In which departments in the Pharma Industry, can you make a great career?

Today's blog is for anyone who dreams of a career in the pharmaceutical industry or at the start of their career in one of the departments.??

The most frequent question I receive from Gen Z has been, “What do I need to study in order to work in the pharmaceutical industry?”. Well, that depends on the area and department you wish to eventually work in. ?

For this purpose, I would like to share with you the most common departments in the pharma industry, where you could lead a great career.??

1. Research and Development (R&D)?

Core of Science, where magic happens! If you are a talented scientist with Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Bioengineering educational background and you are keen to make a great impact in drug development or analytical development, you are in the right place. The Kitchen of Pharma, if you’d like a metaphor. You get to work here with various equipment, on various dosage forms or even design a very unique API with CADD. In the R&D there are two areas you could thrive, a- Formulation | Pharmaceutical Development and b- Analytical Development.??

In the R&D you would meet positions as Formulation Scientist, Analytical Scientist, Team Leader, Deputy Manager R&D, Head of R&D and eventually Director R&D as the person responsible of activities in the department.??

2. Manufacturing | Production??

When the developed drug product is ready for higher scales rather than laboratory scales, the product (tablets, capsules, syrup, injections etc.) goes under scale-up procedure. After successful scale-up, the process needs to be validated which takes place mostly in the production under cGMP. Eventually, the validated manufacturing process is kept as standard to follow the manufacturing documentation. You would meet in the production area the operators who utilize the equipment, Team Leaders, Operational Excellence Manager, Technology Transfer Manager, MSAT Manager,?Clinical Trial Manager, Deputy Head of Production and finally Head of Production, as the responsible person for a smooth manufacturing process.??

3. Quality Control (QC)?

The main purpose of the quality departments is to deliver the patients the constant quality of a produced medication. The quality control department is responsible for the analysis of the mass production, manufactured for patient consumption. Analysis such as assay, impurities, moisture content, pH value, release profile and so on. The results of these analysis need strictly to conform with the specifications defined during the development phase. In the quality control department, you would meet Analysts for raw material and final product analysis, Microbiology Analyst, QC Executive, Team Leader, Deputy QC Manager, Head of QC and eventually Director of the QC department.?

4. Quality Assurance (QA)?

As you can understand from the name of this department, the quality of the final product is controlled and approved by Quality Assurance. As a part of this department, Qualified Person (QP) is responsible for the release of the product manufactured under cGMP. QP checks each manufacturing document for conformity with GMP regulations, any deviations from the validated process and in the end if all are correct, the final product can be released for public use. Among the positions belong Quality Assurance Specialist, CSV Specialist/ Manager, QA Executive, QA Manager, Technical QA Manager, Head of QA and maybe Director QA as well. ?

5. Regulatory Affairs | CMC (RA)?

Regulatory affairs department functions like the central department between the manufacturing parties and health authorities. RA answers any questions regarding the submitted dossier consisting of raw materials, development phase, manufacturing, stability, packaging etc. Regulatory Affairs specialist prepares a very comprehensive dossier, a Common Technical Document (CTD) to deliver those to Ministery of Health (MOH) on behalf of the manufacturing company. Specialists, Executives, Senior Managers are essential for this department and the Head of RA carries out the responsibilities.?

6. Sales | Business Development (Field Force)?

As a part of the Field Force, sales representatives are the ones with specific sales targets per year for their company products and services. Business development is an area with different challenges than in a technical profession, as human psychology is involved in the decision-making process during a purchase. The best salespeople are the ones who acknowledge the pain point of their customers and try to help them make the best decision for their specific problem. The worst salespeople are the ones who start immediately talking about company products and services, without even directing any questions to understand the core issue the customer might be struggling with. ?

You will meet in this department the Sales Specialist, Business Development Specialist, Manager & Director. The positions in this department are coupled with a bonus from the annual sales volume, and therefore the gross salary can vary each year. ?

7. Market Development?

Market development is a growth strategy that involves selling your existing products or services to a new group of customers. To identify a target market segment; new geographical areas, new demographic segments, new customer needs, customer preferences, interests and lifestyle need to be considered. The titles you might see will be Market Development Specialist, MD Manager, New Market Development Manager, and Director of Market Development. A great understanding of technical needs and sales perspective are essential for these roles to be successful. ?

8. Marketing | Digital Marketing?

The old-fashioned marketing methods quickly adapted the digital tools to apply in marketing of the product and services. Therefore, you might mainly see Digital Marketing positions rather than traditional marketing roles in the job market. This department works closely with Market Development to target the specific needs of the customers. A detailed market research report is generated and a marketing plan for this purpose is prepared. Depending on the annual trends, needs, geographic, economic and political situations, the plans vary. ?

9. Customer Services?

Customer service is all about keeping the customers satisfied by fulfilling their orders swiftly and reliably and offering value for their money. It should be a prime consideration for every business - the sales and profitability depend on keeping customers happy. If you seek a deeper purpose in life such as making people happy by offering solutions to their problems, then this department might be where you wish to work. Customer satisfaction is the main aim of this area. ?

10. Supply Chain Management?

The term 'supply chain management' describes overseeing all movement and storage of:?

• raw materials needed to make a product or service?
• work-in-process information and inventory?
• finished goods from production, through distribution and to the customer?

The main function of supply chain management is to optimize the flow of materials, information and financials in key areas of product distribution. Here you would meet too Specialists, Administrative roles, Managers and Directors. ?

11. Purchasing | Procurement?

Procurement is defined as:?Sourcing, negotiating and buying of goods, materials and services to meet the company's operational requirements. For the pharma industry specifically, these goods might be raw materials, such as the API and excipients, or laboratory tools, equipment, spare parts, or external services. If you are someone who likes to support project management, purchase and negotiate the price, a role in this department might be for you as well. ?

12. Project Management (PM)?

As you understand from the name, project management?is a way of organizing and managing resources to successfully complete a project, in the most effective and efficient way possible. Meaning, you would be the bridge between many internal departments and a contact personnel eventually for customers of the company as service provider. I must tell you, it’s a very challenging role to be face of a project, as a PM responsible you don’t know much influence on the time flow, or budget or how effectively other departments execute their part of the project. That’s the challenge you need to be aware of. And, once you are in the PM department, it’s not that easy to switch to a more hands-on department such as R&D, Analytics or Production. Just that you are aware of. ?

13. Information Technology (IT)?

Computer sciences, Information Technology or skilled computer experts work in the IT department of a pharma company to support anything related to computer systems, software security, setting up admins, SAP & ERP, laptop set-ups and more. To my opinion, IT experts are the gate keepers to all the information a company has to offer, and therefore should be valued as their talent to protect company systems. Some people cannot even operate a printer, imagine the magic they are offering. So, respect to the IT department. ?

14. Engineering & Maintenance?

Some companies divide these two departments into Engineering, who is responsible for?the projects in the facility, and maintenance, who is responsible for maintaining the current equipment and tools in the facility. You would meet industrial engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, and processing engineers in the engineering department. Mechanicians, electricians, locksmiths, and further craftsmen and craftswomen work in the maintenance department. ?

They are the heroes of keeping the big machine functioning in the first hand, and I have huge respect for both these departments. However, unfortunately they don’t receive mostly the compensation they deserve. ?

Well, I guess this overview gives you a quite good impression of the pharmaceutical industry and its most essential departments. In case you have a question regarding your career development, feel free to email me at [email protected] .?

Yours truly, ?

G?k?ehan Pürs?ken?

Additional source: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/ ?