Career Opportunities

57% of the world's Pharma and Life Sciences CEOs report that finding the right talent is a key challenge for the industry (PWC, 2018)

The world's pharma industry provides interesting, rewarding and steady career opportunities for those with the right skills. There's a growing need for people with the right knowledge.

A global skills shortage for Pharma Manufacturing

According to a recent McKinsey report, emerging markets have now overtaken the EU5 economies (Germany, France, Italy, the UK, and Spain) in pharmaceutical spending, with a total market size of USD 281 billion compared with the EU5’s USD 196 billion in 2014. As developed economies continue to constrain or cut healthcare funding, governments in many emerging markets are making healthcare a priority. They are investing in infrastructure, funding services, encouraging the development of a domestic industry, and expanding health insurance to a broader population.

The outcome has been huge production growth in countries such as China, India and Kenya; as well as an existing skills shortage in EU and US countries. Overall, there has never been a better time consider a career in Pharmaceuticals.

"The course gave me the confidence to move into a completely different career. The lecturers all come from the industry, so they know the skills that companies are looking for. Before I even sat my exams, I had 3 job offers."

Laura McCarthy
Innopharma Graduate

Innopharma's Proven Track Record

Since 2010, Innopharma Education has developed programmes for the pharmaceutical, food technology and medical device industries. We were the first providers of industry-led upskilling courses for the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors in Ireland.

With 70% of our Innopharma graduates finding employment within 6 months of programme completion, graduates have progressed into key roles in many of Ireland's top pharmaceutical companies.

Possible Career Options

Manufacturing Operators and Technicians

Responsibilities: Operation of biopharma or medtech manufacturing equipment, execution of manufacturing schedules.

Potential changes for role over coming years: hybridization of operator/technician roles with craft/maintenance. Taking responsibility for front-line trouble shooting and maintenance

Validation Specialists

Responsibilities: Generate, execute and write-up validation protocols. These responsibilities span instrument and equipment qualification, process validation, cleaning validation and computer systems validation.

Potential changes for role over coming years: migration towards additional data analytics activities as new FDA and EU guidelines focusing on continued process verification take effect

Technology Specialists

Responsibilities: Development scale-up and transfer of biopharma and medtech manufacturing processes. Support of instrument and equipment qualification,

Potential changes for role over coming years: migration towards additional data analytics activities

QA and Regulatory Specialists

Responsibilities: Generation and review of regulatory impacting documentation.

Potential changes for role over coming years: migration towards additional data analytics activities and more global opportunities for global, centralized services roles as pharma services companies expand their footprint in Ireland.

QC Analysts

Responsibilities: Completion of analysis of intermediate and finished products (biopharma and medtech).

Potential changes for role over coming years: transition of responsibilities from lab to manufacturing floor

Quality Assurance Technician

Responsibilities: Assesses manufacturing processes that support compliance with safety standards and FDA requirements. Assesses production measures to promote customer/patient safety and accurate performance of the final product.

Potential changes for role over coming years: Advances in 3D printing technology for new product innovation. Automation and the effects on production. Knowledge of the Harvest 2020 strategy.

Biologics process specialists

Responsibilities: Development and on-going support of upstream biologics processes. Identification and implementation of PAT within these complex processes.

Potential changes for role over coming years: potential for consolidation of upstream and downstream skillsets as biologics industry matures in Ireland.

Maintenance Technician

Responsibilities: Complete preventive maintenance prerequisites on mechanical equipment to ensure smooth operation of production lines so that production is operating at 100% efficiency at all times.

Potential changes for role over coming years: Advances in 3D printing technology for new product innovation. Automation and the effects on production.

Commissioning, Qualification and Validation (CQV) Engineers

Responsibilities: Completion of CQV tasks particularly as part of the readiness/start-up phase of new facilities. There is going to be a significant shortage of these skill sets over the coming three years in Ireland.

Potential changes for role over coming years: Once this peak phase of CQV is complete, it is likely that these highly skilled engineers will migrate into more sustainable roles as technology sand validation specialists within biopharma facilities.