Economist

Who we are?

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) brings together provincial, territorial, and federal governments for the purpose of increasing and managing access to clinically relevant and cost-effective medicines. Through collective negotiations, the pCPA has realized overall savings (as of April 1, 2025) for governments of $3.94 billion annually for brand name drugs and $935 million annually for generic drugs totaling $4.87 billion annually.  The pCPA offers a 100% remote (within Canada) work environment.

About the role

The economist supports the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) decision-making for the planning, coordination, and management of brand negotiations and generic drug assessments using health economic evaluations and other financial analyses to obtain the best possible value for federal, provincial and territorial public drug programs.  

Reporting to the manager, Analytics, this role contributes to projects to support drug negotiations and attends committees involving a range of partners related to plan, coordinate and implement negotiations.  

The economist has responsibility on one or more of the core analytic activities within the Analytics division: 

• Analytical support on pCPA Negotiations 
• Broad pharmaceutical market analyses encompassing brand, generic, and evolving pharmaceutical markets (such as biosimilars and cell and gene therapies) 
• Economic and financial analysis to evaluate drug-related policies and/or organization performance

Economists are expected to address low and medium-complexity issues within these core analytic activities.

Specific deliverables 

• Assists with the collaborations of the pCPA negotiation team and federal/provincial/territorial partners to develop negotiation strategies, to set mandates and to reassess offers/counteroffers in order to achieve value-based negotiation outcomes between the public drug programs and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Conducts comprehensive analyses that are of moderate complexity (e.g., financial systems, utilization, environmental scans) in which relevant research findings are synthesized and reported to support evidence-informed decision-making on drug negotiations. 
• Analyzes internal and external issues such as regulatory issues and contract dependencies that may affect negotiations and, if needed, assess potential legal implications with the support of manager to understand its potential impact on drug negotiations. 
• Assists in conducting targeted re-analysis of cost-utility, cost minimization and budget impact analyses incorporating confidential pharmaceutical prices, and/or alternative assumptions made by manufacturers and health technology assessment agencies in order to evaluate its plausibility and impact. 
• Contributes to critical appraisals of complex confidential manufacturer price proposals, including contract elements linked to patient and/or utilization and, as required, consider indication-specific elements to quantify its financial impact on individual jurisdictions and nationally across Canada. 
• Participates in quantitative research relating to the pharmaceutical ecosystem. 
• Supports the development and revisions of internal processes and structures to ensure consistency across drug negotiations and supports the development and revision of provincial/territorial negotiation standards to align with best practices.
• Assist general project support including project design, creation of workplans; monitor project progress to identify potential risk; exercise good judgement in proactively identifying complex issues and proposing solution for review; and preparation of draft and final deliverables (e.g., report, communication materials).
• Supports the preparation of training and resource materials.

General deliverables

• Collects, organizes and interprets data for members of the Analytics team, pCPA staff, or jurisdictional pCPA contacts. 
• Participates in the development, coordination, and evaluation of reports and analyses that are related to the pCPA or the pharmaceutical ecosystem
• Supports the development of policy, option papers, slide presentation, memos, briefing notes for senior management/executives on a variety of drug-related matters to support organization’s goals. 
• Assists in critical consultation and liaisons with federal, provincial and territorial public drug programs and other jurisdictions and experts (e.g., medical, legal and financial specialists) regarding drug funding agreements. 
• Helps Analysts in preparing internal and public-facing metrics, including key performance and risk indicators, and targeted metrics assessing the volume, timeliness, and effectiveness of brand negotiations and generic drug assessments.  
• Participates in the development, revision and/or appraisal of negotiation policies, programs and initiatives.
• Supports committees, working groups and attends meetings with external partners

Accountability 

• Accountable to the manager, Analytics. 

Qualifications  

Education and experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in health economics, finance, business administration, or a clinical or scientific discipline (including, but not limited to, pharmacy, pharmacology, or medical sciences), or related field.
• 1 to 3 years of experience in health economic evaluation (cost-utility analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis) and budget impact analysis.
• At least one year of experience conducting comprehensive quantitative analyses (e.g., financial, utilization, environmental scans) to support decision-making.
• At least one year of experience working with data to support analytical, research, or policy-related work.
• Experience preparing reports, briefing notes, or presentations to communicate findings.
• Experience supporting negotiation strategies through economic and financial expertise is an asset.
• Experience in pharmaceutical sciences, health services research, government, or regulatory environments is an asset.

Skills and abilities 

• As English is the primary working language at the pCPA, exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English are required.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills in French (asset) 
• In-depth understanding of the Canadian pharmaceutical industry and government processes. 
• Demonstrated proficiency in delivering presentations to internal and external stakeholders. 
• Exceptional ability to engage, respond to needs and build/maintain effective working relationships with all partners, fostering an effective and dynamic organizational culture. 
• Proven problem-solving abilities, adaptable with strong judgement, and making decisions based on established procedures. 
• Ability to lead and build consensus in the absence of authority is an asset. 
• Strong business and digital acumen. 

Employment terms   

• The hiring salary range for this full-time permanent position, classification level A6, is $89,404 to $126,175. This range reflects the salary for candidates with varying experience levels, job knowledge, and qualifications relevant to the position. Specific offers will be based on individual backgrounds and qualifications. 
• This position is part of the Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO) bargaining unit and is governed by the terms and conditions outlined in the collective agreement.
• The work hours for this position is 36.25 hours per week.
• The pCPA provides employees with a comprehensive group benefits package from the first day of employment. 
• The ideal candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada and can work from any location within Canada.
• This position requires frequent travel in different provinces and territories, including periodic multi-day, overnight trips.

If you are interested in this position, please submit your application by the end of Friday June 26, 2026.

We thank all those who apply; however, only those chosen for further consideration will be contacted.    

The pCPA is an equal-opportunity employer. In accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, 2019, and all applicable provincial accessibility standards, the pCPA will provide accommodation for applicants with disabilities upon request throughout the recruitment, selection, and/or assessment process