Pharmaceuticals

Career Tracks

Research Jobs

PhDs who have completed their postdocs typically enter as associate scientists. In rare instances, research specialists without PhDs are promoted to this level. Associate scientists have considerable autonomy over their own research, though they collaborate fairly closely with a supervisor. The step after associate scientist is scientist—a position that involves running the lab and planning and executing large-scale research projects. Above the scientist is the senior scientist, who oversees the work of several scientists but no longer works in the lab.

Scientists at all levels have the option of leaving the research track for management-track positions. Insiders say that for employees who don’t have PhDs (and don’t intend to go back to school to get one), the management track holds many more opportunities for promotion than the non-PhD research track.

Lab Technician
Lab techs perform the routine maintenance tasks—cleaning and maintaining glassware, working with animal colonies, operating lab equipment, and so on—that are needed to keep labs functioning. Only a high school diploma is required, though many people with college degrees start here as well.
Salary range: $27,000 to $40,000

Research Associate
A BS or MS in biochemistry or a related discipline and experience working in a lab are typically required to land this job. Associates work at the bench, conducting experiments under the guidance of PhD scientists. If you’re coming out of school with some lab experience but no PhD and you want to work in R&D, this is the job for you.
Salary range: $40,000 to $71,000

Research Scientist
After receiving a PhD and completing a post-doc, a scientist can get a job as a research scientist (sometimes the initial title is “associate scientist”), designing and conducting experiments and writing up results for publication when appropriate.
Salary range: $65,000 to $110,000

Clinical Development and Medical Jobs

A variety of medical and scientific specialists at pharma companies perform the numerous studies required to take clinical compounds from the lab bench to the pharmacy shelf. Physicians with director or VP titles head up a pharma company’s therapeutic divisions and are responsible for ensuring drug safety and for keeping development programs on track. MDs and sometimes PhDs or PharmDs are responsible for drawing up a particular product’s overall clinical development plan, which is a strategic and tactical document that lays out the studies a company intends to perform before it applies for marketing approval. They also write or contribute to clinical trial protocols, the instructions for an investigator describing the objectives, design, and methodology of a clinical trial.

Once the plans are approved by regulatory authorities, clinical research associates (CRAs) take over the nitty-gritty of working with investigators to conduct clinical trials. Depending on the research objectives, these trials may be confined to a small patient group at a single site, or they may involve thousands of patients at hundreds of sites worldwide. Typically RNs, CRAs get involved early on by helping to write study protocols. As a clinical trial proceeds, they meet with investigators and their staff to ensure that the study protocol is being followed, and they also monitor the collection of patient data.

One thing to note: Many pharmaceutical companies outsource the conduct of some or all of their clinical trials to companies called contract research organizations (CROs). If you work in clinical development within Big Pharma, interacting with CROs will be an important part of your job. Likewise, if you’re an MD, PhD, MS, RN, or PharmD interested in working in clinical development, you may find that CROs offer engaging and rewarding career opportunities similar to those offered within Big Pharma companies.

Clinical development offers other career options, too. Regulatory affairs experts (typically scientists at the master’s or PhD level, or with public health training) are the liaisons between industry and government. Most companies divide regulatory affairs into two divisions—one that deals with clinical development, and another devoted to the composition and quality of the pharmaceutical products. Both divisions communicate directly with government regulatory bodies and manage great volumes of paperwork.

Clinical Research Physician
Clinical Research Physicians (CRPs) are MDs who develop and implement plans for ushering experimental drugs through preapproval clinical trials. They work on cross-functional teams to maximize understanding of the pharmacological, regulatory, and clinical dimensions of the drugs being studied.
Salary range: $90,000 to $200,000; company-sponsored speaking tours and other promotional events offer the enterprising physician numerous other ways to increase income.

