Industrial Placement Students: 2027-2028
Contract Duration: 12-month
Expected Start Date: 26/06/2027
Advert Closing Date: The advert closing date is Thursday 8th October 2026 at 23:59; however, the role may close earlier if sufficient applications are received. We encourage candidates to apply as early as possible.
CV Requirements: Candidates are required to provide details of all relevant courses and classes they have completed, as well as any they expect to complete before the placement begins in June 2027. Please include grades achieved or predicted grades where available.
About Amgen:
Amgen, the world's leading independent biotechnology company, discovers and develops important therapeutics which bring meaningful improvement to the lives of people all over the world. The extraordinary efforts of our people consistently produce exceptional clinical, operational and financial results.
Science-based and patient-driven, we aspire to be the best human therapeutics company, building our success on innovation, teamwork, risk-taking and the pursuit of excellence.
Key to all this is a culture based on a deep respect for individual talent, high expectations, a full appreciation of the limitless potential of highly motivated teams - and a value system which ensures that every person has every opportunity to make a significant difference.
We are offering industrial placement roles for Clinical Trial Operations, Safety & Quality Placements:
- Operational Design Team based in Cambridge, UK
- Safety & Medical Quality based in Cambridge, UK
- Local Safety Officer and Pharmacovigilance based in Cambridge, UK
- Clinical Study Operations Associate based in Cambridge/Uxbridge, UK
Please read the full description for each role below. Successful candidates may indicate a preference for a specific position; however, Amgen may assess each candidate's profile, skills, and experience and determine the role that is the best fit for them and may consider multiple roles.
Operational Design Team Placement Student – Cambridge, UK
The Operational Design Team (ODT) is looking for a Placement Student to join our Cambridge office, with some opportunity to work from home.
Clinical trials test new medicines in healthy volunteers or in patients living with the conditions those medicines aim to treat. The ODT plays a critical role in supporting how these trials are planned and delivered. Since nearly half of a trial’s duration can be spent on patient enrolment, the ODT focuses on using data, technology and patient-centred approaches to support efficient, high-quality and inclusive clinical research. Our work spans advanced data analytics, applied data science, patient engagement, and patient recruitment & retention, all aimed at improving clinical trial outcomes.
As part of the ODT, you will gain hands-on experience at the intersection of science, data and healthcare, learning how data, technology and patient engagement are transforming clinical research. Throughout your placement, you’ll work across different branches of the ODT, contributing to projects that support the development and delivery of new medicines.
In this role, you will gain experience in:
- Using AI, machine learning and advanced analytics tools to support and optimise clinical studies.
- Understanding why the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers are vital to high-quality clinical research.
- Exploring how external companies and vendors support clinical trial operations and evaluating new potential partners.
- Supporting data-driven insights and analyses to inform clinical study planning and delivery.
- Collaborating cross-functionally with experts in operational design analytics, applied data science, patient engagement, and patient recruitment & retention.
Role Degree requirement: Life sciences, bioinformatics, computer sciences, or a related discipline, with an interest in applying data & analytics to healthcare innovation.
Safety and Medical Quality Placement Student – Cambridge, UK
Based in our Cambridge office, with some opportunity to work from home, our Safety & Medical Quality (SMQ) Placement Student will support a range of quality activities and projects across Safety, Medical and the wider R&D Quality organisation.
Safety & Medical Quality supports quality and compliance across R&D, in the post-marketing setting which is governed by Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GPvP). The team helps ensure effective quality systems, processes and oversight are in place to meet regulatory requirements. This placement will provide broad exposure to Quality within a global biopharmaceutical organisation and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across a range of scientific and functional areas.
The successful candidate will gain valuable experience in:
- Supporting the Digital Quality Management System (DQMS) following Phase 2 go-live.
- Supporting deviation management, including audit and inspection-related activities.
- Contributing to annual risk assessment activities across Safety & Medical Quality.
- Supporting Quality activities and projects across R&D in collaboration with scientific and functional teams.
- Reviewing and analysing Quality data to identify trends, insights and opportunities for improvement.
- Developing and maintaining Quality documentation, processes and guidance.
- Contributing to continuous improvement initiatives to simplify and improve existing processes.
- Using digital tools, data and technology to enhance Quality activities and ways of working.
