Research Technician Family
Career series with 3 positions across 3 levels
In New Jersey civil service, Research Technician names a 3-level progression covering 3 distinct titles.
Entry is typically through Research Technician 3, advancing through the ladder toward Research Technician 1. Pay across the family spans $39,358 to $77,371, around the 14th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 10 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Health and Senior Services.
Research Technician commonly advances into Research Analyst and Training Technician.
Positions in This Family
- RESEARCH TECHNICIAN 1 (10901) $53,282 - $77,371/year
- RESEARCH TECHNICIAN 2 (10902) $46,727 - $67,528/year
- RESEARCH TECHNICIAN 3 (10903) $39,358 - $56,481/year
What the Research Technician family covers
Research Technician covers 3 title codes arranged into 3 levels of responsibility. Every title in it is a state title, so the employer is a state department, commission or authority rather than a county or municipality.
The state runs working laboratories rather than research institutes, so scientific titles are tied to a statutory job: testing water and air, screening newborns, analysing evidence, monitoring pesticides, mapping geology. Degrees in a named field do the qualifying, and the exam is often an evaluation of education and experience rather than a written test. Because each laboratory is small, these families tend to be short ladders inside one agency instead of broad classifications spread across government.
The ladder, ordered by pay
The Research Technician rungs, listed from the best paid down. Note that the numbers in these titles do not run in pay order. In this family a lower number sits higher on the ladder, which is a New Jersey convention that catches people out when they read a title list top to bottom.
- Research Technician 1 — $53,282 to $77,371
- Research Technician 2 — $46,727 to $67,528 (2 years of experience)
- Research Technician 3 — $39,358 to $56,481 (1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Research Technician 3 to the top of Research Technician 1 is $38,013, an increase of about 97% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
Reading the definitions side by side is the quickest way to see what changes as you move through the family.
- Research Technician 1: Under general supervision, collects, reviews and/or screens incoming report forms and survey instruments; assigns codes as required by the specific program…
- Research Technician 2: Under the supervision of a professional staff member, collects, codes and key enters data; performs and assists in the editing, tabulation, review, and/or…
- Research Technician 3: Performs the more routine tasks associated with gathering and organizing data into useable form; does related work as required. NOTE: The examples of work for this…
Requirements across the family
None of the specifications in this family names a degree requirement, which places these titles among the New Jersey positions open to applicants without formal higher education. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 2 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 3 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
10 people appear on the state payroll under 2 of these titles, at 3 agencies. Health and Senior Services alone accounts for about 50% of them.
- Health and Senior Services — 5 employees
- Human Services — 4 employees
- Labor — 1 employee
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $65,244 for Research Technician 2 up to $74,754 for Research Technician 1. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Hiring for this family runs through state service. Departments, commissions and boards fill these titles from eligible lists built by the Civil Service Commission, so the route in is an announcement and a filing deadline rather than a posting you apply to directly. What state jurisdiction means, and a breakdown of who employs what.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Research Technician. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Research Aide (local jurisdiction)
- Research Scientist (state jurisdiction)
- Research Assistant (local jurisdiction)
- Research Analyst 1 ($58,222 to $84,763, state jurisdiction) — in the Research Analyst family
- Research Scientist 3 ($79,844 to $117,228, state jurisdiction) — in the Research Scientist family
- Research Economist 1 ($69,668 to $101,951, state jurisdiction) — in the Research Economist family
Common questions about Research Technician jobs
How many separate Research Technician classifications does New Jersey have?
The Research Technician family holds 3 title codes arranged across 3 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Research Technician paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $39,358 at the bottom of Research Technician 3 to $77,371 at the top of Research Technician 1. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Is there a civil service test for Research Technician?
Yes for most of the family. 3 of the 3 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become a Research Technician?
No degree requirement is parsed from the specifications in this family, which puts these titles among the New Jersey civil service jobs reachable without formal higher education. Experience of 1 to 2 years is named where a requirement is stated.
Which agencies employ Research Technician staff?
State payroll records show 10 people in this family across 3 agencies, with Health and Senior Services the largest at 5. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.
Is Research Technician 1 higher or lower than Research Technician 3?
In this family the lower number is the more senior title. New Jersey's level numbering does not run in pay order, and reading the titles by number alone will give you the ladder upside down. The list above is sorted by what each title actually pays.