USA Research Associate Jobs III USD Contract at Pfizer 2026
Pfizer is hiring a Research Associate III for a 12-month contract position with hourly wages between $40 and $45. This remote role sits within the Health Technology Assessment, Value & Evidence team focusing on thoracic cancer and precision medicine oncology under Pfizer’s Global Access & Value organization.
Working as a contractor for Pfizer offers unique advantages. You’ll gain pharmaceutical industry experience with a global leader while maintaining contract flexibility. The remote arrangement eliminates geographic limitations, opening opportunities for qualified candidates nationwide who might not relocate for permanent positions.
Understanding Health Economics and Outcomes Research
The HTA, Value & Evidence team functions as Pfizer’s Health Economics and Outcomes Research division, which means you’ll work at the intersection of clinical medicine, economics, and public health policy. HEOR professionals analyze whether treatments provide value relative to their costs, supporting decisions by healthcare systems, insurers, and regulatory bodies about drug coverage and reimbursement.
Your work directly influences how Pfizer’s thoracic cancer and precision medicine treatments reach patients. By demonstrating clinical and economic value through rigorous research, you help ensure innovative therapies receive appropriate coverage and access in healthcare systems worldwide.
What Research Associates Do Here
As a Research Associate, you’ll provide technical support, analysis, and reporting for pharmaceutical assets at various development stages. Your responsibilities span multiple HEOR methodologies and project types, creating diverse daily work rather than repetitive tasks.
You’ll plan, conduct, and manage HEOR studies using real-world data including administrative claims databases and electronic medical records. This involves designing analyses, executing statistical programming, interpreting results, and synthesizing findings into actionable insights.
Supporting patient-reported outcomes strategies in clinical trials means helping capture patient perspectives on treatment effectiveness beyond traditional clinical endpoints. Literature reviews and evidence synthesis keep the team informed about existing research and competitive landscape.
Cost-effectiveness analyses and economic modeling require building mathematical representations of disease progression and treatment pathways to estimate long-term clinical and economic outcomes. You’ll develop presentations and reports using PowerPoint and Excel, translating complex analyses into clear communications for diverse audiences.
Project and vendor management responsibilities include coordinating external research partners, tracking budgets, ensuring deliverable quality, and managing timelines. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams including medical affairs, clinical development, regulatory, and commercial groups.
Additional duties involve managing internal portals and SharePoint sites where the team organizes documentation, tracks projects, and shares information across the organization.
About Pfizer’s Global Access & Value Organization
Pfizer’s Global Access & Value organization focuses on demonstrating the value of their medicines to healthcare decision-makers worldwide. This involves generating evidence about clinical effectiveness, economic impact, and patient outcomes that inform coverage decisions, pricing negotiations, and treatment guidelines.
Working in this division means your research directly supports patient access to innovative therapies by building the evidence base that payers and policymakers require when making formulary and reimbursement decisions.
Contract Position Details
This is a single 12-month full-time contract position working remotely. The contract nature means defined duration employment rather than permanent staff status, though strong performers sometimes transition to permanent roles when opportunities arise.
Who Should Apply
The requirements combine advanced education with relevant professional experience and specific skill sets suited for pharmaceutical HEOR work.
Educational Requirements
You need an advanced degree in health services research, health policy, pharmacy, public health, epidemiology, health economics, or equivalent graduate field. This means a Master’s degree or PhD in these disciplines, not undergraduate education. The advanced degree requirement reflects the technical sophistication required for pharmaceutical outcomes research.
Professional Experience
One to two years of relevant post-graduate professional experience is preferred, meaning work in HEOR, health economics, epidemiology, outcomes research, or related fields after completing your graduate degree. Fresh graduates with exceptional qualifications might be considered, but candidates with some professional experience have advantages.
Essential Skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills are required since you’ll prepare reports, create presentations, and communicate findings to diverse stakeholders. The ability to translate complex statistical analyses into clear business insights matters tremendously in pharmaceutical settings.
You must demonstrate capability managing multiple projects involving complex processes, significant budgets, competing deadlines, and rapidly shifting priorities. Pharmaceutical development operates on aggressive timelines with frequent changes, requiring flexibility and strong organizational skills.
Technical Capabilities
While not explicitly listed, the role clearly requires proficiency with statistical software for database analyses, familiarity with economic modeling approaches, expertise in literature review methodologies, and advanced Microsoft Office skills particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
Compensation and Benefits
The hourly wage ranges from $40 to $45 based on experience and qualifications. At full-time hours, this translates to approximately $83,200 to $93,600 annually for the 12-month contract duration.
