Pharmaceutical Industry Jobs Ireland: Complete Career Guide 2025
Pharmaceuticals are one of the most dynamic employment sectors in Europe with more than 50,000 professionals employed in over 120 pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. The industry is Ireland’s largest manufacturing, contributing €85 billion every year to the country exports and building a pillar of economy.
Not at all, the industry offers fantastic career pathways earning from €35,000 for entry-level roles up to and beyond €150,000 for senior leadership opportunities. With 9 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, these positions range from production, to research and discovery through to regulatory affairs, as well as commercial operations.
Read our ultimate guide to careers in Ireland’s drug & pharmaceutical sector including career paths, salary expectations, qualifications required, top employers and strategic insights on how you can secure your dream job in the recession-proof industry that still grows year on year despite international economic uncertainty.
Ireland’s Pharmaceutical Industry Overview
Ireland is now the worlds second largest exporter of pharmaceuticals. The country has become rich by opening up to international investment in return for low corporate tax rates, access to a huge market via the EU, a highly skilled workforce and good government policies that attract companies globally.
Economic Impact and Market Position
Immediately, the pharmaceutical sector directly employs over 50,000 and supports a further 25,000 in secondary activities, being one of Irelands largest indigenous employers after agriculture. Pharmaceutical exports exceed €85 billion annually which accounts for about 60% of all Irish goods exports.
Source: Ten of the top 20 best-selling medicines worldwide are produced in Ireland; manufacturing footprint covers APIs, finished dosage forms, biologics and medical devices. The high level of pharmaceutical activity makes for a complete ecosystem where you can get decent support to advance your career in any industry function.
IDA Ireland provides €50m Government investment each year to support the pharmaceutical sector through Research grants, infrastructure development & workforce training programs. It promises further industry expansion and jobs.
Strategic Advantages for Pharmaceutical Companies
Ireland’s EU membership gives choice to pharmaceutical companies direct access to the European market of 450 million consumers through centralized regulatory approval & distribution networks. Ireland, like Malta is also one of the most attractive EU Member States in English-speaking. Brexit has significantly enhanced this attractiveness.
Corporate tax benefits include a 12.5% corporate rate, IP incentives and R&D credits which can result in overall effective tax rates being below 10% for pharma operations qualifying for the various incentives nómanta (talk inf).
By working together with your industry universities ensure there is always trained talent preparing to enter the workforce. Pharmaceutical science degrees, specializations in biotechnology and industry-specific trainings are some of the programs.
Industry Growth Drivers
Changing dynamic of aging global populations further drive the demand for pharmaceutical products, especially treatment across a range of chronic diseases including biopharmaceuticals and other advanced biologics with complex manufacturing requirements – capabilities in which those are often found in Ireland.
Rising in tandem with developments in biotechnology and personalized medicine, this growth of cell and gene therapies offers new manufacturing and scientific pursuits, for which Ireland is well-placed owing to expanding capabilities with both state-of-the-art facilities and regulatory know-how.
Patent cliff opportunities – with the loss of protection for balanced drugs, Ireland becomes a preferred entry point to generics and biosimilars on the back of an established manufacturing base in the country and regulatory competence.
Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association for pharmaceutical professionals at all levels offers detailed information along with a career development resource.
Regional Pharmaceutical Clusters
The Dublin and surrounding areas maintain pharmaceutical headquarters, research facilities, and specialized manufacturing like Shire, Pfizer or many small biotechnology startups that would benefit from the enterprise zones and research institutions.
The Cork region has significant manufacturing activity comprising of some of the largest and most reputable pharmaceutical companies within including the worlds largest Pfizer facility along with Johnson and Johnson and Novartis; providing an expansive range of careers across all functions.
In yet other sectors, the Galway and Mayo regions are notable for having a strong medical devices and biotechnology sector to which companies like Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Baxter have attached themselves with significant facilities that have supported employment growth in their host regions.
For those contemplating a career change in pharmaceuticals, view our definitive career switch guide detailing how boost your way into this industry from elsewhere.
Manufacturing and Production Careers
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is the biggest sector for jobs in Irelands pharmaceutical industry, providing secure employment with clear career paths and excellent pay rates that cover different kinds of specializations.
