Animal Care and Research Assistant
- United States - Connecticut - Groton
Why Patients Need You
Everything we do, every day, is in line with an unwavering commitment to the quality and the delivery of safe and effective products to patients. Our science and risk-based compliant quality culture is flexible, innovative, and customer oriented. Whether you are involved in development, maintenance, compliance or analysis through research programs, your contribution will directly impact patients.
What You Will Achieve
The Technical Specialist’s primary responsibility is to provide basic husbandry, handling, restraint and health surveillance of laboratory animals in compliance with local regulatory requirements. This individual will also be responsible for maintaining inventory of animal supplies and providing basic technical assistance (i.e., restraint, injections, blood collections) in support of research studies. Perform all regulatory responsibilities in compliance with applicable regulatory standards.
How You Will Achieve It
Primary Duties:
- Perform routine animal husbandry duties as directed.
- Observe and report status of animal health, food and water consumption, appearance, behavior.
- Provide support in basic veterinary medical treatment as prescribed by the veterinary staff.
- Support cage wash equipment operations and maintenance.
- Support research by providing basic technical services (restraint, dose administration,) to research investigators.
- Required to work with all species housed at the site.
- Train and mentor new hires in animal husbandry and facility support duties fulfilling department training requirements.
- May be required to work under one of the following: The United States Department of Agriculture Animal Welfare Act and associated Regulations and Standards, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Good Laboratory Practices, Public Health Service Policy and/or AAALAC accreditation standards.
Qualifications
Must-Have
- High school degree or GED required
- 2 years’ experience required(+certifications)
Nice-to-Have
- Experience working in a pharmaceutical setting
- Strong attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Problem-solving skills
- Familiarity with animal care and welfare regulations
- Experience with cage wash equipment
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively
PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Must be able to lift 50 pounds and work standing up lifting items above shoulder level for extended periods of time. Ability to perform repetitive physical activities such as: pushing and pulling racks of caging, lifting bags of feed and bedding, reaching, stooping and bending.
For this position, you are expected to enter the nonhuman primate areas as part of your job responsibilities, a pre-hire requirement is either providing proof of measles immunity or receiving the measles vaccination before hire.
NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS
Weekend and holiday work are required
Work shift from 6:00 AM to 2:30 PM, working weekends every other week.
This is an essential personnel role: Essential Personnel are defined as the staff who are required to report to their designated work location, to ensure the operation of essential functions or departments during an emergency, as determined by Pfizer, or when the business has suspended operations. There are some individuals who may be required to perform essential services remotely and those individuals will be identified in advance and notified by their supervisors, but in most cases Essential Personnel are required to be onsite during an emergency or suspension of operations.
Work Location Assignment: On Premise
Relocation support available
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
Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives
Research confirms what intuition tells us: that purpose-driven companies perform better, are more innovative, attract and retain the best people, and know how to unleash the power of those people. Pfizer’s purpose—Breakthroughs that change patients' lives—fuels everything we do and reflects our passion for building on our legacy as one of the greatest contributors of good to the world.
Each word in our purpose has meaning and reflects the value we strive to bring to patients and society:
“Breakthroughs” - These are the innovations, scientific and commercial, that we seek to deliver every day. All colleagues, regardless of role, level or location, strive for breakthroughs every day.
“Change” - We want to do more than simply improve patients’ medical conditions; we want to dramatically change their lives for the better.
“Patients’ lives” - We consider not only patients, but everyone they touch—including their families, caregivers, and friends—and everything they love to do. It’s an intentionally holistic view.
Our purpose ensures that patients remain at the center of all we do. We live our purpose by sourcing the best science in the world; partnering with others in the healthcare system to improve access to our medicines; using digital technologies to enhance our drug discovery and development, as well as patient outcomes; and leading the conversation to advocate for pro-innovation/pro-patient policies.
Every decision we make and every action we take is done with the patient in mind—and to nurture an environment where breakthroughs can thrive.
Our Values
To fully realize Pfizer’s purpose, we have established a clear set of expectations regarding “what” we need to achieve for patients and “how” we will go about achieving those goals.
The “how” is represented by four simple, powerful values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—that define our company and our culture.
Courage: Breakthroughs start by challenging convention, especially in the face of uncertainty or adversity. This happens when we think big, speak up, and are decisive.
Excellence: We can only change patients’ lives when we perform at our best together. This happens when we focus on what matters, agree who does what, and measure our outcomes.
Equity: We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. This happens when we are inclusive, act with integrity, and reduce healthcare disparities.
Joy: We give ourselves to our work, but it also gives to us. We find joy when we take pride, recognize one another, and have fun.
Pfizer Research & Development
Pfizer Research & Development serves as the beating heart of Pfizer's trailblazing product pipeline, the essence of our mission to bring life-changing medicines to the world.
With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we use a multidisciplinary approach that blends scientific expertise, cutting-edge technologies, and strategic collaborations, igniting a powerful engine that propels groundbreaking discoveries into life-saving treatments for patients in need.
Through our relentless pursuit of progress, we envision a future where cutting-edge medicines pave the way to healthier, happier lives worldwide.
Benefits at Pfizer
Pfizer offers competitive compensation and benefits programs designed to meet the diverse needs of our colleagues. Our Pay for Performance Philosophy and Practices reward colleagues based on the contributions they make to our business.
Our Competitive Benefits Programs help our colleagues by:
- Promoting Health and Wellness to help colleagues maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Pfizer offerings include health and disability insurance, preventative health programs, medical screenings, free or reduced-cost vaccinations, discounts on Pfizer products, mental health support, nutrition and fitness counseling and more.
- Strengthening Colleagues’ Financial Security by providing company contributions to retirement plans, life insurance and financial planning education to help colleagues achieve their financial goals.
- Providing Benefits and Time off for the Moments that Matter to ensure Pfizer colleagues have the time away from the office to recharge, recover and return to work as the best version of themselves. Vacation, Holiday time and Sick time are just the beginning, with a 12 week parental leave policy for both parents of a new born, 10 day of caregiver leave for those times when your family needs you whether it’s a child, spouse or parent, bereavement leave, and additional country-specific programs.
- And so much more, depending on your country and site, Pfizer offers childcare facilities or discount programs, on-site health and/or fitness centers, movement and mindfulness solutions, “Log in for your Day” work flexibility and so much more.
For U.S. based jobs, view an overview of Pfizer’s U.S. benefits program (opens in a new window)