We spoke to some of the top biopharma employers in Ireland at NIBRT’s annual careers event over the weekend to find out what roles they’re hiring for and what they look for in an ideal candidate.
Biopharma is a linchpin of the Irish tech ecosystem, employing tens of thousands of highly skilled workers across a variety of roles. It is no surprise then that the country’s fast-growing sector continues to see strong demand from fresh graduates across the country.
A microcosm of this demand was seen at a recent careers fair organised by the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) last weekend. Current students and fresh graduates alike congregated at The Campus in Cherrywood on Saturday (13 April) to meet with some of the biggest biopharma employers in the country, hoping to take the first step in their careers.
“There are a huge number of jobs in the biopharma space and they’re very diverse – from operators, qualified technicians and support services to sales, manufacturing and research development,” said Kate Cotter, director of training delivery at NIBRT.
Some of the many blue chip companies looking to hire at the careers fair event included MSD, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Pfizer, Cognizant, WuXi Biologics and Eli Lilly.
Stephen Burke, associate director of global talent acquisition at MSD in Ireland, said that the global pharma giant is looking to hire the best talent for roles across manufacturing, technical operations, process engineering and all related functions across its manufacturing and commercial business units on the island.
Amgen, another biopharma giant based with significant operations in Ireland, is on the hunt for many specialised roles. The firm has a substantial manufacturing plant in Dún Laoghaire, one of Amgen’s largest outside North America.
“We have various roles available at the moment, including for manufacturing processes – so technicians, quality control analysts, process development and a range of other range of other roles including engineering,” said Tynan Flynn, associate director of HR at Amgen.
BMS, the pharma giant headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, recently announced a $400m investment for an expansion at its Dublin 15 Cruiserath facility.
Eoghan Greene, associate director of operations for Sterile Drug Product at BMS, said that the firm is looking to fill more than 350 news roles over the next few years. These roles include manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance, supply chain and engineering.
As for advice for potential applicants, Burke said that candidates should not be afraid to “go the extra mile” to show some of the contributions they’ve been able to make in their organisation.
“I think it’s important to show how you’ve been involved in initiatives around diversity or corporate social responsibility and making an impact on the business outside of your core nine-to-five responsibilities.”
Another quality that goes a long way in interview is the ability to be a team player.
“I think the ideal candidate that we’re looking for is people who are willing to work well within team environments. At BMS, we’ve got a culture of a ‘can-do’ attitude and give importance to accountability, passion and integrity,” said Greene.
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
