How to hire a veterinary medicine scientist

How to hire a veterinary medicine scientist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the veterinary medicine scientist you need to hire. Certain veterinary medicine scientist 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

   Hiring the perfect veterinary medicine 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.

   Here's a comparison of veterinary medicine scientist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Veterinary Medicine Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Veterinary Medicine Scientist	Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to improve public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals.	$24-62
   Public Health Veterinarian	Public Health Veterinarians require participation in a public health program that leads to a master's degree in public health with a focus on veterinarian medicine, should this be their career choice. Earning an average of $76K per year, it is a position that requires a great deal of compassion, as well as manual dexterity, and decision-making, interpersonal, problem-solving, and management skills... Show more	$13-65
   Emergency Veterinarian	An emergency veterinarian is responsible for providing quality care services for animals at veterinary clinics and hospitals. Emergency veterinarians diagnose the animal's condition and administer treatment plans and medications... Show more	$22-90

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Clinical Development
   • Data Analysis
   • Clinical Trials
   • Drug Discovery
   • SAR
   • Pharmacokinetics
   • Synthetic Routes
   • Drug Candidates
   • ADME
   • Analytical Methods
   • PD
   • PK
   • DNA
   • CRO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform internal synthesis on select chemical templates, as well as managed external CRO project resources.
   • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
   • Look at hinge-binding region by dissecting structure of pyridine core or replacement with other heteroaryls leading to further understanding of SAR.
   • Design and synthesize small molecules for novel metabotropic glutamate receptor modulators indentify for the treatment of CNS disorders.
   • Deliver first generation oral, development candidate VX-853 to be used in-conjunction with agents such as Doxorubicin in combination chemotherapy.
   • Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.

   More veterinary medicine scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your veterinary medicine scientist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A veterinary medicine scientist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, veterinary medicine scientists' average salary in south dakota is 54% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level veterinary medicine scientists earn 62% less than senior-level veterinary medicine scientists.
   • Certifications. A veterinary medicine scientist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a veterinary medicine scientist's salary.

   Average veterinary medicine scientist salary

   $80,940yearly

   $38.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level veterinary medicine scientist salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average veterinary medicine scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,986	$50
   2	California	$103,878	$50
   3	California	$103,878	$50
   4	California	$103,773	$50
   5	California	$103,614	$50
   6	California	$102,740	$49
   7	California	$100,795	$48
   8	California	$93,456	$45
   9	California	$92,474	$44
   10	California	$92,368	$44
   11	New York	$87,883	$42
   12	California	$87,477	$42
   13	California	$86,976	$42
   14	California	$86,885	$42
   15	California	$86,884	$42
   16	California	$86,702	$42
   17	California	$86,629	$42
   18	California	$86,386	$42
   19	Pennsylvania	$81,643	$39
   20	New Jersey	$81,175	$39

   Average veterinary medicine scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amgen	$105,959	$50.94	38
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$103,423	$49.72	69
   3	Boehringer Ingelheim	$100,009	$48.08	15
   4	Critical Path Institute	$99,618	$47.89
   5	Zoetis	$95,354	$45.84	20
   6	Enanta Pharmaceuticals	$94,855	$45.60
   7	Arcus Biosciences	$93,253	$44.83
   8	ORIC Pharmaceuticals	$93,184	$44.80
   9	Gilead Sciences	$89,941	$43.24	89
   10	Nurix	$89,294	$42.93
   11	Instil Bio	$88,128	$42.37
   12	Ethos Veterinary Health	$86,553	$41.61	229
   13	Blueprint Medicines	$85,877	$41.29
   14	Banfield Pet Hospital	$84,699	$40.72	442
   15	Ferring Pharmaceuticals	$84,687	$40.71	3
   16	Frontier Medicines	$81,974	$39.41	3
   17	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$80,872	$38.88	40
   18	BluePearl Vet	$80,399	$38.65
   19	Sunovion Pharmaceuticals	$80,257	$38.59
   20	Sanofi US	$79,581	$38.26	12

4. Writing a veterinary medicine scientist job description

   A veterinary medicine 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a veterinary medicine scientist job description:

   Veterinary medicine scientist job description example

   Who We Are:
   At Neurocrine Biosciences, we pride ourselves on having a strong, inclusive, and positive culture based on our shared purpose and values. We know what it takes to be great, and we are as passionate about our people as we are about our purpose - to relieve suffering for people with great needs, but few options.
   
   What We Do:
   Neurocrine Biosciences is a neuroscience-focused, biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs, but few options. We are dedicated to discovering and developing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, endocrine and psychiatric disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson's disease, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as clinical programs in multiple therapeutic areas. For three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. *in collaboration with AbbVie
   
   About the Role:
   Responsible for the design, synthesis, purification, and characterization of intermediates and bioactive compounds through the use of techniques such as column chromatography (e.g., high performance liquid chromatography, automated normal phase purification), nuclear magnetic resonance and parallel or combinatorial synthesis. Prepares technical reports, summaries, protocols, and quantitative analyses. Responsible for the communication and presentation of results to the project team in order to facilitate effective decision making.
   _
   Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):
   Plays key role in the rapid optimization of lead molecules utilizing modern technology available to medicinal chemists such as automated synthesis and purification
   Participates in a multidisciplinary team committed to the continuous improvement of the lead optimization process as well as the expeditious identification of development compounds
   Designs, plans and conducts synthesis of intermediates and analog libraries as well communicates results to the project or program team
   Other duties as assigned
   
   Requirements:
   BS/BA degree and 2+ years of relevant experience, including familiarity utilizing any or all of the following: parallel synthesis, lab automation, and purification in the optimization of lead compounds is preferred ORMS/MA degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry preferred and some similar experience noted above ORPhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry or related field preferred and some related postdoctoral experience required; 2+ years postdoctoral experience preferred Working knowledge of any or all of the following: organic synthesis, parallel synthesis, medicinal chemistry, lab automation, and purification in the optimization of lead compounds is preferred Recognizes fundamental anomalies in data points and identifies issues in experiments / processes
   Begins to understand how to think outside of the technical process and consider the impact decisions will have on the broader scientific goals
   Strong knowledge of scientific discipline
   Good knowledge of scientific principles, methods and techniques
   Good knowledge and demonstrated ability working with a variety of laboratory equipment/tools
   Strong computer skills
   Good problem-solving, analytical thinking skills
   Detail oriented
   Ability to meet deadlines
   Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate with cross-functional scientists
   
   #LI-DM1
   
   Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/AA/Disability/Vets employer.
   
   As a condition of employment with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. in the United States, you must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide valid proof of vaccination to the company.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right veterinary medicine scientist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your veterinary medicine scientist job on Zippia to find and attract quality veterinary medicine scientist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting veterinary medicine scientists 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 veterinary medicine scientist

   Once you've decided on a perfect veterinary medicine 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 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new veterinary medicine scientist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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