Production Operations Roles
Pharmaceutical Production: The backbone of the pharmaceutical world and great career opportunities for Manufacturing Operators to jump onto a pathway from €28,000-€40,000 at entry level rising to €35,000-€45,000 once you are an experienced operator. There attention to detail role, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and controlled rooms work roles.
There are many individual roles: running equipment and monitoring it, filling out batch records and capturing the appropriate information in those records, taking quality control samples, cleaning equipment and performing maintenance work on the equipment, as well as following safety procedures to uphold environmental regulations.
Learning & Development – This will involve GMP on-the-job training, equipment-specific certification and safety/environmental training as well as specialization in sterile manufacturing or biologics production.
Its nominally starts with a move to Senior Operator positions, then into Team Leader roles, Manufacturing Supervisor opportunities as well as the options for training and development across different production areas.
Process Engineering Positions
Level 2: Mid Level Process Engineer with the potential to earn between €45,000-€70,000 per year depending on experience or senior process engineers specializing in the pharmaceutical manufacturing that can earn between €55,000–€85,000.
Process optimization and troubleshooting, equipment design and specification, manufacturing cost reduction initiatives, technology transfer for new products and continuous improvement project leadership are among technical responsibilities.
Preferred background -chemical / mechanical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing principles, project management experience combined with regulatory requirements and GMP standards.
Senior process engineer Manufacturing engineering manager Plant engineering management Engineering design consulting firms specialized in pharmaceutical facilities.
Production Management and Supervision
Salaries are around €40,000-€60,000 for Manufacturing Supervisors running day to day production operations and range from €50,000-€75,000 when taking on managerial responsibilities such as leading teams and ensuring operational performance.
Management responsibilities to include team development, production planning and scheduling, quality control performance monitoring, safety and compliance monitoring, managing cross-functional interactions with Quality, Engineering and Supply Chain teams.
Leadership Summary of Requirements Bachelors degree in a technical, quality or engineering discipline Preferred minimum of ten years equivalent combination of experience and education Minimum five years plant senior management responsibility. Experience working with an employee union Basic business understanding, financial acumen Continuous improvement skills, background and implementation ability Ability to lead all facets of continuous improvement process Experienced problem solver Opinion leader Strong written and verbal communication/coordination skills Proficient computing capabilities (Microsoft Office tools – Excel, Word & PowerPoint) Demonstrated leadership skills including people management & development Problem solving / decision making abilities Communication / interpersonal abilities Understanding the manufacturing operation Understand regulatory requirements….
In career development terms this takes the form advanced operational roles, into plant managers and regional operations leadership including international assignments and expat role.
Maintenance and Engineering Support
Maintenance Engineers — Ensuring equipment reliability and compliance, making €40,000–€65,000 for maintenance engineer positions and €50,000–€80,000 for senior maintenance/reliability engineers with advanced technical skills.
This will include a PM program development, equipment fitness to work and emergency repair, as well as programming part delivery and inventory control, maintenance management and planning coupled with scheduling of maintenance and then completing the component upgrades and modernisation projects.
Specific skills: mechanical and electrical engineering, pharmaceutical equipment, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), pharmaceutical equipment validation and compliance.
Maintenance manager positions, engineering services leadership, plant Engineering roles; also consulting work with pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers and service providers.
Quality Control and Testing
Testing and analysis disciplines provided by Quality Control Analysts ensure product quality, between €30,000-€45,000 for entry level analyst roles up to €35,000-€55,000 for senior analysts specialising in specific testing techniques and regulatory knowledge.
Laboratory Assist in influent raw materials and finished product testing Conduct analytical method development and validation Support stability testing program support Investigate out-of-specification results Participate in laboratory equipment maintenance and calibration.
Technical requirements include understanding of analytical chemistry, laboratory instrumentation, pharmaceutical testing methods, data analysis and documentation skills coupled with knowledge of pharmacopeial standards, and regulatory requirements.
Senior Analyst roles, laboratory supervisor positions, Quality Control Manager roles along with specialization in microbiology or chromatography or any others areas of analytics.
