Pfizer comp data: data engineer offer, NJ, 2026

contractor_kai · 4 replies

sharing my numbers since this thread needs some data.

Offer: Data Engineer II at Pfizer's Peapack NJ campus (hybrid 3 days/week), accepted March 2026. Base: $128,000 Annual bonus target: 15% (paid discretionary, not guaranteed) RSU: $40,000 over 4 years, 1-year cliff Sign-on: $10,000 (1-year clawback) Total comp year 1 at target: roughly $157k including sign-on

Context: 7 YOE, coming from contracting. I was billing at $90/hr before so the math works out roughly equivalent once you factor in benefits (their health plan is genuinely good), PTO (25 days which is real PTO, not the fake "unlimited" kind), and the RSU.

NJcost of living helps. would probably be tighter in NYC or SF.

Difficulty getting the offer: 4 rounds, about 5 weeks total. nothing brutal. they took the first number I gave them in the negotiation call but moved it up $8k, so there was room.

4 replies

numbers_only

this tracks with other pfizer data eng comps I've seen. base is a bit below big tech for the same YOE but the bonus structure is real money if business hits targets. and their bonus has historically paid out. that's worth something.

de_derek

the 25 days actual PTO is underrated. I have "unlimited" PTO at my current place and I took 10 days last year because nobody actually takes unlimited PTO. give me a real number.

sre_sol

unlimited PTO is just a way to make you feel guilty for taking vacation and also not have a liability on the balance sheet when you quit. it's not a benefit, it's a budget line item for them.

nonprofit_nia

the benefits thing is genuinely underrated when comparing pharma to tech. Pfizer's health/dental/vision is significantly better than what I had at my last startup. hard to quantify but it's real money if you have a family.