Early applications are encouraged as candidates will be reviewed regularly and the advert may close at any point.

Are you looking to gain valuable real world work experience and help positively impact the lives of others?

A GSK internship offers you the opportunity to kickstart your career – to take on a real role with genuine impact. You’ll take on challenging tasks within live projects or assignments. You’ll also get to learn from others in your team and other parts of GSK whilst developing your skills and gaining valuable experience for wherever the future takes you.

Typical skills you can expect to learn on this placement will include:

  • Teamworking through working with multidisciplinary teams
  • Communication (written & verbal)
  • Time management
  • Problem-solving
  • Networking
  • Technical skills (detailed within each role description)

Once you accept your offer you will be invited to join LinkedIn groups and pre-joining webinars, to enable you to connect and network with new students. You will join IPUnite, GSK’s community of over 250 students across all UK sites and business areas, run by the Industrial Placement students committee and will receive access to GSK resources, including employee assistance programmes, private healthcare, and well-being programs.

Education required

To apply for this placement, you must be:

  • Studying an IChemE accredited undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering

Other requirements:

You will have completed a minimum of 2 years of your undergraduate degree but will not have graduated at the start of your placement. You must be enrolled at a UK (United Kingdom) or ROI (Republic of Ireland) University for the duration of your placement.

If you have already graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree and are currently studying a postgraduate Masters, you are not eligible for this programme.

Language requirement

  • Written and spoken fluency in English

Expected start date

  • July 2024

Duration

  • 1 year (approximately)

The roles (5 available)

This advert contains multiple roles. Please read each role carefully before proceeding as you will be asked to provide a preference later in the application process.

Role 1: Environmental Health and Safety

Roles available

  • Montrose

Overview of the department

The Environmental, Health and Safety department exists to ensure that the Montrose site operates in a way which enables everyone to work safely each day, is compliant with internal and external requirements, and minimises our impact on the environment. The department manages a complex site with major process safety risks and a large portfolio of manufacturing processes and chemicals handled. The team is split into general EHS advisers providing day-to-day support across all topics, plus occupational hygiene, environment, and process safety specialists.

Key placement activities

  • Deliver process safety projects and work programmes to reduce the risk associated with major accident hazards present on a complex primary manufacturing site.
  • Support environmental compliance activities, including projects and site readiness for the Industrial Emissions Directive legislation, covering emissions to air and water.
  • Be exposed to day-to-day manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients on a busy site, and EHS and process safety studies (HAZOP, HAZID, risk assessment, etc.).
  • Apply theoretical calculations and models to real industrial setting.
  • Participation in general environment, health, and safety risk reduction tasks.

Role 2: Manufacturing Science and Technology

Roles available 

  • Montrose

Overview of the department

Manufacturing Science and Technology involves Process Engineering, supporting day-to-day manufacturing operations and capital projects. They are involved in plant troubleshooting, large and small improvements to plant, HAZOPs, and design aspects, as well as chemical engineering challenges: safely handling large quantities of hazardous liquids and powders, heating/cooling, mixing; ensuring product quality. As many of the processes are automated, chemical engineers are heavily involved with the plant control software.

Key placement activities

  • Day-to-day manufacture of APIs, capital projects, sustainability initiatives or cleaning/process improvements.
  • Plant design and automation
  • Process safety and technical transfers
  • Sustainability and quality
  • Commercial manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Role 3: Chemical Engineering

Roles available

  • Ware

Overview of the department

The Chemical Engineering teams at Ware support several initiatives, such as the manufacturing of Oral Solid Dose products for global supply and New Product Introduction. The Manufacturing Science and Technology department then monitor the performance of products and platforms within the Oral Solid Dose, Respiratory and Micronising value streams, overseeing all aspects of product lifecycle management.

You could be placed within either of these departments, supporting the transfer and development of manufacturing process from R&D to GSC, including preparation activities and set-up, troubleshooting/problem solving and process improvements. Additional duties may include introduction and scale up of newly developed R&D assets to ensuring robust and repeatable manufacture of commercialised pharmaceutical products, as well as ensuring that equipment is capable of handling product materials and that such platforms are optimised to allow for efficient performance.

Key placement activities

  • Lead problem solving and continuous improvement for product processing issues.
  • Support platform team and product owners in delivery of Product Lifecyle Management.
  • Identify and implement solutions to improve product quality, as well as safety and efficiency gains.
  • Support the development and implementation of manufacturing processes for new products.
  • Develop skills in technical report writing, stakeholder management, data analysis & visualisation.
  • Actively monitor process and product performance to optimise/escalate as required
  • Execute/Support key technical activities e.g. trials and validation activities
  • Strengthen your understanding of product lifecycle management and technical capabilities of Respiratory platforms

Role 4: Process Engineering

Roles available

  • Stevenage

Overview of the department

The Process Engineering placement sits within the Drug Substance Development (DSD) department. As a member of DSD, you will use your engineering knowledge and expertise to develop and deploy state-of-the-art processes and technology to enable the delivery of GSK medicines.

Key placement activities

  • Design and perform scale up/down experiments in chemical engineering unit operations to develop understanding against fast paced project timelines
  • Think creatively to optimise engineering solutions and de-risk scale-up processes.
  • Ensure that experimental work is communicated effectively at internal R&D meetings and develop your teamworking skills.
  • Participate in technology transfer activities as appropriate to GSK manufacturing partners.
  • Author or contribute to internal documentation relevant to the role.
  • Comply with applicable Data Integrity, Quality, cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) and regulatory requirements in all aspects of work and fully embrace all aspects of safety when working in the laboratory.
  • Gain practical familiarity with process simulation/modelling techniques such as MATLAB, DynoChem and gPROMS, and awareness of PAT tools such as NIR, Raman, IR.

Role 5: Downstream Process Engineering

Roles available

  • Worthing

Overview of the department

Small Molecule Process Science are responsible for developing, improving and industrialising biotechnology processes with focus on profitability and sustainability. We have expertise in molecular and microbiology, fermentation and cell culture, extraction and purification of drug substance, intermediates and enzymes used in synthesis. We are a laboratory-based group with experience in scale-up from discovery/concept to large scale fermentation. We have projects related to small molecule, large molecule and vaccine assets.

Key placement activities

  • Scale-up and optimisation of biopharmaceutical processes.
  • Downstream processing of enzyme’s, small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.
  • Data generation and interpretation.
  • Develop an understanding of unit operations such as cell disruption, clarification, concentration, immobilisation, filtration, and chromatography.
  • Drive progress on a project by planning, executing and analysing experiments in the laboratory.
  • Use technical skills to proactively identify solutions to achieve project objectives.

Application process

These placement opportunities have the following recruitment stages you must successfully pass to be offered a placement year with GSK for 2024:

  • Eligibility Form
  • World of GSK Online Assessment
  • Written Assessment
  • Virtual Assessment Centre or Virtual Interview

Apply now!