Research and Development Opportunities
Research and development is also the heart of Ireland’s pharmaceutical industry, providing challenging jobs requiring special attributes, with the potential to contribute to the health of populations around the globe.
Drug Discovery and Development Roles
Junior Research Scientists create pharmaceuticals through innovative drug discovery and development, starting at €40,000-€65,000 while Senior Researchers specialized in certain fields and projects with advanced degrees can earn up to €55,000 -€85,000.
This includes target identification and validation; compound design and synthesis; biological activity testing; pharmacokinetic, safety studies as well as regulatory submission support and intellectual property development.
Education PhD in chemistry, biology, pharmacology, or related field; post-doctoral work preferred for senior roles. This experience is coupled with industry experience in pharmaceutical research, a publication record, as well as grant writing capabilities.
Areas of specialization include medicine chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology, cellular and molecular biology, bioanalytical chemistry as well as novel areas like gene therapy, immunotherapy or personalized medicine.
Clinical Research and Development
This depends on the task to be undertaken; The Clinical Research Associate (CRA) works for pharmaceutical companies and monitors clinical trials, which pay €35,000-€55,000 per year in an entry-level CRA job and up to €45,000-€70,000 per year if you have a lot of experience in clinical research.
The fellow is expected to handle clinical site management and monitoring, protocol development and implementation, regulatory submission preparation, data management and analysis as well as investigator training and support.
Life science graduates, knowledge of clinical research (GCP training), good understanding of regulatory requirements & excellent communication and people skills would have the desired qualifications + site monitoring due to travel.
Career advancement, including senior CRA roles, clinical project manager options and clinical operations management as well as the ability to specialize in certain therapeutic spaces or phases of clinical development.
Biostatistics and Data Management
Biostatisticians look at pharma company clinical trial data and help with regulatory submissions — with their salaries ranging from €45,000 to €70,000 for biostatistician positions and reaching €55,000–€85,000 levels for senior biostatisticians specializing in statistical expertise and experience in dealing with regulators.
Responsibility also ranges from statistical designs including sample size calculations for trials, protocol and SAP development, data analysis, interpretation to regulatory submission help of submitting results report with coverage in Dossier as well as Statistical Programming to the extent including Validation.
Technical requirements experience in advanced statistics, proficiency in statistical software (SAS, R, SPSS), understanding of clinical trial methodology; regulatory submissions experience; excellent analytical and communication skills.
Formal growth avenues are principal biostatistician, biostatistics manager, statistical consulting opportunities and perhaps academic collaboration and research publication.
Regulatory Affairs and Submissions
Specialist Regulatory Affairs — this position requires a knowledge of international standards for pharmaceutical production and the ability to understand complex global regulatory requirements, earning €40,000-€65,000 in terms of base salaries for Specialist positions (versus €50,000-€80,000 for Senior specialist who possess international experience and specialize in certain areas).
Regulatory: These individuals develop the regulatory strategy, prepare and manage submissions to agencies, interact with and communicate to agencies, monitor/regulate compliance and reporting as well as track regulatory intelligence and competitive assessment.
This includes familiarity with requirements of FDA, EMA, and other regulatory agencies; knowledge of the pharmaceutical development process; appropriate formats for regulatory submissions; as well as solid skills in writing and project management.
By moving further up the career ladder towards leadership, you can explore opportunities for senior regulatory affairs roles and managerial positions as well as possibilities that are available from a consulting perspective by partnering with regulatory affairs service providers tackling their clients needs.
Biotechnology and Biologics Development
You can inquire these at largest Biotechnology, Research and Development assignment websites; 1. €45,000-€75,000 Biotechnology Scientist for recent biologics and biosimilar development 2. €60,000-€90,000 Senior scientists specialized with the growth of biologics
Biotechnology tasks related to cell line development and characterization, bioprocess development, and optimization, analytical method suitable for biologics use or protein characterization are part of manufacturing scale-up process and support for a regulatory submission with compliance support.
Its technical expertise needs are cell biology and molecular biology techniques, bioprocess engineering knowledge, analytical characterization methods, regulatory requirements for biologics with some understanding of manufacturing and quality control in the field of biologicals.
