Pfizer at Sandwich is home to over 850 colleagues who sit within a number of global teams, critical to the delivery of Pfizers mid to late stage research and development (R&D) and marketed product portfolio. As of July 2022, 90% of Phase 3 programs and 100% of programs at the registration phase within the Pfizer pipeline were contributed to by Sandwich colleagues.
The Drug Product Design (DPD) group sits within our Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecule (PSSM) Team, who overall are responsible for developing new chemical entities into commercial drug products. The DPD group work closely with our synthetic chemistry and analytical colleagues, who also are a part of the PSSM Team.
Once our colleagues have identified and manufactured the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), the DPD group leads the formulating of this API into a patient-centric solid or liquid dosage form. In order to do this DPD uses variety of areas including materials science, formulation design, drug absorption, process understanding and data science to deliver innovative new medicines and manufacturing process improvements.
What can I achieve and what will I be accountable for whilst completing a placement at Pfizer?
Pfizer provides you with the opportunity to work with experts in the pharmaceutical industry and to develop a good appreciation of the drug product development process. This placement will provide comprehension of the role of the DPD department and the wider Pharmaceutical Sciences organisation in the drug product development process.
In addition, the undergraduate placement at Pfizer will allow you to develop technical expertise (computational and experimental) in a specific area of the business and become a competent contributor to the work of our product and technology development teams.
You will work on a specific research project but will have an opportunity to engage with colleagues and teams across the department. You will work on an innovative project which will improve the processes, technologies and knowledge of various research areas which may include:
- Materials Science: focused on characterisation of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, drug product intermediates, and the final formulation through the use of established physical analytical methods.
- Formulation and Process Development: focused on providing a greater level of understanding of the formulation characteristics and/or manufacturing processes required to deliver a successful drug product.
- Digital Science: use digital approaches and data science to advance drug product development and improve manufacturing processes.
As a part of this job description, several roles within Drug Product Design will be available in these areas. Assignments will vary depending on the undergraduate project but typically include:
- Planning and execution of practical laboratory based experimentation.
- Use of computational predictive models and data analytics tools.
- Design and preparation of solid or liquid oral or parenteral dosage forms for further characterisation e.g. product performance, processability etc.
- Comprehension and application of procedures (SOPs, instruction manuals, risk assessments, etc.) to facilitate completion of laboratory experiments in accordance with approved safe working practices.
- Accurate and timely documentation of work (e.g. laboratory notebook entries and authoring of development reports) in line with accepted good practice.
- Reporting and discussing results in technical reports, presenting results to the team and wider audience.
Day to day activities will vary depending on the stage of the project but typically will involve laboratory experiments, report preparation, meetings and collaborations, as well as training activities within the team.
What other opportunities and benefits do Pfizer offer?
Within the undergraduate placement, there will be the opportunity to develop an appreciation of cross-functional interactions. The placement will give an opportunity to work on state-of-the-art innovative technologies in the area of drug development. If appropriate, there may also be an expectation that project outcomes will be delivered to a wider audience via conference attendance and poster presentations.
In addition, the chance to engage with volunteering activities (for example with the Academic Team supporting the education of STEM subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) is also encouraged. Pfizer colleagues are entitled to up to 5 days of paid volunteering leave. The company has a flexible working policy and will accommodate University requirements.
When can I start?
Placements will start on 4th September 2023 and will run for 12 months.
Person Specification
Knowledge
- Studying for a degree in pharmaceutical or allied sciences i.e. pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, chemical engineering.
- Evidence of sustained level of performance / achievement.
- Practical application of knowledge in a laboratory and / or manufacturing environment.
- Interest in data analytics, computational predictive modelling / programming would be an advantage.
Technical Ability
- Good practical laboratory skills are essential.
- Ability to learn and apply established procedures in a reliable and consistent manner to assigned project tasks.
- Effective interaction and communication (oral and written) within a team.
- Ability to manage own time to complete assigned tasks to agreed deadlines.
- General awareness of lab safety.
Motivation
- Enjoys working in a lab based environment and is interested in new technologies.
- Desire to learn – broaden own knowledge base and acquire new practical skills.
- Attention to detail.
- Flexibility to work within a demanding laboratory environment.
Typical working hours: 37 per week with flexibility to accommodate University work.
Who can apply?
Applicants must be completing placement as part of a degree course at a UK University, either through Year in Industry/Industrial Placement or Gap Year. This position will close for applications on 10th October 2022.
Please note that we only accept application forms. Please do not send over your CV or cover letter as they will not be considered.
Purpose
Breakthroughs that change patients' lives... At Pfizer we are a patient centric company, guided by our four values: courage, joy, equity and excellence. Our breakthrough culture lends itself to our dedication to transforming millions of lives.
Digital Transformation Strategy
One bold way we are achieving our purpose is through our company wide digital transformation strategy. We are leading the way in adopting new data, modelling and automated solutions to further digitize and accelerate drug discovery and development with the aim of enhancing health outcomes and the patient experience.
Flexibility
We aim to create a trusting, flexible workplace culture which encourages employees to achieve work life harmony, attracts talent and enables everyone to be their best working self. Let’s start the conversation!
Equal Employment Opportunity
We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to building a successful business. As an employer, Pfizer is committed to celebrating this, in all its forms – allowing for us to be as diverse as the patients and communities we serve. Together, we continue to build a culture that encourages, supports and empowers our employees.