Lonza Seeking to Add Life Science Talent to Walkersville Bioscience Team

Lonza Pharma and Biotech (Lonza) is one of the world’s leading contract development and manufacturing organizations with 37 sites across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

The Lonza Biosciences group, which is located at the company’s Walkersville, Maryland site, recently held a Virtual Recruiting Event (VRE) to add new talent to its growing Lonza-Walkersville family. The company is actively recruiting for various positions in quality assurance, manufacturing, HR, and supply (See the full list of jobs with links to the job descriptions below).

Lonza-Walkersville’s VRE included key leaders and staff who discussed the Lonza mission, what a day-in-the-life at Lonza is like, and why it’s a great place to work, stay, and in some cases, even return to after some time away. The team spoke to a large audience of job candidates for over an hour and then engaged with the audience in a lively and earnest virtual Q&A session.

The company’s mission is to leverage technologies to enable a healthier world and to make a difference. Throughout Lonza’s long and storied history, the company has done just that. 

Globally, the Lonza team is 15,000 people strong. The company’s remarkable global team has provided support to 36% of all product launches with breakthrough designation from 2013 to 2016; in 2016 alone, Lonza provided manufacturing services for 50 molecules and conducted 250 development programs, including the launch of groundbreaking autologous cell therapies.

“First of all, it’s a pleasure to be here. In the end, if we want to be successful we need the right people…Lonza was founded more than 120 years ago, so there’s a lot of history, experience, and a clear set of values. Still, even though we’re 120 years old, there’s a lot of innovation and ingenuity here,” stated Philipp Künti, Site Head for Walkersville.

“We support our customers to ultimately help patients. There’s so much value in doing that. We are a science-driven company, but it’s so important to remember that in the end, there is a patient benefiting from the work we do every day. We’re making a difference for a lot of people in the world,” he added.

Watch the full event below, or if you’re short on time, one of the many highlight videos by clicking the playlist button below.

The Lonza-Walkersville location is the headquarters for Lonza Bioscience and is a leading provider of biology-based solutions to life-science customers, servicing research organizations, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and generic drug companies worldwide. The Walkersville location provides life science researchers with the tools they need to develop and test therapeutics, from basic research to final product release. Lonza’s Bioscience products and services range from cell culture and discovery technologies for research to quality-control tests and software for biomanufacturing.

The Walkersville site has two primary divisions, media, and LAL testing. The Lonza-Walkersville site is about more than just technology and research capabilities, however. The site is best characterized, according to staff, by its welcoming, supportive, and developmental approach to the people that work there.

“The growth of our people is something that’s very important to Lonza…I have a voice here. When you have a voice where you work, that’s invaluable. Your opinion matters, and it is respected. We’re making a difference one step at a time, and making a difference is a feeling like no other,” shared Cheryl Mowen, Acting Interim Quality Head for the Site/Associate Director of Quality Control.

“We truly want to grow our people. I can’t say it enough that people are a priority here at Lonza-Walkersville,” she added.

Fred Billingsley, Head of QA Operations, Media, and a Lonza Boomerang employee, stated, “To understand the complex issues we’re dealing with and collaborating on a solution that everybody agrees to is what keeps me coming back day after day. Heading a fantastic quality group is really rewarding.”

“There have been a number of people that have left Lonza and come back. I happen to be one of them. I worked at the Portsmith site, and I loved what I did. I left to understand a new way of doing things and to explore what other quality organizations do. People will tell you that leaving the place is easy, but leaving the people and the relationships is the hardest part,” he added.

“One of the most exciting things about working at Lonza is the constant opportunity to take on a new challenge. I have never been bored in my 16 years at Lonza. The opportunities are limitless if you’re ready to work hard and put yourself out there,” stated Katie Williams, Asset Head, Media.

Lonza-Walkersville is one big family made up of people from different backgrounds with various, complementary skills that all come together to make a real difference for Lonza’s customers and their patients.

Khalid Ahmad, Manager, QC, shared, “I am one of the newbies. I joined the company in 2019. One of the main reasons I joined the company was Cheryl. Before joining Lonza, I worked with her for about eight years. She is a great leader and has been a role model for me.”

“I’ve been in the industry for 15 years, and Lonza offers one of the best benefits packages that I’ve had. They have a dependent care benefit. Anyone who has kids in daycare can feel my pain, and every little bit helps…Lonza also offers a lot of training opportunities that I can take advantage of and use for the rest of my career,” he added.

“It’s been a great four years here, and Lonza has seen me through a lot of personal growth. Everyone keeps mentioning family, and for me, that’s a big reason why I came here and wanted to stay here. There are so many people that have been here ten plus years because it’s a family,” stated Julia McLellan, Supervisor, QA on the Floor for LAL. “I have plenty of work moms and grandmas, and when I got engaged, I couldn’t wait to tell my coworkers because they were my family.” 

Juanquina Thomas, Sr. EHS Specialist stated, “One of Lonza’s slogans is that it is a place to go, stay, and grow. You should come, stay, and grow with us at Lonza.”

“If you really want to make a difference, Lonza is exactly the place you want to be,” stated Walkersville Site Head Philipp Künti, to close out the Virtual Recruiting Event.

If you’re a quality, manufacturing, supply chain, or HR professional seeking to make a difference, visit Lonza’s career page today or click on any of the links below to read the full job description and apply.

• Supervisor, Quality Assurance, Media Operations
• Director, Quality Unit
• Global Head of Quality
• Manufacturing Associates (3rd shift)
• Senior Human Resources Business Partner
• MSAT Engineer, Packaging