BioGrow event: Careers in biopharma offer rewarding opportunities

For anyone looking to build a career in biopharma manufacturing, there’s no shortage of opportunities in North Carolina.

That’s the conclusion of hiring managers at four of the state’s leading life sciences companies who spoke at a recent career event at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. With industry growth continuing, employers are looking for people to fill jobs – and that extends to recent graduates and others with no previous experience in biopharma.

“There are tons of awesome investments in the area, with new sites and new jobs being created over the next five to 10 years,” said Allen Wooten, talent acquisition leader at Biogen in Research Triangle Park. “How are we going to get better at taking less experienced people, bring them into our company, and get them to proficiency faster than the crop of people that came through over the last five years?”

The Biomanufacturing and Process Development (BPD) BioGrow event, sponsored by NCBiotech, attracted job seekers, industry training program graduates, and current students.

They heard what employers are looking for in candidates, listened to stories of what it’s like to work in biopharma manufacturing from four people who landed jobs after graduating from college or completing training, and spoke with representatives of more than a dozen industry training programs, universities, and community colleges that set up booths.

With life sciences employment in North Carolina at 75,000, employers are eager to tap into the state’s workforce and find emerging talent for jobs that require dedication, persistence and agility.

What employers want

During the industry panel discussion, hiring managers described the skills and attributes they want to see in candidates seeking to enter biopharma.

For positions that don’t require previous experience in life sciences manufacturing, companies expect candidates to demonstrate their ability to learn and explain processes, collaborate with others, and communicate across various functions and departments.

“It depends on the position and the role, and any specific needs, but I would say one of the big things is team dynamics and looking to collaborate,” said Jennifer Reinsel, director of quality and quality systems at Solvias, a contract research organization that recently opened a center of excellence for biologics and cell and gene therapy in Morrisville.

Diya Abdeljabbar, director of technical operations at Merck’s vaccine manufacturing center in Durham, said the top attribute he’s seeking is the ability to simplify and explain complex topics.

“You’re going to be talking to people all day,” he said. “Your job working across boundaries between quality operations, technical operations, automation and maintenance, means you have to be able to collaborate across these boundaries. Being able to explain in an interview that you can take something complex and simplify it is a big part.”

For Mark Lockette, maintenance manager for instrumentation and calibrations at CSL Seqirus, a global vaccine producer with operations in Holly Springs, candidates and employees who are clear on their goals make an impression.

“It’s all about how much dedication [you have] and how much you are eager to learn,” said Lockette, a U.S. Air Force veteran who started in the industry as a contractor and worked his way up to a management role. “Take a real hard look at yourself for what you want to do and where you want to go. This journey is yours and yours alone.”

The four panelists shared additional insights for job candidates, including:

Resumes and interview preparation: All four recommended listing specific accomplishments on resumes and being prepared to explain them in job interviews. Even for entry-level positions, candidates are expected to describe successes in previous jobs, internships and schoolwork.

“Give us an idea about you so that we’re intrigued enough to want to actually bring you in,” Abdeljabbar said. “Make every line count. Make sure there are no typos.”

Educational and training opportunities: “Regardless of the educational path that you’ve taken, there are legitimate entry points to working in biopharma manufacturing," Biogen’s Wooten said.

Panelists said many resources are available to anyone interested in a biopharma career. For example, BioWork, a program of North Carolina Community Colleges, offers a certificate program that teaches foundational skills. Military Outreach and Veterans Engagement (MOVE), launched in 2019 by NCBiotech, offers biopharma training to service members transitioning to the private sector.

Benefits and perks: Leading employers offer a variety of employee benefits, from the standard 401(k) retirement plans and generous time off policies to company-sponsored recreational activities. “The perks vary greatly,” Solvias’ Reinsel said. “It’s just one of those things where I would say to do a little bit of research. Just think about what’s really important to you.”

“By the way, we have a pickleball court,” added Lockette from CSL Seqirus.

The employee perspective

During the BDP BioGrow’s employee panel, four recent hires in biopharma manufacturing told their stories of successfully landing full-time employment in the industry.

All four agreed on a few key points:

• Take advantage of educational and training opportunities, internships, career fairs and mentors to learn about the variety of roles in biopharma and how the industry works.
• Remember that the work you’re doing is more than a job – it’s a contribution to improved health through better medications, therapies and devices.
• When applying and interviewing, be yourself and be curious about possible roles.

Here are some of their comments:

Curtis Bright, manufacturing associate at CSL Seqirus, who completed his BioWork certificate in 2024: “Right now I get to make flu vaccines for millions of people. When I look back on my career, I want to be able to tell my kids what I did really mattered. It really helped people.”

Veronica Hill, manufacturing associate at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and a recent graduate of N.C. State University: “I knew that I didn’t have any internship experience, because when I went to college I was working as a massage therapist to pay my bills. I was warned, actually, against speaking about my personal life a couple of times, but it was definitely the better option. There is something to be said about staying true to yourself and just showing who you are.”

Jacob Murphy, manufacturing support at KBI Biopharma who has a BioWork certificate from Central Carolina Community College: “Attending career fairs is really helpful because it gets you in front of [hiring managers]. It was definitely out of my comfort zone when I started, but the more I did it, the better I got at it, and it really helped me with making those connections that are really important.”

Luciano DeRose, process engineer at Novo Nordisk with an undergraduate degree in engineering from East Carolina University: “It is truly impressive how much opportunity there is in this field and in this area. Whenever you do get into industry, it’s super important to go interact with the people that have been there for a long time.”