Clinical Research Associate
These are the folks who oversee clinical trials. They get involved in designing protocols, enlisting physician investigators, training clinic personnel, and evaluating data. The job can require travel, sometimes as much as 80 percent of the time, but it doesn’t always. CRAs may also manage the services of an independent clinical research organization that runs the actual studies. A BS, BSN, or RN is required.
Salary range: $56,000 to $95,000

Regulatory Affairs Associate/Manager
The regulatory affairs career path suits job seekers who have a background in science but don’t want to do lab work. Regulatory affairs specialists complete the paperwork required by regulatory agencies worldwide and communicate directly with the agencies to ask questions and resolve issues. Depending on their level of industry experience, they may also set regulatory strategy for a pharma company. A master’s degree is typically the minimum requirement for entry-level positions.
Salary range: $42,000 to $88,000

Biostatistician
Statisticians in clinical development prepare analysis plans for clinical studies, design tables and figures that display information clearly, interpret final study data, and write the statistical sections of clinical study reports. As with research scientists, statistician titles frequently include a I, II, or III to indicate levels of education and experience. Entry-level positions require a master’s degree or PhD in statistics or a therapeutic specialty; higher levels require a PhD and several years of industry experience. Biostatisticians ultimately report to the head of a therapeutic division at most companies.
Salary range: $53,000 to $105,000

Clinical Data Manager
Clinical data managers supervise all aspects of clinical data. They specify how metrics will be collected and assist in standardizing data management procedures for internal operations and external reporting. This position typically requires at least a master’s degree in a relevant area plus several years of industry experience.
Salary range: $82,000 to $119,000

Medical Science Liaison
Medical Science Liasons (MSLs) are field-based MDs, PhDs, or PharmDs with therapeutic area specialities. They interact with physicians and scientists in the health care community—especially those doing prominent academic research—to maximize the acceptance and proper use of company products.
Salary range: $100,000 to $125,000 in base salary, with up to 25 percent in bonuses

Quality Assurance Jobs

A variety of engineering types—biochemical, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, and software engineers—as well as scientists can find work in Big Pharma in the manufacturing arena. Roles include designing the manufacturing processes for drugs, ensuring the integrity of finished product, creating product packaging, and planning specialized work spaces.

One area that gets a lot of attention in pharmaceuticals is called quality assurance and control, often shortened to QA/QC. Quality experts ensure that medicines are manufactured and studied in compliance with federal standards. They examine production plants, monitor investigator sites, audit study data, and validate manufacturing processes and computer systems. If you’ve got a BS or a BE or higher in a relevant discipline, you will find many opportunities here.

Like scientists on the pure research side, many employees in manufacturing and QA/QC encounter a dual ladder in Big Pharma. Engineers and scientists can get promoted doing technical work or, if they have the aptitude and inclination, they can shift over and become part of the management team that coordinates the work of the technical folks.

Process Engineer
In most cases, process engineers work on project teams with more senior engineers. Job responsibilities may include designing chemical or biological methods for mass-producing compounds, designing equipment, and designing and overseeing the construction of various elements of manufacturing plants from pilot to commercial scale.
Salary range: $52,000 to $86,000

Quality Control Analyst
Quality Control (QC) analysts are responsible for the biological and chemical evaluation of products, materials, and facilities. They perform assays and establish and write specifications and standard operating procedures. Most people who fill this role have a BS. This position is often a good fit for job seekers who have backgrounds in science and like to work in highly structured settings.
Salary range: $37,000 to $65,000

Quality Assurance Specialist
QA specialists ensure that a company’s testing, reporting, and manufacturing are in compliance with regulatory requirements. They conduct site audits and review and analyze data and documentation. The entry-level position typically requires a BS.
Salary range: $40,000 to $73,000

Business Operations

Business operations encompasses the diverse array of commercially oriented positions within a pharma company, plus the standard corporate positions in areas such as finance, HR, and purchasing. If you’ve got an MBA, this is where you’ll find the most opportunities—especially if you’ve got a bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline, which can demonstrate you’ll move up the learning curve quickly in the complex industry of pharmaceuticals. A BS is not necessarily required, however, if you’ve got some industry experience or can prove you’re the right fit for the organization.

