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Safety Scientist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

They must exhibit a solid knowledge of safety databases with regards to data entry, workflow ... Requirements: * BS in health science field, Pharmacy, CRA, biomedical sciences with 2 years of ...

The Associate Director Safety Scientist is part of a team that performs high quality and timely scientific and operational safety analysis. This position works closely with the Safety Science group ...

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Safety Scientist information

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How much do safety scientist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average hourly pay for safety scientist in the United States is $61.42, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $42.55 and $73.80 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Safety Scientist typically collaborate with other departments to ensure drug safety throughout a product's lifecycle?

A Safety Scientist works closely with clinical development, regulatory affairs, and medical teams to monitor and assess the safety profile of pharmaceutical products. They regularly participate in cross-functional meetings, review safety data from clinical trials or post-marketing sources, and communicate findings to internal and external stakeholders. This collaborative approach ensures that potential risks are identified early and that appropriate risk mitigation strategies are implemented and documented throughout the product's lifecycle.

What does a safety scientist do?

A safety scientist evaluates and analyzes data to identify potential safety risks associated with products, processes, or environments. They develop safety protocols, conduct risk assessments, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, often using tools like statistical analysis and safety management systems. Their work helps prevent accidents and protect public health and safety.

What is the highest paying safety job?

The highest paying safety jobs are often senior roles such as Safety Director or Vice President of Safety, which can earn six-figure salaries. These positions typically require extensive experience, advanced certifications, and leadership skills in managing safety programs across large organizations.

What are Safety Scientists?

Safety Scientists are professionals who monitor, assess, and manage the safety of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or other products to ensure they do not pose undue risks to patients or consumers. They analyze data from clinical trials, post-marketing reports, and scientific literature to identify potential safety concerns. Additionally, Safety Scientists help develop risk management strategies and communicate findings to regulatory authorities and stakeholders.

How to become a safety scientist?

To become a safety scientist, typically a bachelor's degree in safety engineering, environmental science, or a related field is required, often followed by a master's degree for advanced roles. Relevant skills include data analysis, risk assessment, and knowledge of safety regulations, with certifications like Certified Safety Professional (CSP) enhancing job prospects.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Safety Scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Safety Scientist, you need a strong background in pharmacovigilance, drug safety regulations, and data analysis, typically supported by a degree in life sciences or a related field. Familiarity with safety databases (such as Argus or ARISg), signal detection tools, and compliance standards like GVP or FDA regulations is crucial. Strong attention to detail, analytical thinking, and effective communication are essential soft skills for assessing risks and collaborating with cross-functional teams. These skills ensure accurate safety assessments, regulatory compliance, and the protection of patient wellbeing throughout the drug lifecycle.

What is the highest paid type of scientist?

Among scientists, petroleum engineers and data scientists tend to have the highest average salaries, often exceeding $100,000 annually. Safety scientists, while well-compensated, generally earn less than these top-paying fields, with salaries influenced by industry, experience, and certifications such as OSHA or ISO standards.

What is the difference between Safety Scientist vs Safety Engineer?

AspectSafety Scientist
Required Credentials
Bachelor's or higher in safety, environmental science, or related field; certifications like ASP or CSP often preferred
Work Environment
Research labs, corporate safety departments, or regulatory agencies
Employer & Industry Usage
Used across manufacturing, healthcare, and chemical industries focusing on safety research and policy development
Comparison Summary

Safety Scientists focus on researching and developing safety protocols, policies, and compliance strategies, often working in labs or policy settings. Safety Engineers, on the other hand, are more involved in designing and implementing safety systems on the ground, such as safety equipment and procedures. Both roles require safety certifications and work within similar industries, but Safety Scientists emphasize research and policy, while Safety Engineers focus on practical safety system implementation.

More about Safety Scientist jobs
What cities are hiring for Safety Scientist jobs? Cities with the most Safety Scientist job openings:
What states have the most Safety Scientist jobs? States with the most job openings for Safety Scientist jobs include:
Infographic showing various Safety Scientist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $127,745 per year, or $61.4 per hour.
Principal Safety Scientist

Principal Safety Scientist

Bristol Myers Squibb

New Brunswick, NJ

$124K - $150K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 3 days ago


Bristol Myers Squibb rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 50 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

32nd of 74 rated pharmaceutical


Job description

Working with Us
Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren't words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You'll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.

