Has anyone made this transition? Big players being Zoetis and Elanco, but was wondering how transferable the skills are when considering a post-PhD with background in R&D and clinical research. Mainly looking for non-lab roles equivalent to med affairs, pipeline innovation, or similar roles. Any comments on the culture at these companies vs Pharma?

Hey everyone,

I’m finishing up my PhD in ChemEng, and looking for pharma roles. As we all are aware, the application process is a crapshoot & the industry is a complete mess.

I’ve been wanting to network more, and found who my supervisors/ADs would be for the roles I’m most interested in, and figured I’d take a stab at reaching out on LinkedIn. I’m fairly social and love meeting new people/conversing, contrary to my educational background haha. I have some previous pharma MFG work experience prior to my PhD as well, and I’d like to leverage that too, if I can.

What is the appropriate way to go about this? I’d like to, if possible, set up brief chats if they’re willing. Figured I’d introduce myself, my background (briefly), express interest, then ask a question or two about the dept and see if they’re willing to set up a brief conversation.

Only want to do this for roles where I really am a solid (hopefully top) candidate. Anyone have experiences or advice they could share?

So from the last month and half I was giving countless interviews in various pharmaceutical companies from various cities in my country. Most of the i wasn't receiving any callbacks from any of them.

But. For the last 2 days 4 companies have started to approach me with interview invites and 2 agri based companies are ready to give offer letters as soon as I say yes. But I want to mainly pursue a career in Pharmaceutical especially sterile injectables. Which company has selected me for round 2 and I am mostly positive that I will get selected in that round too..

But I don't want to say no to the agri based companies as they already are ready to give me a job one of them is really pressing me to make decisions today and tell them right away if I am interested or not. I don't really know what to do. Please tell me what I should do

Hi all!

I am looking into moving back to NJ and was curious about the job market for regulatory jobs in NJ. I see there’s a few pharmaceutical companies but was wondering if anyone had any experience working for these companies

Hi there, I'm looking for some advice on what I can do or if there's hope for me to move from a QA role into a more research/lab based role in the biotech industry?

My story is that I graduated with a Pharma Biotech BSc Hons and never got hired into the pharma/biotech industry and eventually made it into med devices in the end as QA. I was hired as a grad and have been working the same job for nearly 4 years. I have some experience with hydrogels new product intro which are chemistry based.

I'm just wondering is it too late for me to get into a more R&D or process oriented role?

My plan is to do a master's degree in Biochem/biosciences next year and then after that go ham applying for biotech company jobs, is this a sound plan and do you have any advice for me?

All feedback/criticisms are welcome! ✨

I’m researching a B2B SaaS idea and I’m looking for honest feedback from people who work in distribution, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, or supply chain.

The idea isn’t another ERP.

It’s software that connects to your existing ERP (SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics, etc.) and identifies where you’re losing money through things like dead inventory, poor purchasing decisions, excess stock, working capital tied up in inventory, or logistics inefficiencies.

The goal is to tell managers exactly what actions to take rather than just showing dashboards.

I’m not looking for validation. I’m trying to understand if this is a real problem or if existing software already solves it well enough.

Three questions:

1. What operational decisions are still made manually even though you already have an ERP?
   
2. What’s the most expensive recurring operational problem your current software doesn’t help you solve?
   
3. If a tool could reliably save your company money every week, what would it need to do before you’d actually pay for it?

I’d really appreciate honest answers, even if your opinion is that this idea isn’t needed.

Hello! I am a 2025 PharmD grad looking to transition into the medical affairs world. I am creating resumes for a variety of positions but would like some one who is in the field currently to look over it with me and help change it in to something hiring managers want to see.

Is there anyone on the platform who is a hiring manager in med info, med comms, or medical science liaison that would be willing to sit down and go over my resume with me line by line? On the other hand, is there maybe a program or coach who has been working as a pharmd in industry that you all could recommend i reach out to?

Thanks in advance!

Last year I made a post about a solution to help job seekers find more opportunity and jump into the consulting world. You can find that post here: here.

We are proud to share that we are now live at FindPharmaPros.com
It would mean a lot for any feedback this community has and for all of you to make a free account (takes 5 minutes).

We are a market place that bring professionals across biopharma together with hiring managers in the biopharma space. You set your rates, hours, and contract directly with the pharmaceutical company. No more middlemen or ridiculous fees.

Timesheet management and payment is handled seamlessly on our website.

As a hiring manager at a Biotech I never found a solution that allowed me to quickly search a large pool of candidates (like a Fiverr or UpWork) and send out feelers within moments. I always had to collect hundreds of CVs, referrals, or pay a expensive agency.

On the flip side, I always wanted to break into consulting, but the only path forward was word of mouth or going through a hiring agency with false promises and recruiters who couldn't explanation what a Phase 1 trial was let alone understand my job.

Let me know what you think.