Within marketing, there are analyst positions galore, covering specifics such as market research, forecasting, and promotional response analysis. These are excellent entry-level positions for MBAs without industry experience. One step up and requiring some pharma experience are assistant or associate product managers, who execute a brand’s strategy under the direction of a product manager. Product managers are responsible for the overall success of a brand. They work with a therapeutics-focused business director or other representative from upper management to set performance targets, then design an appropriate marketing strategy. While most product manager positions require an MBA, at some companies they may also require industry sales experience. Without it, you may need to arrange a rotation program in the field, or you’ll find yourself competing unsuccessfully with internal sales reps who are vying to move up the corporate ladder.

Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts collect and analyze data to support the marketing of medicines during every stage of the product life cycle, including pre-launch, launch phase, and established products. They design and conduct market research studies, analyze accumulated data, and communicate findings to management to support business recommendations. MRAs usually work closely with product managers. This position requires a bachelor’s degree in business, social science, or a related field; an MBA is frequently preferred. Some travel may be required in order to oversee field research.
Salary range: $46,000 to $75,000 (more for MBAs with industry or sales experience)

Associate Product Manager

Associate product managers are primarily responsible for coordinating and implementing campaigns for specific drugs, audiences, or both. This involves a little strategy and a lot of execution—things like developing collateral pieces, working as a liaison to advertising agencies, and establishing a company presence at conventions. Many MBAs enter the industry this way; other people come to this position from sales.
Salary range: $38,000 to $75,000

Product Manager
This job requires managing a team of people and working to determine price, distribution, brand image, forecasting, and overall strategy for one or more drugs. On a micro level, the job can be claustrophobic: Imagine spending 13 months of six-day weeks learning every aspect of a single drug, then having the company decide that it would be best simply to let the product die. But over the years you should be exposed to some of the most important, dynamic, and profitable drug markets in the industry, an experience that will give you a big-picture understanding of the industry and make you a greater asset to the company.
Salary range: $65,000 to $120,000

Strategy Director
Strategy directors develop plans for maximizing the commercial potential of a particular product or therapeutic area. They perform quantitative and qualitative analyses of disease and treatment trends and assess opportunities for expanding market share and competitive positioning. These individuals typically work closely with colleagues in marketing analytics, business development, and finance. An MBA or master’s-level degree in a health care–related field is required, plus some industry experience.
Salary range: $98,000 to $214,000

Business Development Manager
Employees in business development evaluate new business opportunities that are aligned with a pharma company’s therapeutic product divisions and strategic goals. They examine in- and out-licensing opportunities, collaborative development deals, and joint ventures. The position requires an MBA, strong analytical skills, and several years of industry experience. At some companies, PhDs work in this area as well.
Salary range: $83,000 to $124,000

Sales Jobs

Big Pharma companies maintain huge staffs of sales representatives, who work to keep physicians, hospitals, HMOs, and other medical institutions abreast of—and partial toward—their company’s drugs. The act of selling to doctors is widely known as detailing, particularly if the salesperson uses company-produced visual aids.

Sales reps are categorized according to the particular customer base they serve: primary care physicians (PCPs), specialty physicians, hospital physicians, and managed care companies. Some sales reps visit pharmacies as well.

Field reps service territories that are typically defined by specialty and geography (for example all primary care doctors in Omaha, or all cardiologists in New Hampshire), and operate under a prescribed call cycle that determines how often they visit doctors in their territory. Call cycles range between two weeks and four months for most drugs, but can sometimes be as frequent as every few days during the introduction of hot new products or for physicians who are high-volume prescribers.

District managers usually are in charge of 10 to 14 field reps, hiring, training, and supervising them; regional managers oversee the district managers. Some sales positions require extensive travel; others don’t. Virtually all positions come with generous perks such as a company car, computer, and expense account, plus attractive bonuses based on sales. A bachelor’s degree in the sciences will help, and some type of previous sales experience is typically required. Many companies view sales as the natural entrée into marketing positions in the corporate office.
Average base salary for all sales reps: $68,600 plus generous incentives (specialty and hospital reps earn higher on average than PCP reps). Virtually all sales positions come with generous perks such as a company car, computer, and expense account, plus attractive bonuses based on sales.

