Undergraduates

We ensure our medicines and vaccines are safe and of the highest quality. Delivering billions of packs of medicines that make a positive change in the health of the world is something we take seriously. It’s a responsibility that drives us to innovate across every stage of the process and helps us bring about better and faster results.

Our engineers are involved in all elements of the design, development and delivery of our medicines and vaccines that help us get ahead of disease together.

An engineering placement will provide you with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of a manufacturing site. You’ll find yourself in a real role, adding value to our business as a key member of a multi-disciplinary team, giving you the opportunity to develop your understanding of how our different sites operate, putting academic theory into practice, and taking responsibility for your own projects.

Over the year you will build up your technical knowledge, as well as developing your communication, planning, organising, problem-solving, team-working and networking skills.

What do the engineering programmes involve?

Automation Engineering:

Maintain and troubleshoot control systems whilst working on automation projects involving continuous improvement and system upgrades. Work with suppliers to ensure that equipment complies with international standards.

Chemical Engineering:

Work with a wide range of products including tablets, and technologies from granulation to bulk manufacturing, all whilst identifying opportunities for process, production and environmental improvements.

Mechanical Engineering:

Manage new equipment from the design stage through to installation, whilst increasing manufacturing efficiency through improved systems, equipment performance and reliability. Work with cutting-edge technologies and provide daily support for key equipment.

Electrical Engineering:

Solve day-to-day issues and breakdowns and lead electrical projects from design through to implementation. You’ll also be involved with sustainable energy and cost reduction initiatives.

As a, global biopharma company, our image and reputation are incredibly important to us. Placement students are an integral part of our team in helping communicate our values, and our product and business developments in a clear and compelling manner.

We have a number of placements available either within the broader communications function or specifically within digital communications, government affairs, and global health. 

What do the programmes involve?

Communications:

Communications provides a mouthpiece – both internally and externally – for all of our business functions including Pharmaceuticals, Research and Development (R&D), Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Vaccines, ViiV and Corporate operations. We use a variety of communication tools and channels to deliver a consistent story to all of our audiences.

Digital Communications:

The digital communications team in our communications department manages GSK's corporate digital channels including GSK.com, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn. Some of the main activities that the student would get involved in are: Helping to develop and maintain the company's external corporate websites, helping to monitor and reply to comments and questions in GSK’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), providing expertise and insight into current and future digital communications and technologies, liaising with GSK's digital communications contacts around the world, and designing and creating infographics.

Government Affairs:

The Global Corporate Government Affairs and Policy (GCGAP) team supports all parts of GSK by identifying political and environmental trends and developing strategies to maximise advantage, or mitigate risks, for the business. We focus on those opportunities and risks created by the decisions that governments make, as well as working with multilateral government organisations, civil society groups and industry associations, as they too contribute to, and shape, public policy decisions. This role will support the delivery of projects including by assisting with research and analysis, stakeholder monitoring and providing project management support to the GCGAP team members on fast-moving policy areas.

Global Health:

Our global health programmes are about ensuring we can supply our life-saving medicines to people around the globe, and working alongside NGOs to implement healthcare strategies to help save lives too. This placement involves: project management and helping to lead and deliver healthcare improvement strategies, data analysis of annual reports from our programmes to monitor their successes and areas for improvement, establishing successful programmes to develop healthcare through capacity building and health system strengthening and the leverage of strategic partnerships, working with NGOs and colleagues from around the world, and utilising expertise within the business to increase the access and affordability of medicines in the developing world.

Finance in our business is not just about numbers. It’s about adding value and shaping strategy for the business. Our finance team works in partnership with the whole organisation to drive business planning, manage costs and maximise our cash flow. This helps us to generate new revenue for investment in research and development (R&D) and enhance returns for our shareholders.

Throughout the year, you’ll be embedding yourself in our global finance community, working alongside other high-potential finance professionals and doing a real job with real responsibilities. The experience will give you a solid grounding in financial management, insights into the workings of a global business and an understanding of the financial rigour demanded by a biopharma company.

We place high priority on personal and professional development. Finance challenges will come thick and fast, so you’ll always be learning something new. As well as developing your financial expertise and business knowledge, you’ll gain valuable communication, planning, organisational, problem-solving, team-working and networking skills. No prior finance knowledge is necessary. In fact we’re looking for students from different backgrounds to bring their fresh perspective into finance with a willingness to learn and an analytical mind.

