Salaries & Entry-Level Jobs
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Even with no previous pharma experience or science qualifications, you can be a great candidate for entry-level manufacturing and production roles once you have some basic technical knowledge.
These jobs sit within the team of people who operate the machinery and systems that actually produce the pharmaceutical product.
There are lots of steps involved in the manufacture of medicines, and production staff are involved in them all. In a typical manufacturing plant, they account for approximately 50% of total staff.
And once you’re in the door, all of these entry-level roles have great career prospects and opportunities for progressing into different specialist areas, or into people management, if that’s what you want.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of entry-level roles, and the salaries you might expect…
Process Technician
Job Role
Process technicians carry out tasks such as operating equipment, monitoring processes and documenting results of tests.
They are involved in all stages of the manufacturing process but each Process Technician will typically be responsible for a single specific step.
Their roles often take place within a clean-room environment. This is a uniquely controlled and regulated area where lots of precautions are taken to make sure everything stays clean so that the products are free from contamination and safe for patients.
Process Technicians work in a process or continuous manufacturing environment. Process manufacturing takes a formulation (basically, a recipe), and brings together chemical or biological ingredients to make a medicine. This happens in batches or continuously and makes final products that are usually a liquid, powder or gas.
Think of products like vaccines, tablets, or medicinal creams.
(The alternative is “discrete manufacturing”, for products such as medical devices – see the Manufacturing Technician information below).
Products like these are manufactured following strict procedures and protocols that align with national and international regulations. This is to make sure that the medicines and vaccines produced are safe for patients.
To get this type of entry-level job, you have to be able to show an awareness and understanding of these rules and regulations – that’s the technical part (Module 1) of our course.
The job of a process technician will be different depending on what’s being made, but can include things like:
- Watching the manufacturing process to make sure it’s happening correctly (and letting someone know if it’s not)
- Keeping equipment in good working order
- Filling in documentation to show that regulations have been followed
- Adding ingredients into the manufacturing process
Before you’re expected to do any of these tasks, you’d be given full training by the company hiring you.
For a look at the role of a Process Technician as described by someone actually in the job, check out this video from the About Bioscience website, produced by the North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research
Also Known As
Different companies can use different titles for similar jobs. Some companies might call this role:
- Chemical Process Technician
- BioProcess Technician
- Cleanroom Operator
- Process Operator
Salaries
Starting salary: €576-673 a week (that’s €30,000 to €35,000 a year)
After 2 years: €673-769 a week (that’s €35,000 to €40,000)
After 5 years: €796-961 a week (that’s €40,000 to €50,000)
Starting salaries for Process Technicians are typically £288-461 a week (that’s £15,000 – £24,000 a year)
Manufacturing Technician
Job Role
A manufacturing technician has a lot in common with a process technician. They also carry out tasks such as operating equipment, monitoring processes and documenting results of tests.
The main difference is that manufacturing technicians work in “discrete manufacturing” environments – where individual physical pieces are assembled (using things like screws, welding, rivets, etc) into final products.
Think of products like medical devices – syringes to inject medicines, artificial joints, or inhalers.
These products are still manufactured following strict procedures and protocols that align with national and international regulations to make sure they’re safe for patients.
So to get this type of entry-level job, you still have to be able to show an awareness and understanding of these rules and regulations – that’s the technical part (Module 1) of our course.
The specific duties of a manufacturing technician will also change depending on what’s being made, but still include things like:
- Watching the manufacturing process to make sure it’s happening correctly (and letting someone know if it’s not)
- Keeping equipment in good working order
- Filling in documentation to show that regulations have been followed
- Manually assembling or manipulating items on the assembly line
You would always be given full training by your company before you were expected to know how to carry out these tasks.
Again, these types of roles often take place within a clean-room environment where lots of precautions are taken to make sure everything stays clean, to make safe products.
Also Known As
Different companies can use different titles for similar jobs. Some companies might call this role:
- Manufacturing Operator
- Production Operator
- Production Technician
- Product Assembler
- Manufacturing Technician
- Manufacturing Team Member
Salaries
Starting annual salary: €30,000 to €35,000 (that’s €576-673 a week)
After 2 years: €35,000 to €40,000 (that’s €673-769 a week)
After 5 years: €40,000 to €50,000 (that’s €796-961 a week)
Starting annual salaries for Process Technicians are typically £15,000 – £24,000 (that’s £288-461 a week)
Packaging Operator
Job Role
Job Role
The role of Packaging Operator is slightly different.
They are responsible for taking the finished product of a manufacturing process and making sure it is packaged in line with company and industry standards, making it ready for sale or distribution.
Regulations, protocols, and quality systems are still very important here and you’ll still be a much more appealing candidate to employers if you can demonstrate knowledge of these (from Module 1 of our course).
Of course, specific tasks will vary depending on what is being packaged, but tasks for a Packaging Operator typically include:
- Daily operation of the machinery involved in packaging
- Efficient completion of final assembly and then packaging processes (such as applying fastenings or ties) if required
- Product labeling and inspection of final product
- Completion of distribution documentation
Also Known As
Different companies can use different titles for similar jobs. Some companies might call this role:
- Packaging Technician
Salaries
Starting annual salary: €28,000 to €32,000 (that’s €538-615 per week)
After 2 years: €32,000 to €38,000 (that’s €615-730 per week)
After 5 years: €38,000 to €42,000 (that’s €730-807 per week)
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