A Career in Pharma
The pharma industry offers various career path opportunities, from research and development (R&D) to sales and marketing, manufacturing, and science. It’s an industry full of full of big ideas and in terms of a career path — big opportunities.
The specialist team at JensonR+ is experienced in regulatory affairs, product development, quality assurance, drug safety, medical information, copy approval, project management, training and market access. Our people offer support at all levels, from strategy through to administration, as a product moves from innovation and development to the market place.
So how did some of our team find their way to working at JensonR+ and how do they feel about their chosen career? We’ve been asking the questions and to kick things off, let’s hear from Karen Bradshaw in our Regulatory team.
What is your name? Karen Bradshaw
What is your current job title? Regulatory Affairs Officer
What did you study at school/college? Travel Management HND
Did you go to university, if so, what did you study? Yes, BA Hons Degree in International Travel Management at Loughborough College/University Campus & Staffordshire University (it was a combined qualification HND Advanced to a BA Hons Degree)
What were your previous roles before this one? Venue Sourcing Manager for a Pharmaceutical Events agency & Events Project Manager for an Incentive events agency (pharmaceutical and other industries)
This included knowledge of pharmaceutical compliance to select the correct venues, locations for conferences, considering ABPI (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry) regulations e.g., caps on rates, bribery clauses and perception for Healthcare professionals (HCP’s) in attendance. I was required to visit venues all over the world to scope out their suitability and maintain a high knowledge of suitable conference facilities, venues, and meeting room details. I then proceeded to include them in proposals for my clients based on their requirements, and quality control/proofread the proposals of my team. This was an extremely fast-paced, deadline-sensitive role and required extremely high attention to detail to ensure all aspects of the event ran smoothly. I did this role for 15 years in total across 3 companies.
Following the birth of my 2nd child, I was looking to use transferable skills to move to a role that required less travel and allowed much more flexible hours.
Have you done any additional training? The transferable skills I had to move into this current role included: Proofreading, quality control, client-facing experience, pharmaceutical regulations & compliance knowledge, media, and marketing experience. Since joining JensonR+ I have joined the Copy approval team which requires regulatory approval of promotional materials. I am also working on Artwork reviews, which require regulatory review based on industry guidelines, templates, and proofreading. I have taken several courses to improve my knowledge in regulatory affairs to take on more technical areas of the role:
- Medicines in advertising
- Food Supplement Regulatory
- Food Supplement Advertising
- Top Labelling Issues and Opportunities
What is your favourite part of your role? I have a real love of promotional copy. There is always a different piece from website launches, press releases through to an event agenda or invite. I like reviewing to check that all guidelines have been followed and looking to ensure it is all grammatically correct.
Do you have any tips for people who want to pursue a career in Regulatory affairs? The role has a variety of elements, so there are numerous ways to achieve it. Connect with people in the industry, and research technical qualifications or skills required for the certain area of regulatory affairs you are interested in.
We are always keen to meet energetic and talented professionals who would like to join our team. If you wish to be considered for any future positions, please send your CV and covering letter to: hr@jensongroup.com