Graduate Engineer Review
at AstraZeneca
Graduate Job
Engineering
Macclesfield
Review Submitted: August 2025
Overall Rating
4.7 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4.8/5
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Overview of the Role
4.8/5
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Experience & Company Culture
4/5
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Recommendations & Advice
Overview of the Role
Overall, how would you describe your experience at AstraZeneca?
Fantastic Experience. Lots of opportunities to be involved in a variety of projects to develop core skills, whether they are technical or soft skills. Lots of availability and encouragement to attend training courses and acquire certifications. In addition to certifications, there is support/mentorship for engineering accreditation. Overall, a company who greatly supports your professional development.
What are the main responsibilities of the role and which elements of the role do you enjoy the most?
1st Role - Improvement Engineer
Core responsibilities are:
- Commissioning, qualifying and validating equipment (CQ&V)
- Ensuring compliance with internal and external requirements for CQ&V activities
- Involvement in projects to identify project requirements and actions
- Managing change through controlled processes/systems
- Defining specifications for equipment
- Supplier management throughout projects, communication of internal requirements, ensuring equipment meets requirement
- Process improvements/continuous improvement
Responsibilities outside of Core role:
- Development of STEM activites/being a STEM ambassador to share what engineering is at AstraZeneca
- Investigation/Analysis of other projects for benefit of entire site(s), emphasis on sustainability based projects
The elements I enjoy the most of my first role as an improvement engineer is the variation in work and exposure to multiple different projects. This helps build my technical knowledge of a variety of equipment and work is not repetitive. This also gives me insights into future and advanced technologies in the pharmaceutical industry. I enjoy CQ&V.
Core responsibilities are:
- Commissioning, qualifying and validating equipment (CQ&V)
- Ensuring compliance with internal and external requirements for CQ&V activities
- Involvement in projects to identify project requirements and actions
- Managing change through controlled processes/systems
- Defining specifications for equipment
- Supplier management throughout projects, communication of internal requirements, ensuring equipment meets requirement
- Process improvements/continuous improvement
Responsibilities outside of Core role:
- Development of STEM activites/being a STEM ambassador to share what engineering is at AstraZeneca
- Investigation/Analysis of other projects for benefit of entire site(s), emphasis on sustainability based projects
The elements I enjoy the most of my first role as an improvement engineer is the variation in work and exposure to multiple different projects. This helps build my technical knowledge of a variety of equipment and work is not repetitive. This also gives me insights into future and advanced technologies in the pharmaceutical industry. I enjoy CQ&V.
To what extent does your role give you the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and feel valued by your team?
5/5
Alongside larger project work, there are opportunities to work on smaller improvement projects which benefit the team. We are encouraged to contribute to an improvement project for the wider technical engineering team as part of our goals.
How does your compensation package - including perks & benefits - fairly remunerate you for the work you do?
5/5
Perks & Benefits I find most valuable:
- Private healthcare and access to doctors at any time; This has been the most valuable benefit for me. With extended waiting periods to get a GP appointment, it has been invaluable and also means I can talk to a doctor at any time whenever I have a health issue.
- Health assessments; This has been valuable to me as it helps identify things I need to address and overall promotes a culture of wellbeing at work.
- Share Incentive Plan
- Performance based bonus; I find this valuable as it encourages me to action my annual goals and reflect on progress throughout the year, ensuring I stay on track and performing as best I can
- Private healthcare and access to doctors at any time; This has been the most valuable benefit for me. With extended waiting periods to get a GP appointment, it has been invaluable and also means I can talk to a doctor at any time whenever I have a health issue.
- Health assessments; This has been valuable to me as it helps identify things I need to address and overall promotes a culture of wellbeing at work.
- Share Incentive Plan
- Performance based bonus; I find this valuable as it encourages me to action my annual goals and reflect on progress throughout the year, ensuring I stay on track and performing as best I can
How well do you feel the role is preparing you for your future career?
5/5
Although I have only completed 1 placement, I have another 2 years remaining on the graduate scheme - in which I will be in different roles, exposing me to different areas of the business and helping me develop new skills and a consolidated knowledge of engineering as a whole.
Overall, this will help me identify the area of the business I would like to work in and area of engineering.
Overall, this will help me identify the area of the business I would like to work in and area of engineering.
How would you rate the extent to which you were developing new or existing skills through formal training and your day-to-day role?
4/5
The engineering graduate scheme at AstraZeneca tries to place you in a role for your first rotation which is similar to the degree you have completed at university. As a result, I already had some of the skills required for my first placement, however these have been built on/improved.
I have had many opportunities to and have attended formal trainings to develop skills for my role. This includes training for CQ&V, health & safety awareness, etc... We also have a system which specifies the training we need to complete unique to our roles. This training is tracked and emails are sent to our inbox when a new training needs to be completed.
I have had many opportunities to and have attended formal trainings to develop skills for my role. This includes training for CQ&V, health & safety awareness, etc... We also have a system which specifies the training we need to complete unique to our roles. This training is tracked and emails are sent to our inbox when a new training needs to be completed.
Experience & Company Culture
How is the support you receive?
5/5
The support I have received has been excellent.
Line Manager - We have weekly team meetings in which any issues can be raised to the line manager and be provided support (not only by manager but wider team. Monthly 1:1s to track progress towards goals and address any other issues. What they have done well is allow me freedom to do work, not micromanaging and providing support when I have requested. Whenever I have asked to attend certain meetings and work on different projects, I have been provided with the opportunities. Whenever certain bits of work have been a struggle or I don't have time to work on certain things, this has been sorted out. Also organised me to work alongside another member of the team when I first started to ease the transition into the role.
