I started my career in Regulatory Affairs 6 years ago as a graduate employee. My training included a comprehensive Technical Induction Package which gave me a jump start into the world of Regulatory Affairs. Shortly after, the company I had joined as a graduate merged with PharmaLex UK which greatly expanded my development opportunities and career prospects.
After joining PharmaLex, I noticed the wide variety of clients and projects that the company supported. This allowed me to gain knowledge in different areas of Regulatory Affairs and work on projects that would previously have not been available to me. This expansion in opportunities was (and still is) fantastic for my professional development as I very quickly achieved experience in a range of Regulatory Affairs topics.
Whilst my previous experience was primarily focused on post-approval lifecycle maintenance for the UK and Ireland, I started to expand my knowledge into areas such as Marketing Authorisation Applications and Clinical Trial Applications. This has given me a much broader knowledge of the Regulatory Affairs landscape, allowing me to support many different clients and projects. Working for a larger company has brought great advantages with regards to knowledge transfer and technical expertise. I have also been able to collaborate with other functions within PharmaLex such as Pharmacovigilance and Development Consulting.
PharmaLex has enabled me to work alongside colleagues outside of my usual office, from many areas of the world. My increased knowledge, along with PharmaLex’s global clients, has given me the opportunity to work on multinational projects. Collaborating with PharmaLex colleagues from around the world has encouraged me to develop my communication and project management skills by working on much larger projects involving colleagues from a variety of cultures.
I have also had the opportunity to attend multiple training courses whilst working at PharmaLex. The company provides a range of learning and development courses utilising both internal knowledge and external speakers. I regularly attend workshops where colleagues share their knowledge in a particular area of expertise and have also attended courses to support my project management skills. PharmaLex has also enabled me to attend training courses run by external sources, providing me with new knowledge that I have been able to share with both clients and internal colleagues.
As a busy consultancy, PharmaLex has allowed me flexibility with my professional development, giving me the opportunity to specialise within different areas of the company. I have been able to gain a wealth of experience in Project Management, whilst other employees have chosen to specialise in a technical area of Regulatory Affairs. I also enjoy the commercial aspect of working for a consultancy and have been able to gain experience in proposal writing and budget management.
PharmaLex has encouraged me to develop my skills as a line manager, which was a new responsibility for me before joining PharmaLex. The company provided me with the relevant support and training that I needed for the new role, and I have an additional training course lined up this year to further develop these new skills.
The health and wellbeing of employees is something that is very important to PharmaLex. The company takes time to organise tea breaks and social events which encourage a healthy work-life balance. This has been particularly important whilst working from home as I have been able to maintain contact with colleagues that I no longer work with on a day-to-day basis.
My experience at PharmaLex has been extremely positive and I have been able to develop a rewarding career. I am looking forward to future opportunities and my continued progression within the company.
