Research Investigator 3 pay range
State of Washington · class code 502G
- Class code
- 502G
- Salary range
- 66
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Research Investigator 3 is $82,440 to $110,952 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 502G.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Step progression
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) assigns this class to salary range 66 in the General Service Salary Schedule. The range pays 13 steps; a step is normally earned on a periodic increment date, not negotiated.
| Basis | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $82,440 | $84,528 | $86,688 | $88,788 | $91,104 | $93,288 | $95,676 | $98,064 | $100,488 | $102,996 | $105,612 | $108,228 | $110,952 |
| Monthly | $6,870 | $7,044 | $7,224 | $7,399 | $7,592 | $7,774 | $7,973 | $8,172 | $8,374 | $8,583 | $8,801 | $9,019 | $9,246 |
| Hourly | $39.48 | $40.48 | $41.52 | $42.52 | $43.63 | $44.68 | $45.82 | $46.97 | $48.13 | $49.33 | $50.58 | $51.83 | $53.14 |
Steps as published. The monthly and hourly rows are the state's own, not conversions of the annual row.
Class specification
The OFM classified job specification for this class is published by Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications.
What the state says the job is
Independently serves as the project leader or the senior investigator of either: (a) a complex research study of substantial size (e.g., three or more professional-level research participants); or (b) a study of substantial impact (e.g., regulatory or directing function over state research contracts or research staff in other state agencies).
Examples of the work
Initiates and designs methodologically sound studies of an analytic character, i.e., if in a juvenile diagnostic setting, may determine the worthwhileness of current diagnostic program by randomly assigning juveniles to two or more groups varying the diagnostic procedure for each group and following the career of the juvenile to determine the impact of such variation of his/her rehabilitation; concomitantly studying costs of each procedure and report in terms of cost effectiveness plus rehabilitative outcome; may develop techniques and methods for study of the passage of certain chemicals across the blood-brain barrier; directs major demographic forecasts; Determines basic research programs ...
Minimum qualifications
A Master's degree in relevant specialty, technical or qualitative field; and three years' experience in experimental, analytical, or theoretical research in identified specialty area OR Equivalent education/experience in relevant field.
Quoted from the OFM classified job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) publishes this figure in Classified Job Listing joined to the OFM salary schedules effective July 1, 2026. Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The dollar figures come from the salary schedule the listing assigns this range to.