This placement would suit a student interested in gaining practical experience of Quality within the pharmaceutical industry while developing skills in quality systems, risk management, data analysis and continuous improvement. Many of the staff in Quality have a Pharmacology, Pharmacy or life science background.
Role Degree Requirement: Life Sciences or a related discipline, with strong analytical and communication skills and an interest in quality, data and digital tools within the pharmaceutical industry.
Local Safety Officer and Pharmacovigilance Placement Student – Cambridge, UK
The Local Safety Officer and Pharmacovigilance Placement Student will be based in our Cambridge office, with some opportunity to work from home.
Drug safety (also known as pharmacovigilance) is the science and activities relating to detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of side effects (known as adverse events) of medicines. This allows an understanding of both the risks as well as the benefits of a medicine.
The local safety officer is responsible for representing patient safety in interactions with Government Authorities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, external healthcare professionals and internal departments to ensure compliant performance of drug safety activities based on legislative requirements.
In this role you will gain experience in:
- Adverse event data collection, processing and reporting to Government Authorities and Ethics Committees for medicines in clinical trials and on the market.
- Liaison with healthcare professionals in writing, to collate complete safety and clinical data on adverse event reports.
- Providing quality and timely responses to internal and external drug safety questions.
- Providing drug safety advice to internal departments for local activities, to advance the safe use of medicines and support business needs.
- Participation in local Medical and Commercial meetings to discuss product safety issues.
Role Degree requirement: Medical/Life Sciences degree.
Clinical Study Operations Associate – Cambridge/ Uxbridge, UK
Based in our Uxbridge or Cambridge office, with some opportunity to work from home.
This role, based within the Global Study and Site Operations department is part of a team responsible for execution of clinical studies, including project and study management with UK and Ireland. It focuses on leading, managing and mitigating risks in clinical trials, and maintains a clinical trial in a regulatory health authority inspection prepared state.
This role will rotate through the Clinical Operations teams including, but not limited to, Study Start Up, Clinical Trial Monitoring & Regulatory. All of these teams work across clinical development phases I-IV and trial designs to ensure the governing ICH GCP clinical trial regulations are met fully.
The successful candidate will gain invaluable experience in:
- Clinical trial development.
- Risk management and critical documentation requirements by providing support, engaging, and maintaining collaborative relationships with vendors and customers.
- Support logistical and project management mapping for organizational design change and/or resources transitioning departments. May include support to role-based training, handbook creation, and adult learning module-based training.
- Personnel and engagement – evaluate survey data and support leadership in future principles.
- Competitive landscape and industry data synthesis – evaluate the annual and other routine data points informing the team of sponsor ranking and positioning. Consider establishing different strategies on modernizing ways of working
- Support enterprise business process operations flow.
- Support various tracking tools such as non-project FTE tracking, subject matter expertise optimization, and overall resource management organizational considerations.
Role Degree requirement: Life Sciences degree.
Working arrangements:
We have 2 offices, one in Cambridge and one in Uxbridge, with the location of the position being dependent on the department that you are applying for. Amgen offers a hybrid working model whereby there is the opportunity to work from home and/or work from the office. Please note that your manager may also be either on-site or working remotely. We encourage students to work from the office where possible to build connections with colleagues both within their department and from other departments.
Requirements:
All applicants should have:
- Excellent exam and course work grades from the first year of their degree (or higher qualification) in the stated discipline per role.
- Good communication and organisational skills and a self-motivated, proactive approach to work.
- An ability to work in teams and remain flexible to changing priorities.
- A genuine interest in the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry and a willingness to learn new areas.
- Where applicable for the role, some data analytical skills.
The successful student will gain:
- Experience of working in a busy department within the pharmaceutical industry.
- An understanding of the drug development process.
- Insight into other departments within Amgen and how they interact.
- Experience of working in inter-departmental and cross-functional teams with colleagues from a variety of professional backgrounds.
- Opportunities to build a strong professional network and collaborate with fellow students.
- Experience with hybrid working, gaining flexibility and developing skills in both remote and in-office environments.
More information & support:
We’re committed to supporting you to perform at your best throughout the application and interview process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know as part of your application and we’ll be happy to support you.
If you have any questions, please contact Hays, our recruitment partner for this opportunity: [email protected]
Please note: all applications must be submitted online (not via email or social media).