The program offers career progression to senior scientist roles, leadership of a biotechnology group, technical director roles as well as the potential for spin-off company establishment and bio-tech entrepreneurism.
Refer to our full, building personal brand guide for research career strategies including establishing scientific credibility and thought leadership.
Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Ensuring pharmaceutical products are safe, effective and operating above board in complex regulatory environments that govern the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals falls to Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance professionals.
Quality Assurance Management
Quality Assurance Managers operate fully integrated standards, receiving €50,000-€80,000 for QA manager roles and €60,000-€95,000 within a year for experienced senior QA managers with significant quality experience in the pharmaceutical sector as well as robust regulatory skills.
Quality duties include quality system development, design and implementation, oversight of GMP compliance monitoring programs, auditing programs; production document review cycle management included record issuance / reconciliations (batch records, master production instructions); deviation investigations and CAPA control/management systems across all phases of program progression; supplier qualification & management frameworks. regulatory inspection preparation/responses.
Leadership responsibilities require responsible management and coaching of direct reports; cross-functional team collaboration, problem-solving and decision-making, plus exceptional communication and presentation skills for regulatory agency interactions.
Many other life science technical fields (Pharmaceutical Science, etc.) or Engineering degrees — Additionally holds advanced certification in quality management with other auditing qualifications and experience such as for global standards of Quality and Regulatorys.
Regulatory Compliance Specialists
Compliance Specialist — €40,000–€65,000 Senior Specialist (with special regulatory knowledge and international experience)— €50,000–€80,000 Regulatory Compliance Specialists: ensure that companies comply with pharmaceutical regulations
Responsibilities of compliance include interpretation and implementation of legal requirements, monitoring and reporting compliance as well as the development of regulatory training program, preparation for audit and responding to it, in addition, there is also management of change in regulations which come with an impact assessment.
Strong technical background is a must with an in-depth understanding of pharmaceutical regulations (FDA, EMA, ICH), Good Manufacturing Practices standards, clinical trial regulations and product lifecycle management as well as have proven analytical and documentation capabilities.
All the way up to senior compliance roles, global compliance leadership and regulatory affairs management, as well career consulting for many top regulatory service providers and pharmaceutical companies.
Validation and Engineering Compliance
Validation Engineers for pharmaceutical equipment and operations must also meet regulatory expectations, they earn €45,000-€70,000 as validation engineer and €55,00-€85,000 as Senior Validation Engineer with specific technical skills.
These can involve developing and implementing validation protocols (equipment, process, computer system, cleaning evaluation), equipment qualification and process validation related to sterile drug products as well as various regulatory compliance documentation and submission support.
Candidates with technical expertise, such as an engineering or science degree, knowledge of validation methodology, understanding of pharmaceutical equipment and systems operation as well as project management experience are required to be familiar regulatory-driven demands and best practices from their industry.
Senior validation engineer roles, managers of validation (career development), and engineering services leadership along with consulting opportunities as a third-party provider or through an engineering firm.
Quality Control Laboratory Management
The role of a Laboratory Manager would be to run all aspects of the analytical testing and quality control operations that is paying €45,000-€70,000 for laboratory manager posts or €55,000-€85,000 for an experienced senior manager that can demonstrate experience in complex analytics with more management responsibilities.
The manager is responsible for overseeing the performance of laboratory operations and staff in a compliant manner, contributing to all facets of analytical method development and validation, supervising and developing laboratory personnel, maintaining equipment, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance/inspection readiness.
Technical and leadership requirements Technical Requirements (Not Limited): Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Management Regulatory (EPA, DHEC) Budgets Leadership Communication
Progression includes senior operations roles, quality operations leadership, site quality management and potential for employment in consultancy and technical service provider positions.
Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety
A Pharmacovigilance Specialist can earn €35,000-€55,000 for entry-level drug safety specialist roles and €45,000-€70,000p.a. as a more senior specialist with specialized pharmacovigilance expertise including regulatory experience.
Some of the functions that come under safety responsibilities are reporting and focus on adverse event, management of database for safety, preparation of periodic safety update reports (PSURs), development of risk management plan (RMP) as well as end to end activities related with communication and submission support with regulatory agencies.