Requirements

People with scientific backgrounds are in demand, particularly those who combine scientific training with managerial ability. Folks with BS or MS degrees in chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, and computer science can find absorbing careers.

However, a PhD is generally required if you want to advance beyond the level of research associate. Non-science undergrads can get a foot in the door through pharma sales and internships or co-op programs in business-oriented areas of the company. MBAs who forgo consulting and investment banking careers will find a more palatable work/life balance along with good pay and some of the best benefits packages around.

And MDs can find well-paying, engaging work that offers regular hours and is free of managed-care administrivia. Above all, those who choose to work in this industry enjoy the very real satisfaction of knowing that they are laboring to produce drugs that could make a radical difference in the lives of thousands, or even millions, of people.

Job Outlook

Although the pharmaceutical market is expanding on a worldwide basis, R&D costs are rising fast. Something’s got to give in the industry machine, and sales positions seem to be the first target of cost-cutting efforts. Late in 2006, for example, Pfizer announced plans to cut 20 percent of its 11,000 U.S. sales reps, plus a significant percentage of its European sales force, in a move to transform it into a more nimble organization. Many pharma industry experts expect others companies to follow suit. One problem with the current model is that too many sales reps are competing for physicians’ attention. In the past decade, the number of U.S. pharmaceutical sales reps has tripled while the number of physicians has grown little in comparison. And as mentioned earlier, the product pipeline is generating more specialty products and fewer mainstream blockbuster drugs, leading Big Pharma to shift its sales focus from primary care physicians to the less numerous specialist physicians (such as oncologists) who are the gatekeepers for dispensing specialty drugs. As specialty selling increases, reps who have science degrees will likely be in high demand.

Those on the science side may also find that, although jobs are available, job competition is tougher than in years past. With applications exceeding demand, pharma firms now favor candidates who have internship experience, advanced or specialized degrees, and proven communications and leadership skills. While a graduate degree isn’t required to land a job, it certainly gives a candidate greater flexibility in the job market.

A trend toward outsourcing functions such as manufacturing, clinical trial management, and even R&D is expected to continue within pharma. Although experts disagree as to how far it will grow, most of our insiders say that Big Pharma companies will be forced to focus on their core competencies and do as many other functions as feasible out of house.

Another industry trend is the move toward using the Internet and other technologies to provide interactive marketing and direct-to-patient education. Consequently, people with Internet marketing experience may find extended opportunities in Big Pharma.

Compensation

Big Pharma companies typically pay cash bonuses, match 401(k) contributions, and offer stock purchase plans. Individual performance bonuses are common at all levels. Some companies also have team-based performance bonuses. Signing bonuses and relocation funds can also enter the picture, depending on the company and the candidate. Though hefty packages are more standard with Big Pharma than with smaller firms, companies located in high cost-of-living zones tend to be more open to creative relocation negotiations, particularly for experienced individuals.

Three weeks of vacation per year is typical, and after a few years, four weeks is not uncommon. And unlike companies in some other industries, pharmaceutical companies encourage their employees to actually take their vacation days—as long as they don’t schedule them during an FDA plant inspection or some other critical activity. See specific positions' salary ranges in the Career Tracks section.

Career Overview

Pharmaceutical companies make medicines from plant- and chemical-based compounds. Insiders refer to the handful of multinational giants that dominate the industry as Big Pharma. While many of these firms also produce animal health products,livestock feed supplements, vitamins, and a host of other goods, this guide will focus solely on their drug products used to treat human illness.

The majority of Big Pharma companies are headquartered in the United States, but several are based in western Europe—specifically the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, and France. Most pharma companies headquartered in the United States are located east of the Mississippi, with the greatest concentration in New Jersey.

Depending on their size and strategy, pharma companies may conduct extensive research in-house or they may seek to license promising drugs from academia, other pharma firms, or biotechnology companies. The latter firms are generally smaller than their Big Pharma competitors, and they employ cellular and biomolecular processes to make medicines or diagnose illness.

