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Overall employee rating

3.2
Based on 36 reviews
5
4
3
2
1
Detail Ratings
Work life balance
3.0
Career Growth
3.0
Work flexibility
3.0
Job Security
4.0
Pay and benefits
4.0
Leadership
3.0
Company Culture
3.0
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Clinical Research Associate
3.4
1 July 2026

Solid culture, but it can be slow

Working at MSD as a Clinical Research Associate was generally a good experience, especially if you're looking for stability in the pharmaceutical industry. The culture is pretty supportive, but things often move at a corporate pace which can be frustrating.


Pros

The teams are usually very collaborative. People are genuinely nice and willing to help out, which is great for new CRAs. You also get good exposure to different areas of drug development in this global company.


Cons

The big pharma bureaucracy is real. Decisions take ages, and sometimes good ideas get lost in the shuffle. It's tough when you're working remote and trying to push projects forward, especially with all the red tape.


Advice to Management

Try to empower teams more and speed up decision-making processes. Cut down on some of the unnecessary layers of approval to keep employees engaged.


Ratings by topic
3.0
Work life balance
3.0
Career Growth
4.0
Work flexibility
4.0
Job Security
4.0
Pay and benefits
3.0
Leadership
3.0
Company Culture

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