These areas of specific knowledge encompass pharmacovigilance regulations, methodologies used for drug safety data management, medical terminology, importance of regulatory format submissions and a comprehensive understanding of analytical methods and fantastic communication skills.
Career pathways are senior pharmacovigilance roles, drug safety management, global safety leadership, and consulting with pharmacovigilance service providers and pharmaceutical companies.
Engineering and Technical Services
Engineering & Technical Services – This group supports the needs of pharmaceutical operations through expertise in facility design, equipment systems, automation, and problem resolution (tech transfer / troubleshooting) for manufacturing and research operations.
Process and Manufacturing Engineering
What is a process engineer: • Highly trained, technically proficient experts who design & maintain the best-in-class manufacturing processes within the pharmaceutical industry Billings in this role often range from €45,000-€70,000 for process engineer positions and €55,000-€85,000 for senior engineers within dynamic markets that require specific expertise on new trends within pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The roles and responsibilities are of a technical nature including manufacturing process optimization, equipment design and specification, technology transfer and scale-up, cost reduction and efficiency improvement as well as troubleshooting and problem resolution.
Requires an engineering (and preferably chemical or mechanical) degree and pharmacy manufacturing experience, project management understanding, statistical analysis leastways plus GMP and regulatory comprehension;
Sterile Manufacturing Biologics Manufacture Solid Dosage Manufacture API Production Pharmaceutical Process Automation and Control Systems
Automation and Control Systems
Control Systems for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing earn Automation Engineers between €50,000-€75,000 while a senior engineer with experience in pharmaceutical automation can expect remuneration to be circa €60,000-€90,000.
This involves responsibility for automation, with duties including control system design and programming, manufacturing execution system (MES) implementation), process analytical technology (PAT) development as well as system validation and compliance; in addition to automation project management and execution.
Technical skill requirements include automation plataforms (DCS, PLC, SCADA), programming languages, medecina/biology knowledge related with pharma manufacturing processes, validation methodology and also project management experience and system integration.
In terms of career growth, there are roles available to go into senior automation engineer positions, director of automation engineering, technical director level positions and consultancy roles with automation service providers and equipment suppliers.
Facilities and Utilities Engineering
A €40,000-€65,000 position for Facilities Engineer in €50, 000 – to €80, 000 annually with more pharmaceutical facilities depth as a Senior.
Facilities includes functions such as HVAC design and maintenance, clean room/controlled environment management, utilities system operation and optimization, energy management/sustainability, and facility compliance/regulatory support.
Engineering knowledge requirements: Mechanical or facilities engineering background, pharmaceutical facility requirements, environmental control systems, energy management as well as understanding pharmaceutical regulations and standards.
Career opportunities range from facilities engineering manager jobs, plant engineering leadership roles to regional facilities management and consulting with facilities service providers and engineering companies.
Equipment and Maintenance Engineering
A Equipment Engineer, who ensures pharmaceutical equipment reliability and performance will earn €40,000–€65,000; while Senior Engineers with a particular specialisation in pharmaceutical equipment range from €50,000–€80,000.
For equipment, responsibility includes equipment specification and procurement, establishment of a preventive maintenance program, diagnostic & optimization for functioning of the equipment, management of spare parts and qualification/ validation support for the same.
Top technical requirements include: mechanical [electrical] engineering; maintenance management systems, where you understand how to do preventive maintenance and have a very strong knowledge of pharmaceutical equipment (Tablet presses/Encapsulation machines etc); reliability Engineering principles; project/change/ vendor management.
Possibilities for roles include equipment engineering manager, maintenance and reliability leadership, technical services management as well as opportunities with pharmaceutical equipment suppliers and service providers.
Environmental Health and Safety Engineering
These process and plant safety engineers or environment health, and safety (EHS) engineers guarantee job site security and operational compliance, €40K-€65k for EHS engineer roles or €50K-€80K for senior professionals including specific pharmaceutical necessary safety/ environmental knowledge.
Such safety responsibilities are subdivided into safety program development and implementation, environmental compliance monitoring, risk assessment & management, incident investigation & prevention… regulatory reporting & agency interaction.
