The regulatory-affairs coordinator who supports the RA Manager in submitting and tracking product registrations, clinical filings, and compliance documentation — typically in pharma, biotech, or medical-device settings — at the start of a regulatory career.
Most days tend to involve document preparation, regulatory-tracking spreadsheets, coordination with cross-functional teams (R&D, quality, manufacturing), and supporting the senior RA Manager on submission packages to FDA, EMA, or other agencies. You'll often help compile dossiers, maintain submission timelines, and learn the procedural rules of regulatory filings.
The hardest parts tend to be the procedural density and the consequence of small documentation errors. A missing signature or formatting issue can delay a submission by weeks. Industry settings vary — large pharma has structured processes and slow training arcs; small biotech moves fast but throws junior staff into deeper work; medical-device firms layer in their own classification rules.
People who tend to thrive here are organized, detail-driven, comfortable with technical reading, and patient with multi-stakeholder coordination. If you want pure legal practice or product strategy, the role can feel like project management. If you find satisfaction in being the operational backbone that gets new therapies and devices through the regulatory front door, the work can be both technical and meaningful.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The regulatory-affairs coordinator who supports the RA Manager in submitting and tracking product registrations, clinical filings, and compliance documentation — typically in pharma, biotech, or medical-device settings — at the start of a regulatory career.
Median pay for a Ra Manager (regulatory Affairs Manager) Coordinator is about $137K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $69K to $228K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4.5% through 2034, with roughly 630,980 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include RA Manager (Regulatory Affairs Manager), Compliance Director, and Regulatory Manager.
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