At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. We’re deeply committed to our strategy of being a great place to work. For us, that includes fostering an environment where everyone can be among inclusive, supportive individuals with curious minds.
A company that genuinely follows the science and values individuals at all levels, you’ll be backed and encouraged to speak up, ask questions, and share ideas to push the boundaries of science and continuously learn and explore.
Make the start of your journey a life changing one
As part of our Early Talent Programme, you’ll be involved in projects and learning opportunities that have real impact from day one.
Being part of our journey and helping us to provide life changing medicine to patients all over the world and transform lives for the better. Making important contributions and embracing our values to deliver on our purpose. Because regardless of role or level, we all have an important part to play in making a positive difference.
Macclesfield
The Macclesfield Campus is an essential part of AstraZeneca’s UK Operation and the 2nd largest operational site within the company’s global network. It is approx. 100 acres with around 4500 people working on site. The site is unique in the AstraZeneca network having Operations, R&D, G&A, IT and others on its site.
About the Apprenticeship Programme
We are part of Pharmaceutical Technology and Development (PT&D), which is the bridge between brilliant science and innovative medicines that help millions of people. We work across the entire value chain, designing and delivering active ingredients, formulations and devices required to support new medicines – from supplies for use in early toxicology studies and clinical trials to developing the technology to ensure drugs can be scaled up for commercial manufacture.
You will join a vibrant team that is working on the next generation of medicines and plays a key role in the advancement of new laboratory techniques and technologies to support the development of new medicinal products.
In order to bring new medicines to patients as quickly as possible while minimising our impact on the environment we need to constantly innovate. We strive to apply the latest advances in technology and digital science to improve our drug development process and are looking for laboratory science apprentices to support us in this bold ambition.
We have three opportunities available in our function. Please see below for more details:
Material Design Team
Join a dynamic team of material scientists working within Oral Product Development and play a pivotal role in developing new medicines for our patients. This is your chance to collaborate with experts in the field of physical properties and contribute to the development and launch of our products. Utilising our cutting-edge technologies, you will gain invaluable experience in developing, designing and conducting experiments to optimise and advance the characterisation of our drug candidates, our excipients, and ensure their suitability to our drug product manufacturing processes.
Duties to include:
Work in a lab as part of the team to develop new material characterisation approaches
Conduct experiments to evaluate material properties and understand their influence on manufacturing processes (e.g. flowability, particle size, etc.)
Perform data analysis and interpretation of results using statistical methods and data modelling
Document experimental procedures and present findings to cross-functional project teams
Contribute and drive our compliance to Health, Safety, and Environment (SHE) and quality standards
Particle Engineering Team:
As an apprentice in the Particle Engineering team, you will be part of innovative projects that improve how we design and produce drug particles. Your role will involve practical work, learning, and collaboration to help create efficient drug development processes.
Duties to include:
Conduct Experiments: Perform small-scale experiments to test how particles behave and gather necessary data.
Data Collection: Use specific tools to collect data about particle solubility, which helps inform how we make particles.
Collaborate with Experts: Work closely with modelling experts to help create and improve models that predict particle behaviour.
Data, Automation and Robotics Team:
As an apprentice in this team you will gain valuable experience and skills in synthetic chemistry and the equipment used to perform detailed experimental work. You will be contributing to important projects that make drug development more efficient and sustainable.
Gain expertise in multiple techniques for automation of synthetic chemistry experiments
Develop skills in a variety of automated and semi-automated instruments ensuring suitability for experimentation focusing on governance, user accessibility and assuring data quality
Execute and document laboratory experiments supporting our new medicines portfolio
Collaborate in a dynamic team pushing the boundaries of science to achieve end-to-end automation of synthetic chemistry experiments.
Adhere to Health, Safety, and Environment (SHE), quality, and regulatory compliance standards in all work
Duties to include:
Automation expertise build
Instrument management knowledge
Synthetic chemistry experience & experiments
Collaboration and innovation
Compliance
Training and Development
AstraZeneca will sponsor you through your Laboratory Science Degree with our university provider Manchester Metropolitan University.
The apprenticeship combines working, earning a full-time salary, with fully funded part-time university learning (on average 1 day/week). This will give you the opportunity to gain a BSc Degree in Chemical Sciences, just as you would if you went to university full-time, with the advantage of gaining relevant work-life skills and the excitement of helping to develop new medicines whilst taking your first steps towards a rewarding career.
Additionally, you’ll be recognised by the relevant professional bodies at Registered Scientist (RSci) level, for which there is a requirement that the scientist will participate in subsequent continuing professional development on completion of the apprenticeship.
Essential skills/capabilities required:
Enthusiastic individuals who are keen to learn new science with genuine curiosity for the science involved in creating new medicines.
Able to act independently but also to work and contribute in a team environment
Good organisational skills with an excellent attention to detail
The ability to work on multiple tasks and understanding how to prioritise
Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills
A proactive approach to problem solving
A desire to work within a laboratory setting, utilising scientific instrumentation and techniques
Entry Requirements:
Five GCSEs (or equivalent) grades 9–4 including Maths, English and Science.
Applicants should have or be predicted to achieve a minimum of 104 UCAS points at A-level (grades BCC), with one being Chemistry or an equivalent scientific discipline.
Candidates with relevant workplace experience or a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in a related scientific discipline will also be considered but must provide additional details of their experience / units studied on the course as part of their application
