What it does: develops, produces, and distributes medicines and vaccines for cardiology, immunology, oncology, endocrinology, and neurology.
Mission: To become the world’s most valued company to patients, customers, colleagues, investors, business partners, and the communities where we work and live.
Size and presence: More than 1,500 scientists are working to research and develop medicines and more than 2,500 employees working for the company. It has several blockbuster drugs with each generating more than USD 1 billion in annual revenues.
Best known for: Its pursuit of scientific breakthroughs and revolutionary medicines which goes through more than 36 clinical trials before the first prescription.
The good bits: Pfizer provides an array of highly differentiated medicines and vaccines and has been generating employment for many people in the U.S. as well as other countries.
The not-so-good bits: To get a job in a leading pharmaceutical corporation, candidates need to have a certain set of skills as it involves a lot of research and tests. Also, the employees need to do their level best to meet the company’s goals of producing certain medicines or vaccines.
Pfizer is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation that produces medicines and vaccines. It was founded in 1849 by two German immigrants named Charles Pfizer and his cousin Charles F. Erhart in New York. It started by producing chemical compounds and was based in Williamsburg, New York.
The production of anti-parasitic and santonin was a huge success and it also led to the company’s growth in the 1880s. After gaining some popularity, the company expanded its operations by investing in new labs and factories. In 1881, the company’s administrative headquarters were moved to Manhattan.
Today, the company partners with many study sites and trial participants around the world. These trials help the company to develop life-changing medicines. Also, there are many manufacturing sites across the world to ensure an uninterrupted supply of vital medicines.
The work environment at Pfizer is all about diversity and inclusion as scientists from different parts of the globe work here to develop and produce life-saving medicines. The company strives to follow a colleague-centric approach and bring together people with different backgrounds and experiences.
The employees are also encouraged to enroll in learning programs to embrace new experiences and explore opportunities. The management encourages employees to explore internal development opportunities and discuss everything freely. Moreover, it provides job-rotation assignments, short-term project roles, and experiential action projects.
Pfizer follows a formal selection process to recruit employees as it looks for technical know-how and scientific background. It may take around 8-10 weeks to receive an official offer after completing all interviews, tests, and other formalities.
The selection process starts with filling out an online application form where the candidate will need to provide information like a current student or recent graduate, degree level, business area of interest, location, etc.
The selected applicants will be called for an interview with the respective team leaders. Those successfully clearing the interview will be called for an HR round. Candidates can learn more about the recruitment process by visiting the company’s website.
As science is the foundation of the company, Pfizer hires candidates with technical know-how and a science background. It provides many job opportunities for recent graduates, interns, experienced individuals, and veterans. It can be a perfect place for those who want to make careers in science and are eager to join a community that constantly learns and grows.
It has career opportunities in fields like Science, Research, Medicine, Health Care, Technology, Finance, Law, Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing, Communications, Compliance, and more. The company also encourages the visually impaired or people with accessibility needs to apply and join its global talent community.
As Pfizer follows the Pay for Performance philosophy and practices, employees are awarded salaries and rewards based on their contribution to the company. Talking about the annual average salary at Pfizer is approximately $120,268 including base and bonus. However, the average estimated median salary is $116,489 per year.
A Senior Marketing Manager gets the highest salary and is paid around $251,000 annually while the lowest-paid is an Admin Assistant who gets around $49,702 per year. The average department-wise salaries at Pfizer include Engineering at $141,174, Communications at $269,432, Legal at $108,580, Product at $182,793, and more.
Pfizer has implemented over 4,000 greenhouse gas reduction projects since 2000. It works with a focus on major environmental issues, climate impact mitigation, conservation of resources, and waste reduction. To provide necessary medicines to global health institutions and people across the globe, it works with many foundations.
Some initiatives to provide medicines to people who need them the most include Trachoma Initiative, Multicultural Health Equity Collective, the Gavi Alliance, Give Forward, Global Health Fellows, the Pfizer Foundation, and other charitable donations.
It also provides cash grants and product donations to help people during disasters like severe storms, wildfires, droughts, disease outbreaks, etc. The company also works for underserved communities and fights for their human rights.
Pfizer has been under fire due to many reasons including its aggressive pharmaceutical marketing, illegal marketing of certain medicines, and removal of ads after unflattering articles. There were also accusations that the company also violated laws protecting freedom of speech.