Must be well-versed in occupational safety regulations, environmental compliance requirements, risk assessment methodology, pharmaceutical safety hazards as well as possess good communication and training skills.
Career Growth: EHS Manager, Site safety leadership, regional EHS management and optional consulting with safety and environmental service pros.
Read our engineering opportunities guide to learn more about technical career development in Ireland’s booming industries, or contact us to discuss your engineering job search.
Business and Commercial Functions
Pharmaceutical operations are supported by business and commercial roles who engage in strategic planning, market development, supply chain management, and administrative processes that facilitate the development and marketing of a successful product.
Supply Chain and Procurement Management
Pharmacy Supply Chain Manager – Pharmacy makes use of well-positioned terrorist attacks earn ably between €50,000 and €80,000 for supply claimsfiler to €60,000 upto?91,600 for the experience in a pharmaceutical Pharma CCTV appears senior managers with over globe.
Responsibilities include supplier relationship management, procurement strategy development, inventory optimization, logistics and distribution management, as well as risk management and business continuity planning.
Business – Supply chain, Procurement, Vendor management, Negotiation and pharmaceutical regulations / quality · Skill Set Required
Advancement to senior supply chain roles, global procurement leadership, and operations management; Consulting opportunities with supply chain service providers and pharmaceutical companies
Project Management and Business Development
Project Managers are responsible for more challenging pharmaceutical projects and receive €45,000-€70,000 on project manager roles and from €55,000 to 85,000 on senior project managers with a specific pharmaceutical project experience in PMP is also taken into account.
PM tasks include project planning and execution, cross-functional team coordination, budget and timeline management, Risk Management, Risk Mitigation as well as Stakeholder Communication and Reporting.
An MSc plus project management certification restricts a little, some experience in the pharmaceutical industry would help, excellent verbal communication and team working abilities are essential as well as basic leadership competencies combined with an understanding of pharmaceutical development processes and associated regulatory pathways.
Other avenues for growth: Senior project manager, program management, business development leader; consulting with the major project management services.
Finance and Business Analysis
They are responsible for helping pharmaceutical companies make tops 40,000 – 65,000 per year (financial analyst) and 50,000 – 80,000 consultant decisions through analysis and planning.
This is because as a head of finance, financial responsibilities lie on you such as financial analysis and reporting, budgeting and forecasting, cost analysis and optimization, business case development plus investment analysis and decision support.
Enter an understanding of finance or accountancy qualifications, financial model building skills, business analytical skills as well pharmaceutical industry knowledge and excellent analytical and presentation abilities.
What We OfferWith operations based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago, this position offers the flexibility to work remotely from home or in-office at your discretion as well as attractive compensation, bonus eligibility, an amazing benefits package that includes company-funded healthcare plus retirement savings plans including 401k matching, career development for high performing individuals into positions like senior-level financial analyst and finance manager jobs as well as business development leadership roles plus progression opportunities for MBA education support and executive development with multi-national corporations.
Human Resources and Talent Development
In the case of pharmaceuticals, HR Managers have a significantly value added through talent management and organizational development, earn between €45,000 to €70,000 generally as HR Manager, while senior HR managers with specialized background in Pharma’d get between ‘€55,000 — €85,000.
HR Key Areas — recruitment and retention, performance management, training and development; compensation and benefits; employee relations + compliance§
Knowledge of human resources, pharmaceutical industry and employment law as well as organizational development are prerequisites in addition to superior interpersonal and communication skills.
Further career progression can take you into senior HR roles, regional HR leadership, organizational development as well as consulting in service providers to HR and pharma companies.
Information Technology and Digital Systems
IT Managers working within pharma I/O and spanning several technology systems OR looking to digital transformation… with €50,000-€80,000 for IT manager jobs; across to €60,000-€95,000 for senior management roles containing pharmaceutical industry-specific IT know-how.
Tech duties range from IT infrastructure maintenance, pharma software solutions and data analytics to cyber-sec and regulatory compliance along with digitalization and system integration.
Technical requirements: Current certification or qualifications in IT, a good understanding of Pharmaceutical Systems including Good Practices/Local Regulations, strong skills in project management; excellent communication required (both oral and written), both at the technical level which will be reviewed by Senior Management.
