Statistical Programmer (Clinical)
Also known as: Clinical SAS Programmer · Biostatistical Programmer
Programs datasets, tables and analyses for clinical trials to support drug approval.
What you’d do
A clinical statistical programmer turns raw clinical trial data into analysis datasets, tables and figures that biostatisticians and regulators review. Employers include pharma companies, clinical research organisations and their analytics centres. A typical day involves writing and checking code, comparing outputs line by line, and documenting work for audits.
- Create analysis datasets from trial data
- Program tables, listings and figures
- Validate outputs from other programmers
- Follow CDISC data standards
How you get in
Freshers usually join a pharma or clinical research company as trainee programmers after a coding and statistics test. A base programming certification in SAS or R is commonly asked for. Strong statistics from B.Stat or B.Math helps move toward biostatistician roles.
Salary in India
Fresher salary over the years
middle of the 0–1 yr range, ₹ lakh a year
Fewer than two years of fresher data so far — the trend shows once there are two.
Skills you’ll use
From our guide · a curated list is coming
- Programming in SAS or R
- Clinical data standards
- Statistics for trial analysis
- Validation and double programming
- Careful documentation
About this field · for freshers
Job openings by year
Is demand growing?
Not added yet.
Competition4
How many graduates enter each year?
B.Sc (all subjects) graduates in 2023-24 at institutions that reported to AISHE — everyone finishing that degree, not only those entering this role.
Who hires
IT firms, banks, government, startups?
Not added yet.
Where the jobs are
Which cities?
Not added yet.
Women in the field4
Is it diverse?
Share of women among B.Sc (all subjects) graduates in 2023-24 — the entry degree, not people already working in this role.
At a glance
- Work is highly regulated, with strict checking and audit trails.
- Next roles: senior programmer, lead programmer, biostatistician (often after a master's).
Stay safe
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