HR is all about equipping our business with the right people and the right skills to help the company focus on getting ahead of disease together. HR works with the various business areas to deliver against overall organisational goals. As well as leadership and development, compensation, benefits, recruitment and employee health management, the HR team is responsible for operations, strategy, communications and systems.

You’ll be able to use and develop your business skills in a busy HR environment, while seeing the workings of a diverse global organisation at first hand. You'll be applying the skills you already have and developing ones you don't - such as communication, team-working, organisation and problem solving.

We offer undergraduates a choice of science placements in either our Global Supply Chain or in our Research and Development (R&D) functions. These placements give first-hand experience of manufacturing, technology and science in and out of the lab, with exposure to the best people, processes and technology.

We offer undergraduates a choice of science placements in either our manufacturing sites or our research and development sites.

Manufacturing sites:

Our Manufacturing sites science placements give first-hand experience of manufacturing in and out of the lab. We manufacture a huge range of different pharmaceutical medicines, respiratory devices and antibiotics. Our talented teams of engineers and scientists are able to deliver a pipeline of medicines whilst meeting stringent quality and safety standards efficiently.

Research and development sites:

Do you want to help discover and develop potential new medicines? Are you eager to learn from experts and be part of a vibrant student and professional community?

Our R&D placements are a mix of lab and non-lab based roles. Within our Pharmaceutical R&D organisation we have over 100 undergraduate placements, available in hugely diverse areas of science including Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Clinical Operations, In Vivo Imaging, Biophysics and many more.  Most placements are based in our Medicines Research Centre in Stevenage, where nearly 3,000 scientists work on ground breaking drug development, although there are other science opportunities across a number of our sites, including GSK House in West London.

Supply chain management is all about ensuring we can supply our life-saving and life-enhancing products to people around the globe. During your placement you could be involved in a range of activities, such as:

• Project management – leading and delivering improvement projects
• Working with suppliers, customers and colleagues from around the world
• Data analysis and reporting
• Distribution chains for complex products
• Demand review (including gathering and understanding market intelligence on forecasts and supply chain complexities)
• Inventory management
• Building strong relationships with key third party suppliers
• Working with suppliers, customers and colleagues from around the world.

We offer a wide variety of supply chain placements throughout the end-to-end supply chain, from forecasting demand, production planning, raw materials management, to warehousing and logistics and regional supply hubs.

Our procurement placements will give you an understanding of procurement in a global business. You’ll have the chance to work on challenging projects and gain a head start in your future career. Procurement is about buying the right goods and services for the best value. And by getting the most out of every budget we can increase our efforts to help get ahead of disease together.

Procurement supports many business areas, including manufacturing, sales and marketing, and research and development (R&D). This is reflected in the range of placements available. Wherever you’re based, you’ll put into practice the business skills you’ve gained at university, learn from experienced colleagues, and network with a wide community of procurement professionals, customers and other undergraduates.

ViiV Healthcare is a specialist company dedicated to delivering advances in treatment and care for people living with HIV and for people who are at risk of becoming infected with HIV. The company’s aim is to take a deeper and broader interest in HIV/AIDS than any company has done before and take a new approach to deliver effective and innovative medicines for HIV treatment and prevention, as well as support communities affected by HIV. ViiV Healthcare offers a variety of opportunities for students to undertake a 12-month industrial placement programme. Through taking on roles with real responsibility, placement students are incredibly valued and play a vital role in contributing to the success of projects.

At GSK we believe that medicines are key to achieving our ambitions in immuno-oncology and other immunologically driven diseases. We are growing our UK-based Drug Discovery and Development teams using cutting edge technologies to bring medicines of the future faster to patients who need them. As a result there is continuous growth in demand for support activities in data publication, visualisation and analysis to help us discover these medicines that will make a difference to patient’s lives. 

During your year with us you’ll gain first-hand experience of the power of fully utilising our data, including development of personal skills, being able to understand how different sites operate, putting academic theory into practice and in many cases taking responsibility for your own projects.  Over the year you will build your technical knowledge, as well as developing your communication, planning, organisation, problem-solving, team working and help to build an extensive network of industry contacts.