A company perspective - why you should work in biopharma manufacturing

With a community of 775 bioscience companies, North Carolina plays a major role in moving the life sciences industry forward. From agricultural research and development to manufacturing the medicines of tomorrow, the state covers every corner of the industry.

Biopharma manufacturing — the process of using cells, plant and chemical compounds to create medicine — is one of the many well-represented biotech sectors in the Triangle.

While biotech in general and biopharma manufacturing may seem like science-heavy fields, employees are needed on every level.

"There are lots of different positions in the industry, from warehouse workers to scientists to analytical technicians. There's always a consistent demand in our industry, and if one company is downsizing, there's easily another company that's hiring," said Rick Lawless, manager of training and development at KBI Biopharma, an organization that provides drug development and biomanufacturing services to companies across the world. "If someone is interested in health care but they don't want to work in a hospital, they can come to our company."

Manufacturing is often at the heart of a biopharma company's operations.

Many people begin their biopharma career as an operator or manufacturing associate, gaining a solid understanding of methods, systems and techniques that create medicines. Entry-level quality control positions are often the starting point for those with scientific training, where associates test for product quality while developing an increasing understanding of the regulatory landscape and quality systems.

From there, development tracks could include roles with larger responsibilities such as manufacturing, quality control, engineering, quality assurance, environmental health and safety, process development, analytical technology, manufacturing sciences, process analytics and others. Some areas require the deep technical and academic skills that come with advanced degrees.

However, a variety of roles that are essential to business and facility operations require training but are not directly executing manufacturing. These include information technology, legal, human resources, finance, procurement, facilities and security.

Another point companies make sure to highlight? A career in biopharma manufacturing provides stability few other fields are able to.

"I've been in the field for 35 years and I've seen companies that downsize because they're going overseas — but then there are plenty of other companies that are ready to hire. If you establish yourself as a good worker, it's a small world local biotech, so you can really have consistent demand," said Lawless. "There are a lot of opportunities with all the companies that are around us. Especially in the North Carolina Research Triangle area."

It's true — the Triangle region is experiencing an economic development boom for biomanufacturing operations and the area continues to establish itself as a cell and gene therapy manufacturing hub, building upon its foundation of vaccine and cell culture facilities. More biomanufacturing companies in North Carolina means demand for qualified, specialized talent will continue to grow and remain high in the years to come.

Growing demand means more people from different backgrounds will be able to make the transition to biopharma. This may include veterans, mechanics or those with attention to detail who lost jobs during the pandemic.

Training from community colleges across the state is designed to help those new to biopharma gain the knowledge needed to qualify for jobs.

Lawless said biomanufacturing companies expose workers to lots of different processes and give employees opportunities for training and advancement.

"There are lots of opportunities for growth in this industry," he said.

However, perhaps the largest selling point for working in biopharma manufacturing is the meaningful work biotech companies are engaging in every day.

"Our customers are children and adults that have a disease or are trying to prevent one — there's nothing like going to work and knowing that your product is going to help someone," said Lawless.