Typical employers include pharmaceutical companies, Contract Research Organizations (CRO) or Contract Pharmaceutical Organizations, who conduct research on behalf of pharmaceutical companies.

A CRO may organize the placement of a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) on contract with the sponsor (the pharmaceutical company). Reporting directly to the sponsor, the CRO may organize and conduct the whole study or any part of it, with the CRA reporting to the organization and feeding back to the sponsor. Alternatively, the CRO may organize and conduct the entire clinical trial program.

Hospital academic departments occasionally employ CRAs in clinical trials units.