Qualitative Moderator/Pharma

Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

About the company

Our client, established in 2001, has offices in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. This role will report to the closest location to the successful candidate.

About the role and about you!

The main focus of this role is in the pharma space but also includes consumer and B2B. Moderators conduct in-depth interviews with physicians and other healthcare professionals both in-person and online, and with individuals or in a group setting. The scope of work is varied, but can include helping pharmaceutical companies to develop strategies to effectively communicate clinical trial data to physicians, and to develop marketing and support materials to physicians and patients.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to communicate credibly with healthcare professionals and to develop expertise on a wide range of therapeutic areas such as oncology, rheumatology, and endocrinology.

This role requires a very specific personality and disposition: listening skills, and a genuinely empathetic nature are critical. The successful candidate will also possess a natural curiosity about the deeper motivators that influence human thoughts and behaviours, and have an authentic, grounded presence to set research participants at ease. Respondents can range from senior physicians with international reputations, to patients with terminal conditions. Our moderators are known for balancing high-level technical knowledge, with a kind and open disposition that creates a safe space for research participants to open up and share what can often be very sensitive and personal information.

This role is not just about running interviews or focus groups. It's about owning the moderation process end to end and delivering clear, insightful findings across a range of methodologies.

The right candidate is a self-starter who thrives in a flexible environment, comfortably managing their own schedule while collaborating closely with project managers, account directors, other moderators. If you're passionate about healthcare research, enjoy speaking with a wide range of participants, and like guiding projects from briefing through to debrief, this role is for you.

What You'll Do

•Research Moderation: Lead qualitative research sessions (IDIs, focus groups, workshops) with healthcare professionals, patients, and other audiences, ensuring conversations are engaging, on-brief, and compliant with client and industry standards.

Clients are 60% in the healthcare/pharma space, 30% in consumer and 10% in B2B (approximately).

•Study Execution: Take ownership of the full moderation process for assigned projects—from understanding objectives and discussion guides to conducting interviews and delivering insightful, well-structured topline or full reports.

•Team Collaboration: Partner closely with Project Managers, Account Directors, Moderators and recruitment teams to align on objectives, timelines, logistics, and client expectations throughout each study.

•Methodology & Tools: Confidently moderate both online and in-person research using client-specified platforms (e.g., Zoom, Discourse, Civicom, Fellow) adapting your approach to different methodologies and audiences.

•Analysis & Reporting: Review transcripts and recordings AI-enabled tools, synthesize findings, and translate complex healthcare insights into clear, actionable deliverables that clients can easily integrate into their own reporting.

•Client Interaction: Participate in client briefings, debriefs, and working sessions as needed, representing the company with a professional, friendly, and solutions-oriented presence.

•Workload Balance: Manage multiple studies at various stages, flexing your schedule around early-morning or evening sessions and occasional travel, while maintaining high-quality moderation and deliverables.

What We're Looking For

•Experience: 3+ years of hands-on qualitative research moderation experience (focus groups, IDIs, workshops), in healthcare/pharma and/or with agencies serving pharma clients.

•Ownership: Self-starter with the confidence to walk into complex studies and own the full moderation and insight-delivery process, from prep to debrief, with minimal oversight.

•Organization: Strong ability to manage multiple concurrent studies, timelines, and stakeholder needs while maintaining high-quality deliverables in a project-driven environment.

•Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; able to build rapport quickly with participants, collaborate smoothly with project managers and account directors, and clearly articulate insights to clients.

•Technology Savviness: Comfortable working across a range of virtual research and meeting platforms as well as transcript/AI tools used for analysis.

•Background: Solid grounding in qualitative research methods and healthcare topics; prior experience working with agencies holding long-term pharma contracts or with HCP/patient audiences is a strong asset.

•Adaptability: Thrives in a flexible, highly collaborative environment; able to flex between online and in-person research, adjust schedules around project needs, and pivot methodology or approach as client needs evolve.

Personality Traits That Shine Here

•Independent and self-starting, able to take initiative, manage their own schedule, and balance projects without constant direction.

•Adaptable and flexible, comfortable shifting between online and in-person studies, irregular hours, and changing client or project needs.

•Collaborative yet entrepreneurial, able to work closely with project managers, account directors, recruiters, and other moderators while confidently owning the research sessions and deliverables.

•Strategic thinker with a strong grasp of healthcare and market research, able to quickly synthesize insights, pivot approaches with clients, and contribute to methodology discussions.

•Resilient and enthusiastic, maintaining a positive, energetic, and empathetic presence with participants and clients, and thriving in a culture that values hard work, collegial support, and genuine work–life balance.

Nice-to-Have

•Bilingual in English and French, enabling moderation and reporting in both languages.

Why Join Us

You'll enjoy genuine flexibility over your schedule, a supportive, family owned, low ego culture, and exposure to a wide range of therapeutic areas and methodologies. We value curiosity, collaboration, and balance and we prioritize adaptability, professionalism, and a positive, client focused attitude over rigid career paths or one "right" background.

Junction Collective is committed to building diverse, inclusive teams. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, and accommodations are available throughout the hiring process if needed.

This posting is for an existing vacancy. Candidates selected to interview with our client will be notified of a hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview.

We may use AI-supported tools to help review and organize applications, but all interviews and final hiring decisions are made by people — thoughtfully and with care.