Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Posted September 18, 2026

Senior Associate Scientist, ADC In Vivo Pharmacology

San Diego, United States Full time
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About this opportunity

Position Summary

Pfizer is seeking a motivated Senior Associate Scientist to join the In Vivo Pharmacology group within the Oncology Research Unit, with a focus on antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs. This role supports the execution of in vivo oncology studies that enable ADC discovery and preclinical development, including efficacy, tolerability, pharmacodynamic, and sample collection workflows. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong technical aptitude, careful attention to detail, and a commitment to animal welfare, compliance, and high-quality study execution. The Associate Scientist is expected to contribute as a dependable technical team member while building scientific understanding of oncology pharmacology and ADC-specific study requirements.

Position Responsibilities

Conduct routine in vivo oncology study activities supporting ADC programs, including tumor measurements, body weight monitoring, clinical observations, dosing support, and sample collection.

Assist with execution of xenograft, syngeneic, and other oncology models under established protocols and guidance from study leads.

Support pharmacology studies evaluating ADC efficacy, tolerability, pharmacodynamic biomarkers, dosing schedules, and combination approaches.

Prepare study materials, confirm dosing and sampling schedules, and ensure study activities are performed according to approved protocols and SOPs.

Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant study records using approved electronic data capture and documentation systems.

Communicate study observations, technical issues, animal welfare concerns, and timeline risks promptly to managers and study line leads.

Collaborate with vivarium operations, project teams, pathology, bioanalytical, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic colleagues to support efficient study execution.

Ensure all work is conducted in accordance with IACUC protocols, animal welfare expectations, biosafety requirements, and Pfizer internal policies.

Minimum Qualifications / Key Skills

Bachelor’s degree in biology, pharmacology, animal science, cancer biology, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant laboratory experience.

Hands-on experience with rodent handling and in vivo procedures in a research, academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or contract research setting.

Working proficiency with routine in vivo oncology techniques such as tumor measurement, animal monitoring, dosing support, sample collection, and study documentation.

Ability to follow study protocols, dosing schedules, sample collection plans, and SOPs with precision and attention to detail.

Basic understanding of oncology pharmacology concepts, including tumor growth, treatment response, tolerability monitoring, and pharmacodynamic endpoint collection.

Strong organizational skills and ability to support multiple concurrent study activities under guidance from supervisors or study leads.

Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.

Applies technical skills to routine and moderately complex procedures while developing independence and troubleshooting capability.

Demonstrates accountability for assigned tasks and contributes to team goals, study timelines, and quality expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting ADC, targeted therapy, immuno-oncology, or oncology combination studies.

Familiarity with ADC pharmacology concepts such as target antigen expression, payload activity, linker stability, exposure-response relationships, and tolerability monitoring.

Experience with necropsy, tissue collection, blood collection, biomarker sample processing, or ex vivo endpoint workflows.

Familiarity with electronic in vivo study management systems such as Studylog or similar platforms.

AALAS certification or equivalent animal care and use training.

NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

Must be willing and able to work after hours as needed to ensure study integrity.

Relocation support available

Work Location Assignment: On Premise

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $68,600.00 to $114,300.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 7.5% of the base salary. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.

U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

Sunshine Act

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations.  These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure.  Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act.  Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government.  If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.  Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA.  Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.  This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Pfizer endeavors to make   www.pfizer.com/careers   accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email   disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com . This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on  Pfizer Careers .

Research and Development

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 200 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 35 biopharma companies.

200Comparable roles tracked
190Currently active
35Companies hiring similar roles
13Countries represented

Salary context

67 of 200 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $68,600/yr – $114,300/yr
Peer group range $91,450 – $231,700 (median $165,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 200 comparable roles

United States156
India11
United Kingdom5
Canada4
China's Mainland4
China3

+ 7 more countries

Seniority mix

200 of 200 peers have a known seniority level

Senior107
Principal75
Associate Director18

Therapeutic area mix

20 of 200 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology8
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Neuroscience3
Immunology2
Gastroenterology1
Respiratory1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.