Career evolves in senior IT roles, digital transformation leadership, Chief Information Officer: it is also rich with opportunities to consult at pharmaceutical IT service providers.
Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Ireland
Ireland boasts an extensive pharmaceutical company environment from global multinational corporations to cutting-edge biotechnology startups, which means there is a plethora of challenges and opportunities for candidates whether you are fresh out of college or a seasoned pro in any one area.
Global Pharmaceutical Giants
Pfizer – The prescription pharmaceuticals business operates in the U.S. (primary) and International (secondary) reporting segments, which sell products typically used to treat conditions such as cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, inflammation and immunology, oncology and various other disorders. Pfizer Ireland has sites in Clondalkin & Little Island Co.Cork. As well as being home to one of the largest Pfizer manufacturing sites producing a range of active pharmaceutical ingredients and chemical intermediates for use by partners around the world Cork also supplies a wide range of leading active pharmaceutical ingredients that underpin global sales across both Pfizer Innovative Health’s portfolio—innovative patent-protected medicines—and its Essential Health portfolio—leadership brands / established off-patent products.
The potential positions are in manufacturing operations, engineering or quality, regulatory support functions, as well as research and development roles that work closely with global product development and commercialization activities.
Significant operations in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, research and development and commercial functions are also found at Johnson & Johnson Ireland with a workforce of over 1,500 people between two sites located in Cork and Dublin.
In the professional domain we offer varied options including manufacturing engineering, quality systems, regulatory affairs, clinical research besides business development and commercial operations supporting European market activities.
Novartis Ireland has manufacturing and development sites in Cork, Dundalk and Longford which employ approximately 1,200 people focused on research, development, product launch and lifecycle management including scale-up production of key investigational medicines to be used in clinical trial around the world.
Career paths include but are not limited to biotechnology development, manufacturing operations, quality assurance, regulatory affairs as well as scale commercial and BD roles supporting product lifecycle management.
About Roche Ireland Formed in 1999 from the acquisition of BioChem Pharma by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc, Roche Ireland operates from its base in Clarecastle and has a pharmaceutical development operation; diagnostics product logistics centre and commercial operations currently employing over 800 individuals primarily focused on oncology and personalized medicine.
It provides opportunities in clinical development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, commercial operations, as well as R&D supporting innovative therapy development.
Indigenous Irish Pharmaceutical Companies
Shire Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Takeda) retained important Irish operations in Dublin and other areas, focusing on rare diseases and specialty pharmaceuticals, with more than a 1,000 employees functioning at various levels.
Opportunities combine rare disease research, specialty manufacturing, regulatory affairs ad commercial operations along with global supply chain and business development roles.
Sanofi’s Genzyme Ireland operates biotechnology manufacturing in Waterford with more than 500 employees working on biologics production, quality systems and technical operations supporting global rare disease therapy manufacturing.
Profession roles include biotechnology manufacturing, process improvement, quality control, regulatory compliance and specialising areas of biologicals production (e.g. Downstream Process Development Scientists; Upstream Bioprocess Engineers; and Technical Services Support)
Biotechnology and Emerging Companies
Horizon Therapeutics operations in Dublin, where it focuses on rare disease therapies by employing similar drug development professionals is involved with clinical development, regulatory affairs and commercial operations and business development.
This role is all about growth opportunities: Ability to receive training in their clinical research, regulatory strategy and market access experience with a view to advancing into commercial operations as well as business development supporting portfolio expansion and international market development.
Alkermes has two research and manufacturing facilities in Dublin, focused on drug delivery technologies and CNS therapeutics, employing more than 400 people within its manufacturing, R&D organization and a commercial group.
Potential career paths are related to drug delivery research, advanced manufacturing, quality systems, regulatory affairs and commercial development for starting and maturing technologies that culminate in innovative therapies or products reaching market.
Contract Manufacturing and Service Providers
Catalent Pharma Solutions is the No.1 contract manufacturing and development partner for drug, biologic and consumer health innovators in Ireland with multiple facilities spread across Co Louth, employing over 1,000 people in its manufacturing operations, development services and technical support businesses.