Comprehensive benefits package eligibility includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, supplemental and voluntary life insurance, 401K retirement plan, and commuter benefit programs. Benefits availability depends on contract terms and eligibility requirements worth clarifying during the hiring process.
Application Process
Pfizer uses their dedicated contractor recruitment platform for processing applications. Follow these steps to apply correctly.
Visit the official Pfizer contractor careers page for this specific Research Associate III position.
Review the complete job description confirming you hold the required advanced degree and meet the experience preferences.
Create a candidate profile on Pfizer’s contractor recruitment system using your email and professional contact information.
Complete the application form with detailed information about your graduate education, HEOR or related professional experience, and specific research methodologies you’ve utilized.
Upload your resume highlighting relevant HEOR projects, publications if applicable, statistical programming capabilities, and any pharmaceutical industry experience.
Include a cover letter addressing your interest in oncology outcomes research and relevant experience with database analyses, economic modeling, or literature reviews.
Submit your application and monitor email for responses from Pfizer’s contractor recruitment team regarding interview scheduling.
Important Considerations
Contract positions offer defined duration employment without permanent job security. After 12 months, the contract ends unless extended or converted to permanent status, requiring planning for employment continuity.
Remote work provides flexibility but requires self-discipline, effective virtual communication, and appropriate home office setup. You’ll collaborate entirely through digital channels with team members potentially distributed globally across time zones.
Pharmaceutical research operates under strict confidentiality and regulatory requirements. Expect thorough background checks and adherence to data privacy protocols throughout your employment.
Application Timeline
The job posting doesn’t specify an application deadline, suggesting Pfizer reviews candidates continuously until finding the right person. Applying promptly improves chances since qualified early applicants typically receive interview consideration first.
Additional Career Options
While exploring pharmaceutical research careers, consider other opportunities like receptionist jobs 2026 at Glass Doctor Canada for diverse employment options across different sectors.
Common Questions
Can this contract position lead to permanent employment?
While the position is explicitly structured as a 12-month contract without guaranteed permanency, many pharmaceutical companies hire strong-performing contractors into permanent roles when positions become available. Pfizer’s size means regular permanent openings in HEOR and related functions. However, you should approach this as a defined-term contract and plan accordingly rather than assuming automatic conversion. Use the opportunity to demonstrate value, build internal relationships, and develop pharmaceutical industry expertise that benefits your career regardless of whether this specific role becomes permanent.
Do I need pharmaceutical industry experience to qualify?
The job posting doesn’t list pharmaceutical experience as a requirement, focusing instead on advanced degrees and 1-2 years post-graduate professional experience in relevant fields. If you have HEOR, health economics, epidemiology, or outcomes research experience from academic settings, government agencies, consulting firms, or other industries, you can apply. Pfizer will provide company-specific and therapeutic area training after hiring. What matters most is demonstrating strong analytical capabilities, research methodology expertise, and the ability to manage complex projects effectively regardless of where you gained those skills.
What statistical software skills do I need?
While the posting doesn’t specify exact software requirements, conducting database analyses using administrative claims and electronic medical records typically requires proficiency in SAS, R, or Stata. Economic modeling often uses specialized software like TreeAge or Excel-based models. Familiarity with at least one major statistical programming language is effectively required even if not explicitly stated. During interviews, expect questions about your statistical software experience and specific methodologies you’ve applied in previous research. If your software skills are limited, consider mentioning your ability to learn new tools quickly and any relevant coursework or self-study demonstrating technical aptitude.
Final Thoughts
Pfizer’s Research Associate III contract position offers valuable pharmaceutical HEOR experience with competitive hourly compensation between $40 and $45. The 12-month remote contract provides flexibility and industry exposure without permanent commitment requirements.
The requirements of an advanced degree in relevant fields with 1-2 years post-graduate experience are achievable for recent graduate degree holders and early-career HEOR professionals. The comprehensive benefits package adds significant value beyond base hourly wages.
If you hold a Master’s or PhD in health economics, epidemiology, health services research, or related fields, possess strong analytical and communication skills, and want pharmaceutical industry experience focusing on oncology outcomes research, this position deserves serious consideration. The remote nature eliminates geographic barriers while the contract structure provides defined-term employment with potential for future opportunities within Pfizer’s extensive HEOR organization.