Buddy - when first joining the graduate scheme, we are assigned another buddy on the scheme whom we have weekly meetings with until we have settled in. They provide support with minor things, such as helping find where different buildings are across site, showing us how to use the printers, etc...
Mentors - We have the opportunity to be assigned a mentor to guide us through our journey to engineering accreditation/chartership. I have been able to find a mentor within the wider engineering technical team in my current department who has advised certain things to do to help towards chartership.
Line Manager - We have weekly team meetings in which any issues can be raised to the line manager and be provided support (not only by manager but wider team. Monthly 1:1s to track progress towards goals and address any other issues. What they have done well is allow me freedom to do work, not micromanaging and providing support when I have requested. Whenever I have asked to attend certain meetings and work on different projects, I have been provided with the opportunities. Whenever certain bits of work have been a struggle or I don't have time to work on certain things, this has been sorted out. Also organised me to work alongside another member of the team when I first started to ease the transition into the role.
Buddy - when first joining the graduate scheme, we are assigned another buddy on the scheme whom we have weekly meetings with until we have settled in. They provide support with minor things, such as helping find where different buildings are across site, showing us how to use the printers, etc...
Mentors - We have the opportunity to be assigned a mentor to guide us through our journey to engineering accreditation/chartership. I have been able to find a mentor within the wider engineering technical team in my current department who has advised certain things to do to help towards chartership.
How is your work-life balance?
4/5
Very good work life balance.
Opportunity to work from home when needed. In my current role, there is not total flexibility with working from home as it is considered a direct operations/manufacturing support role. However, in future placements, there may be more opportunities to do so.
Flexible hours. I have flexibility in the times I can come in to work and start the day and finish, no 'set' hours as such. One day I can come work 7-3 and another come in 9-5 if needed. This allows me to work around things coming up such as doctors appointments etc...
Lunch break is long enough so I have time to eat and also go for a walk around site, helping my physical/mental wellbeing.
We are encouraged as graduates to spend 80% of our time on our core role responsibilities, and 20% of our time on personal development or outside of role responsbilities. This breakdown has allowed me to explore my interests in certain topics, such as AI, whilst at work and also makes me think about how I can apply the skills I develop in this time to my work.
Opportunity to work from home when needed. In my current role, there is not total flexibility with working from home as it is considered a direct operations/manufacturing support role. However, in future placements, there may be more opportunities to do so.
Flexible hours. I have flexibility in the times I can come in to work and start the day and finish, no 'set' hours as such. One day I can come work 7-3 and another come in 9-5 if needed. This allows me to work around things coming up such as doctors appointments etc...
Lunch break is long enough so I have time to eat and also go for a walk around site, helping my physical/mental wellbeing.
We are encouraged as graduates to spend 80% of our time on our core role responsibilities, and 20% of our time on personal development or outside of role responsbilities. This breakdown has allowed me to explore my interests in certain topics, such as AI, whilst at work and also makes me think about how I can apply the skills I develop in this time to my work.
What is the organisational culture, values and general atmosphere like?
5/5
Very inclusive, positive and welcoming culture. As discussed previously, when I first started I had a 'buddy' and worked alongside another team member which made me feel welcomed and supported coming into the organisation.
We have employee resource groups at work, some of which are dedicated to inclusion and diversity, such as AZ pride and AZ embrace. These groups organise events/activities. Although I am not a member of any, it serves as a reminder for how inclusive and great the culture is at work.
Health safety and environment also play a part in the culture. We have site rules and are encouraged to have conversations and raise any observations about anything we see which could be improved for the benefit of ourself and others.
Hybrid/remote working policies:
Opportunity to work from home when needed. In my current role, there is not total flexibility with working from home as it is considered a direct operations/manufacturing support role. However, in future placements, there may be more opportunities to do so.
We have employee resource groups at work, some of which are dedicated to inclusion and diversity, such as AZ pride and AZ embrace. These groups organise events/activities. Although I am not a member of any, it serves as a reminder for how inclusive and great the culture is at work.
Health safety and environment also play a part in the culture. We have site rules and are encouraged to have conversations and raise any observations about anything we see which could be improved for the benefit of ourself and others.
Hybrid/remote working policies:
Opportunity to work from home when needed. In my current role, there is not total flexibility with working from home as it is considered a direct operations/manufacturing support role. However, in future placements, there may be more opportunities to do so.
How would you rate AstraZeneca initiatives when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility?
5/5
How would you rate AstraZeneca CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives?
5/5
Initiatives which stand out to me are:
- Ambition carbon zero
- Access to healthcare
- Training healthcare workers
- Ambition carbon zero
- Access to healthcare
- Training healthcare workers
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Great place to work, positive culture, and lots of support to develop your engineering skills.
How well did the role match your expectations based on the recruitment process?
4/5
The role matches what I expected based on the recruitment post/job description.
When considering the recruitment & onboarding process, have you any specific tips or advice you would give to others applying to AstraZeneca?
Reflect on how your experiences in University, working on projects, or jobs are associated to AstraZeneca's core values.
Get involved during team exercises at the assessment centre. Ask others questions, listen to what they say and acknowledge it.
A tip I would give during the onboarding process is to network and stay in touch with other new starters and graduates from other schemes.
Get involved during team exercises at the assessment centre. Ask others questions, listen to what they say and acknowledge it.
A tip I would give during the onboarding process is to network and stay in touch with other new starters and graduates from other schemes.