The employment opportunities for this position are in contract manufacturing, pharmaceutical development, analytical services and quality assurance etc. and project management supporting one or more client projects for pharmaceutical development and/or manufacturing requirements
Patheon (Thermo Fisher Scientific) is an integrated contract development and manufacturing organization with capabilities in research, clinical, biotech/pharma manufacturing, oncology drug discovery, application of simplex optimization, solubility enhancement screening. The Irish facilities focus on complex small molecule APIs & advanced intermediates serving 18 of the top 20 pharma firms along with professionals working across manufacturing operations, development services as well as quality systems roles.
Performed roles in contract manufacturing, pharmaceutical development, analytical chemistry, regulatory support and business development for pharmaceutical outsourcing services.
Pharma Chemical Ireland — Networking and professional development opportunities for Irish pharmaceutical professionals within an industry ecosystem.
Emerging Biotechnology Ecosystem
Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute helps to create new opportunities for start-up companies in biotechnology and spin-out companies, entrepreneurship, early-stage research and develop novel therapeutics.
NovaUCD supports start-ups in the life sciences sector offering incubation and acceleration services with growth prospects in emerging biotechnology companies and novel therapeutic development programmes.
BioExcel-Supports biotechnology entrepreneurship and commercialization, creating career pathways for individuals eager about working…
Career Development and Advancement Strategies
If you want to build successfully pharmaceutical careers, then you must have a strategic vision towards the industry, learn continuously and must understand the other requirements of the pharmaceutical professionals which are different from another sector.
Educational Foundation and Continuous Learning
Prepare academically — this involves having relevant undergraduate degrees in chemistry, biology, engineering, pharmacy or similar sciences with many senior roles needing advanced degrees (Master’s or PhD) in subspecialties.
This contributes to professional development which includes industry-specific training in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), regulatory requirements, pharmaceutical sciences, and quality systems as well as various specialized certifications in specific functional areas.
Pharma professionals also advance their knowledge by attending pharmaceutical conferences and workshops, pursuing higher degrees or certificates, getting professional certifications, in addition to keeping themselves up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes and industry trends.
Professional Networking and Industry Engagement
Engineers Ireland, Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association also international such as PDA (Parenteral Drug Association), ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering).
Accounting and consulting in pharma social selling Meeting attendances, Conferences presentation Industry committee membership Professional Mentorships Alumni network from pharmaceutical education program
What goes into building your thought leadership? Tech publication and research, conference speaking and presentation; industry committee leadership, & social media engagement/prof content creation.
Skill Development and Specialization
Up-gradation of technical skill with specific courses in pharmaceutical manufacturing, regulatory affairs, quality systems, biotechnology and most importantly upcoming areas i.e., digitalization and artificial intelligence applications.
People management training, project management certification, cross-functional collaboration skills and executive development programs of the pharmaceutical companies and business schools alike define leadership development.
This includes:■Understanding Pharma Business models; Market Dynamics, Competitive Intelligence, Financial Analysis■Strategy Planning and Commercial Development
Career Progression Strategies
Internal advancement requires progressing in your career by assuming more responsibilities, leading cross-functional projects, training and mentoring junior employees, applying for stretch assignments and showing quantifiable business results.
This includes wide-ranging job changes for advancement, consulting and contracting roles and startups or emerging companies opportunities that are external, as well as international assignments and expatriate positions.
Career options open to graduates range from pharmaceutical consultancy, through biotechnology start-ups and service provider businesses with a niche market within the industrial scope of biotechnology, to intellectual property and technology transfer entrepreneurialism.
International Career Development
International pharmaceutical exposure; international work experience, cross border project leadership, Global regulatory affairs in many markets and understanding of global pharma operations and cultural differences.
I am looking for an experienced QA Director based at a client site Secret Location in Ireland to be responsible for directly managing people as well as providing financial controls, guidance and advice across one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
How to get access to the US pharmaceutical market? Access to US Pharmaceutical Market: basic aspects only for you Part 1 31/10/2019 Introduction The main topic of this issue is how to enter the largest pharmaceutical market in the World — Unites States.(Entity Relaited News: Things Americans Owin…) This problem is very common among those who run a small pharmaceutical business in Europe and hope that shortly their product or service will be available on American
