Project Assistant Glasgow 2024

CPI helps make great ideas and inventions a reality. We’re a team of intelligent people using advances in science and technology to solve the biggest global challenges in healthcare and sustainability.

Through our incredible people and innovation infrastructure, we collaborate with our partners in industry, academia, government, and the investment community to accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative products.

From health technologies and pharmaceuticals to sustainable food and materials innovations, we turn the entrepreneurial spirit and radical thinking of our people and partners into incredible impact that makes our world a better place.

Why this role is important for CPI’s work?

CPI has an exciting opportunity for a Project Assistant to join our established and growing Project Management team, on a hybrid basis, combining home and office working.

From the smallest process improvement to our larger scale projects, you will be supporting CPI’s work in our drive to innovation. CPI delivers many projects of varying scale and scope, both commercially and publicly funded.

The role offers the opportunity to join the recently established Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) and be part of a rapidly growing team creating partnerships across industry and academia that are developing novel approaches to pharmaceutical production.

Reporting to a Programme Manager you will join a team that manages CPI’s project portfolio to ensure that we deliver impactful projects that delight our customers. As Project Management is a matrix function within CPI you will find there is the opportunity to work across a range of technology teams. You will be provided with the opportunity for training and development to achieve an APM qualification. CPI’s dynamic environment means that you will be challenged and given opportunities to grow and develop with the company.

In the role of Project Assistant, you will be responsible for delivering the administrative tasks across CPI and as such you will interact with all CPI business areas and technology teams to deploy, maintain, and execute the PMO framework.

Some exciting projects the team have recently worked on are

• Grand Challenge 1: Continuous Direct Compression — Aims to eliminate cost and complexity in the development and manufacture of tablets, allowing faster response to patient needs.
• Grand Challenge 2: Just-In-Time Clinical Supply – Aims to reduce long lead times for clinical trials by creating more agile, digitally focussed supply chains that can respond more effectively to demand.
• Grand Challenge 3: Sustainable Production of Oligonucleotides – Focussing on this revolutionary new therapeutic area, the team are driving efficiencies in cost and sustainability to provide better access to patients.

Digital Membership is a collaborative effort with input from pharma companies, technology provides and regulators to deliver digital solutions in pharma manufacturing to improve patient outcomes.

The role

Key tasks in the role will include (but are not limited to the below), please download the job description for full details available on the CPI careers page:

• Monitoring compliance with project management standards, policies, procedures, and templates using project audits and undertaking issue resolution tasks.
• Coordinating and assisting Project Managers with the delivery of project reviews.
• Managing and maintaining action logs.
• Managing information requests and providing regular and timely reporting of project outputs and performance to the project sponsors and internal stakeholders.
• Manipulating and formatting project data to aid financial and Project Performance Report completion in conjunction with the Project Managers.
• Maintaining and assisting the development of project management methodology, best practices, and standards, policies, procedures, templates, and other shared documentation
• Updating configuration documents as required.
• Acting as meeting scribe, recording actions, and ensuring these are communicated and followed up.
• Assisting and ensuring that information is accurately entered into CRM, producing reports when necessary.

The person we are seeking

Successful candidates will be educated to at least Higher Level (or equivalent) in a business-related and/​or STEM discipline and:

• Have previous administration experience within a regulated/compliance-driven environment.
• Have excellent report writing skills.
• Be a confident user of Microsoft Excel with the ability to build reports and manipulate data.
• Have experience in recording outputs / key performance indicators.
• Have a good working knowledge of office software packages which includes the ability to use CRM.
• Possess good communication and time management skills.
• Have experience in dealing with external organisations.
• Be self-disciplined and organised with an eye for detail.
• A proven team player who interacts successfully with all levels in an organisation.

Applications are particularly welcome from candidates who have a Project Fundamentals Qualification (or are willing to work towards) and have:

• Previous PMO experience.
• An awareness of basic project management concepts such as planning, risk, issue and change management.
• Experience with project management tools – for example MS-Project or equivalent.
• Financial experience and an understanding of project budget, cost, revenue, and margin.
• Continuous improvement experience.
• Previous experience within the scientific industry.

What does CPI offer you?

At CPI, we offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, this includes:

• Up to 36 days holiday, including bank holidays – Plus a holiday purchasing scheme
• Generous pension scheme
• Life assurance and accident insurance schemes
• Flexible working
• Learning and Development Opportunities
• Free parking

Additional information

Please note this role will include occasional travel dependent on project requirements to other CPI sites or project partner sites.

CPI is an organisation based in the UK. Commencement of employment is conditional to demonstrating right to work in the UK, sponsorship may be available.