What career options are available within the life sciences sector?

Published by Deborah Alves

1 September, 2022

According to a 2019 Bioscience and Health technology Sector Statistics Report carried out by the British Government’s Office For Life Sciences, the life sciences sector alone generates £80.7 billion in revenue annually in the UK and employs 256,100 people at tens of thousands of locations nationwide.

The small molecule industry leads in terms of total workforce size, while digital health comes in second and is a key factor in the expansion of the worldwide workforce. A promising future for the life sciences is being paved by further developing themes including smart technology and the expansion of the biopharmaceutical and medical technology industries. 

All of this sounds amazing, doesn’t it? But you might be wondering how you can contribute to this amazing sector. What are the available career paths in the life sciences sector, and how can you land your next job? In this article, we will discuss what you can do to build a career in the life science industry.

Regulatory, compliance, and quality issues

Quality assurance associate is one of the various positions in the newly expanding field of quality assurance. These experts ensure that laboratory protocols and documentation adhere to the requirements for process development, validation, and quality control. Professionals that work at higher levels, such as quality assurance specialists, are involved in developing and approving standard operating procedures.

It's a terrific idea to start off as a quality control coordinator to get experience with testing activity monitoring. To make sure that products move smoothly through the testing regions, workers in this industry collaborate with both upstream and downstream teams. In the meantime, quality control specialists will examine the finished products and raw materials to see if they adhere to the established requirements. Quality control analysts who are more focused on the data work alongside these experts. Their duties include finishing data reviews and taking part in reliable risk assessments.

A regulatory affairs associate is in charge of coordinating with all site personnel and supervising the creation and preservation of paperwork. As you advance, your responsibilities will also include creating regulatory plans and determining their likelihood of success before putting them into action.

Administration

Project managers now have brand-new, exciting career prospects where they are responsible for the health of their projects, their milestones, and their budgets across all industries. Project management is data-driven, just like many other life sciences professions on the market today. Experts in this area will feel comfortable analysing data to identify insights, trends, and hazards. They frequently have a project coordinator on hand to assist with project evaluations and financial tracking.

Any life sciences company's success depends on its administrative and executive assistance. Those in administrative positions are in charge of handling correspondence, processing expense reports, and producing presentations. They keep a workplace organised, whether it is a team of pharmaceutical professionals or a board of CRO executives and directors.

Engineering, production, and infrastructure

Quality engineers are frequently employed by medical device businesses, where they may be in charge of streamlining both production and operational procedures. Continuous improvement and how data can be used to enhance standards and actually change things are objectives inside this life sciences employment.

A production technician is concerned with quality, just like the majority of other workers in the life sciences. Depending on the organisation, the complexity of the products you work with may vary, but generally speaking, you will be in charge of everything from product development to packaging. Someone who can work independently, follow engineering drawings, and guarantee compliance with legal standards is needed for this position.

To find out more about the career available in the life sciences industry, please visit our website.