Job Description

The primary responsibility of the Principal Safety Scientist is to conduct safety studies and evaluations that support internal and external process development and scale-up activities. The individual will collaborate with external testing laboratories and oversee the work conducted by vendor process safety testing groups.

Job Responsibilities

  • The Principal Safety Scientist is responsible for conducting hazard evaluations of processes involved in the manufacture of strategic materials, chemical intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and addressing dust hazards associated with excipient blends and other BMS materials. This work is carried out through experimentation, data collection, and interpretation. The scientist collaborates extensively across teams to identify potential safety issues and guide process design toward intrinsic safety.

  • Results from evaluations and studies are organized and communicated both orally and in writing to various groups and management levels within BMS, as well as to external partners.

  • The scientist utilizes a diverse range of instruments and techniques to support process research and development. All safety evaluation tests are conducted following standardized procedures, with customization as necessary to achieve project objectives.

  • Within a team environment, the individual takes initiative in problem solving, facilitates collaboration, and leads through generating ideas and evaluating potential outcomes of various project directions. Solutions based on literature are employed as appropriate.

  • The role includes coordinating safety testing efforts among internal and external laboratories, including vendor safety testing labs, to support the introduction of processes into a global integrated development and manufacturing network.

  • A testing strategy is developed and implemented to support chemical registrations, such as REACH, across different regions worldwide.

  • The scientist manages multiple projects and activities simultaneously, ensuring adherence to established priorities and effectively managing project prioritization as required.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering with 4-6 of relevant industrial experience in process development or hazard evaluation, Master's with 6 - 9 year's experience or Bachelor's with 9 - 12 year's experience.

  • Experience in the pharmaceutical industry is preferred.

  • Strong technical skills in chemistry, chemical processing equipment, and calorimeters are desired. Prior experience in safety testing, hazard evaluation, plant operations, process development and scale-up, as well as clinical material manufacturing, is also preferred.

  • Excellent problem-solving abilities, verbal and written communication skills, and the capacity to manage multiple assignments effectively are essential.

  • The candidate must be able to work independently with minimal supervision.

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn't perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.

Compensation Overview:

New Brunswick - NJ - US: $124,520 - $150,885

The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employee's work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience.
Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.

Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment. Our benefits include:

  • Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care.

  • Wellbeing Support: Programs such as BMS Well-Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

  • Financial Well-being and Protection: 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection, personal liability protection, identity theft benefit, legal support, and survivor support.

Work-life benefits include:

Paid Time Off

  • US Exempt Employees: flexible time off (unlimited, with manager approval, 11 paid national holidays (not applicable to employees in Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico or Rayzebio employees)

  • Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico and Rayzebio Exempt, Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees: 160 hours annual paid vacation for new hires with manager approval, 11 national holidays, and 3 optional holidays

Based on eligibility*, additional time off for employees may include unlimited paid sick time, up to 2 paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military needs and an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas and New Years Day.

All global employees full and part-time who are actively employed at and paid directly by BMS at the end of the calendar year are eligible to take advantage of the Global Shutdown.

*Eligibility Disclosure: The summer hours program is for United States (U.S.) office-based employees due to the unique nature of their work. Summer hours are generally not available for field sales and manufacturing operations and may also be limited for the capability centers. Employees in remote-by-design or lab-based roles may be eligible for summer hours, depending on the nature of their work, and should discuss eligibility with their manager. Employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement should consult that document to determine if they are eligible. Contractors, leased workers and other service providers are not eligible to participate in the program.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers
With a single vision as inspiring as "Transforming patients' lives through science ", every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to adastaffingsupport@bms.com. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information:https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.

If you believe that the job posting is missing information required by local law or incorrect in any way, please contact BMS at TAEnablement@bms.com. Please provide the Job Title and Requisition number so we can review. Communications related to your application should not be sent to this email and you will not receive a response. Inquiries related to the status of your application should be directed to Chat with Ripley.

R1601204 : Principal Safety Scientist

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Bristol-Myers Squibb logo

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a world-renowned global Biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York, NY, US. Established in 1887, the company has more than 130 years’ worth of history dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. The company operates in the healthcare industry and thrives on providing a range of pharmaceutical products and services for various medical fields, like oncology, cardiovascular diseases, and immunoscience. Notably, Bristol-Myers Squibb is known for its commitment to relentless research and innovative drug development, which has led to breakthroughs like Opdivo, one of the first immunotherapies.

Industry

Scientific research and development services and pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

New York, NY, US