Growth at a Price

Big Pharma is one of the world’s most profitable industries. During the last 30 years, the industry has spent billions of dollars on research and reaped billions in return. In 2006 alone, the pharmaceutical industry introduced 31 major drugs and sold $643 billion in products worldwide—a 7-percent increase over 2005 sales, according to the drug market research firm IMS Health. In the same year U.S. sales beat the national average with growth of 8.3 percent (up from 5.4 percent growth in 2005).

But the process that turns research dollars intomedicines that can help patients is a slow and often heartbreaking one. It now takes an average of 15 years and $800 million to nurture a drug from initial discovery through FDA approval. Despite the billions of dollars companies spend annually on drug development, the FDA approves only a handful of drugs each year. Nevertheless, the prize is great enough that pharmaceutical companies are willing to stake their R&D dollars on that a new drug will become a so-called blockbuster, one that exceeds $1 billion in annual sales.

The arduous drug approval process reveals a central fact about Big Pharma: it’s one of the most intensely regulated industries in the world. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its European Union counterpart, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), govern every aspect of a drug’s development.

The regulatory bodies review and approve companies’ detailed clinical study instructions, called protocols, as well as drugs’ chemical composition and manufacturing methods. They stipulate how data must be collected and conveyed, and even examine packaging components and marketing pieces before they will approve a drug for marketing. The strict oversight is meant to protect patient safety, and pharma companies take regulatory oversight seriously. The constant pressure to adhere to government mandates shapes every aspect of a pharma firm’s organization, operations, and culture. For example, drug companies maintain powerful regulatory affairs divisions—the departments that deal with government agencies—and they tend to be risk-averse.

What You’ll Do

Pharmaceutical firms tend to organize R&D, sales, and marketing professionals into teams, each of which is focused on a single therapeutic category of drugs. From a functional point of view, here are the operations that take place in most pharmaceutical companies:

• Discovery is science in action. This arduous but inspiring process involves chemists, biologists, physicians, and even computer scientists in a quest to identify promising new compounds from a variety of sources. Only 1 in 10,000 candidate drugs identified during discovery eventually makes it through the product development pipeline.
• Development ushers new compounds—often called clinical candidates—through the lengthy process of testing in animals and humans. A drug development team oversees clinical trials at independent medical institutions and collects data on safety and efficacy, which the company then submits alongside the application to secure FDA approval to market a drug.
• Pharmaceutical operations comprises all of the activities undertaken to manufacture drugs and ensure that they comply with federal or international regulations. Divisions include manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, supply chain management, facilities engineering, and environmental health and safety.
• Drug safety operations involves the work of physicians, nurses, scientists with PhDs, pharmacists, and statisticians who collect, aggregate, and interpret safety data from clinical trials and from patient and physician feedback about existing products. Drug safety staff works closely with R&D and regulatory affairs experts to report their findings to government agencies.
• Sales and marketing develops strategies to promote drugs through the company’s field sales network or by using advertising and other channels to reach customers. This operational division involves market research and other analytical functions well-suited to MBAs.
• Medical affairs involves the activities of medical service liaisons (MSLs), a cadre of field-based MDs, PhDs, and PharmDs who act as emissaries between the company and opinion makers in the medical community (physicians, researchers at medical schools, and government health agency officials, for example). MSLs are not concerned with short-term marketing goals, which is why this function usually is not part of marketing. Instead, they cultivate peer relationships within the medical community so the company can understand, and in turn influence, the direction of medical research and practice. In short, MSLs help a pharmaceutical company position itself strategically so that its long-term drug development plans are in sync with trends in the practice of medicine. As a side function, medical affairs also coordinates medical education opportunities for health care professionals and patient groups.
• Finance is another broad function. This division handles all of the company’s accounting activities, financial reporting, and investor relations. In pharma, it frequently also includes strategic planning and business development.
• Human resources: Pharmaceutical companies hire a diverse assortment of professionals, and hiring typically is national or international in scope. It’s understandable that Big Pharma firms have large and elaborate human resources departments as a result. As in other industries, the HR function governs recruiting, compensation, benefits, training and development, conflict resolution, and diversity initiatives. Because pharma companies tend to invest particularly heavily in professional training and continuing education, staff development often is a special area of emphasis within HR in pharma.