Process Engineer (Undergraduate) Review

Chemical/ Process engineering. Operating/ overseeing unit operations in solid dose manufacturing process. Troubleshooting problems, collaborating with drug product development and drug product manufacturing teams. Liaising with vendors/ service providers. Working in and conforming to a GMP environment. Authoring GMP documentation. Authoring and executing validation protocols. Cleaning validation work.

I was trained intensely for the first 2-3 months of my placement, and from month 3 onwards, I was given a lot of responsibility. Full autonomy on my own projects, and personal development. Guidance with contributions to larger projects was consistently given.

Gained Yellow belt six sigma qualification. Gained understanding of GMP requirements. Understanding of project management.

From day 1, my manager was exceptionally attentive. Great balance of teaching vs hands on experience. Was not smothered - was allowed to go about my daily tasks with full autonomy - however there was always mentorship available from multiple different SMEs if I was struggling.

Company culture was very welcoming. Expectations to complete work that impacts the business is prevalent, however there is a heavy focus on employee wellbeing, meaning that the team is always conscious not to burn out employees. The general atmosphere is great, with the office being a comfortable place to work, whilst simultaneously harbouring no expectations for number of days spent on site- i.e work when suits you (flexitime)

The placement year has been great. I have been involved in multiple projects, and collaborated with multiple different teams. This has allowed me to develop both my technical skills within engineering, and my soft skills. Additionally, my knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry has increased dramatically, instilling me with a confidence that for when I eventually apply to jobs post graduation.

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