Hello! I was considering this masters program at The University of Delaware

https://bme.udel.edu/graduate/ms-in-quantitative-systems-pharmacology/

but wasn’t sure if it’d be a waste of money. Is a PhD required to get into this field? Thank you for your help!

Hi everyone,
I am currently working as a Pharmacovigilance Associate III with over 5 years of experience in drug safety and case processing.

My experience includes:
ICSR case processing and quality review
MedDRA coding and narrative review
Seriousness and expectedness assessment
Follow-up management
Case intake and triage
Literature case handling
Quality Control (QC) of safety cases
Compliance with regulatory reporting timelines
Working with global pharmacovigilance databases
I am actively looking for a new opportunity in Pharmacovigilance, Drug Safety, Case Processing, Quality Review, or PV Operations. I am open to remote, hybrid, or onsite roles and willing to relocate for the right opportunity.

If your company is hiring or if you have any leads, referrals, or recommendations, I would greatly appreciate your support. Feel free to DM me for my resume or to discuss potential opportunities.
Thank you!

Hi, I would like to take GMP and LIMS courses online to strengthen my qualifications and improve my opportunities on the job market. Could you recommend any high-quality online courses or certifications?

I don’t mind paying for them as long as the courses are comprehensive, informative, and well-recognized :)

From a lay persons perspective, it always seems to be seasonal, but I was wondering if you use any other ways to better target campaigns, either through local or healthcare data.

Anyone here who has been to these award trips? I have heard that in the past bands have come to play, gifts, excursions, open bar etc.

Hi all, I've been an MSL/Sr MSL for the last 8 years and before that I was a clinical pharmacist for nearly a decade. I'm wanting out of the field to reduce travel time due to having young kids and have started looking for in-house roles. I live close to Cambridge MA and was wondering what your thoughts are on companies in the area and who has the best in-office culture? I've worked for medium and large companies and am currently at a very large company. I've experienced all levels of toxic and non-toxic company cultures, but it was always from a field medical perspective. Any insights on who treats in-house roles well?

Been a tech for several years. Employer/boss offered education (only offered graduate studies, I chose a MBA). I'm mid-way in this program. Learned new things. Might pursue deeper and specialized in healthcare administration.

Are there any who were lucky to have there career better in an institution or business (pharmacy start-up) after getting an MBA?

Execs and Entrepreneurs in Biotech that earn 700k+ what do you do?

I overheard on the news some pharma exec that makes millions a year in salary and I was wondering what kind of roles command that kind of income?

Those that make 700k+ more in biotech/pharma what do you do?

Or those of you that sold a business in this space what kind of business was it? are there opportunities beyond drug development?

So far the answers Ive gotten are: startups, sales, and fda officer (700k a year), and ofc trading though thats more unrealistic. I'm curious what other kind of high paying roles are out there?

I am NOT asking about savings/frugality or investing in the S&P500 since a lot of people were confused by my last post. I'm asking about opportunities SPECIFIC to biotech since anyone with any salary can invest in their 401k.

TL;DR: Career path into pharma without becoming a pharmacist?

Hi everyone,

I hope this is the right place to ask this question.

I currently work for an indirect air carrier specializing in the secure and expedited transportation of pharmaceuticals and medical cargo. My role is focused primarily on compliance and security, and I genuinely love what I do. It’s rewarding to be part of a process that ultimately helps save lives.

Recently, a few internal opportunities have opened up, but they’re looking for candidates with pharmaceutical experience—particularly in radiopharmaceuticals.

My question is: are there any training programs, certifications, or educational paths that would help someone gain more pharmaceutical knowledge and become more involved in the industry without becoming a licensed pharmacist? Are there specific certifications that employers value?

I’d love to deepen my involvement in the pharmaceutical field, but with a family pursuing another full degree would be challenging. I already have my undergraduate and graduate.

I’d appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks in advance!

I am a registered PharmD in a developing country (generic pharma companies), I started my career in FMCG cosmetics in dual formulation and compliance role.. Transitioning to pharmaceutical R&D (generic - syrups, LCO) role quite early in my career. I relocated and gave up that rare track in my country. My new city has no pharma R&D spaces, i find myself back in a pure cosmetic chemist role. While i enjoy the FMCG space and culture, and cosmetics. I can't help but feel a deep sense of im losing my entry into pharma and likely may get trapped in the FMCG route. Im conflicted between what i enjoy vs what i enjoy (a little less because compliance cultures are stoic and risky) but still holds better earning potential as well as far greater pharmacist prestige. I feel like im wasting my degree although i thrived in both environments. In fact i often felt my value and problem solving skills was more appreciated in cosmetics.

Seeking advice on what to do, how to reconcile my thoughts. I've considered doing RA part time training/residency as this keeps me skills pharma adjacent but even then im not quite sure i want to work in RA Because it feels like I'd be giving up my formulation skills.

If you are from anywhere else in the world, American commercials are very strange.