The Science industry is a critical business area for the UK and plays a massive role in the success of the country’s economy while offering huge growth potential. The UK is a prominent player in the worldwide Pharmaceutical industry in particular, and exciting and innovative breakthroughs in drug discovery, new therapeutic areas and the discovery of new medical devices are changing the face of the industry. As we’ve seen during the recent COVID pandemic, research, innovation and scientific roles are crucial with recognition that it is a sector that companies and governments need to continue to invest in. However, a rapid pace of change and increasing investment in the industry, is exposing vast candidate shortages.
Companies now face a formidable challenge in order to sustain growth and can no longer rely on modest recruitment strategies to achieve long-term success; those who wait for things to happen, will be left behind.
At Scantec, we work to support businesses who require Scientific talent in their teams across a range of scientific sectors including:
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceutical
- Molecular Biology
- Chemical
- Analytical and Organic Chemistry
- Engineering and Manufacturing
- Formulation
- FMCG / Food
- Medical Devices
- Microbiology
Typical Scientific Jobs
The scientific sector offers a range of career options, both in and out of “the lab”. The Scientific team at Scantec specialise in recruiting roles such as Quality Control and Quality Assurance, Research and Development as well as production roles. We also recruit Manufacturing roles within the Pharmaceutical, Biologics, Medical Device and Chemical industry.
Pathways into the Profession & Qualifications Required
The Scientific industry is predominantly degree driven so typically you will be required to have a qualification in a relevant discipline such as a chemistry degree, life sciences, medical engineering, or pharmaceutical sciences degree, depending on which direction you are looking to take. Postgraduate qualifications such as Masters degrees and PhDs are also highly valued in the sector and are often a prerequisite for certain jobs.
Additional Skills Required within the Profession
As a graduate it is also recommended to strive to gain additional commercial and practical experience alongside your qualification, be that via work placement or internship. Experience really is what drives the industry and the ability to transfer academic / technical skills into a commercial laboratory or manufacturing environment is what employers look for.
To follow a scientific career path you are most likely going to have to be logical, analytical and with a real attention to detail as well as being ambitious and passionate about your chosen subject.
Skills in Demand
All areas of sciences are candidate short and skills shortages have constrained the sector’s performance. An aging workforce, lack of investment in training, and technological advancements mean that many businesses are always looking for scientific talent.
The most in demand skill sets are Regulatory and QP (qualified person is the technical term used in EU pharmaceutical regulation) from a quality perspective, and formulation and analytical sciences from an R&D/manufacturing side.
Typical Starting Salaries
Straight from university and with some work experience on your CV, a candidate can expect a starting salary of between £18,000 - £23,000 a year, depending on the role. QP’s and senior regulatory applicants can earn upwards of £1,000 a day and so the industry is very broad when it comes to salary.
Why Work in the Scientific Sector
Careers within the scientific sector are some of the most varied, important and challenging jobs while also being fascinating as they are often very much about innovation, discovery and research. Working within this sector is about improving people’s lives, improving commercial enterprises and developing our knowledge and understanding as new things can be discovered or improved.
If you are interested in a career in the Scientific sector or have experience of working within the industry and are looking for your next career move, then click here to learn more about how our specialist Scientific team can help you and what live vacancies we currently have available.
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