues and trends, which may affect the hook-up process and the requirements and specifications of our equipment Provide a forum for integration of key U-Haul functions to resolve issues and consideration of factors, which affect daily hook-up issues Develop and maintain an approval process with change tracking Leverage existing resources to support the hook-up process
   
   Individual Required Qualifications:
   The ideal candidate must have a technical background with thorough knowledge of vehicle and automotive trends as well as U-Haul equipment attributes. The ability to find and leverage outside resources for continuing accuracy and utility of vehicle databases is primary.
   
   Work Status: Full-Time
   
   Here are just some of the programs U-Haul has available:
   Full Medical coverage New indoor fitness gym Onsite medical clinic for you and your family Career stability Opportunities for advancement Valuable on-the-job training Prescription plans Dental & Vision Plans Business and travel insurance YouMatter Employee Assistance Program Paid holidays, vacation, and sick days Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) 401(k) Savings Plan Life insurance Critical Illness/Group Accident 24-hour physician available for kids Subsidized gym membership MetLaw Legal program MetLife auto and home insurance Discounts on cell phone plans, hotels, and more LifeLock Identity Theft program Tuition reimbursement program Free online courses for personal and professional development at U-Haul University Savvy consumer wellness programs- from health care tips to financial wellness U-Haul Federal Credit Union
   
   AMERCO and its family of companies, including U-Haul, have strived to create a culture of health and wellness. As of February 1, 2020, and consistent with applicable state law, no AMERCO or U-Haul company will hire individuals in states where it may lawfully decline to hire individuals who use nicotine products. By continuing with this application, you are indicating that, if hired, you consent to nicotine screening in the future. This policy will not apply to team members hired before February 1, 2020.
   
   U-Haul is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, provincial, state or local law. Individual accommodations are available on requests for applicants taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Information obtained during this process will only be shared on a need to know basis.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find validation specialists 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 specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit validation specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit validation specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect validation specialist 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new validation specialist. 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 specialist?