GSK Expands Jobs and Workforce Diversity in Rockville
With the opening of its state-of-the-art facility in Rockville in 2017, GSK has been strengthening its manufacturing presence in the US. As a result, the site’s portfolio of programs and bulk production has been growing steadily, with many immediate full-time job openings at the site. BioBuzz recently hosted a Virtual Recruitment Event for job-seekers to learn more about the various roles at GSK Rockville BioPharm, its work culture, and what the company is looking for in prospective employees.
GSK Rockville BioPharm is primarily engaged in large commercial-scale production of prescription medicines and vaccines. Given the large-scale nature of manufacturing at GSK Rockville, quality control and product compliance are crucial for patient safety. At GSK Rockville, there are constant improvements in the manufacturing process to minimize production defects and waste production. By reducing production costs, the company can ensure that GSK-manufactured products are available to people at an affordable price.
“Production is a combination of the science, the mechanical utility, the regulatory quality compliance, and the business aspect. If you put all that into a melting pot, that’s what production is at GSK Rockville”
Kevin Kalinski (Associate Director, Production)
If production is multi-faceted, what is the ideal skill set that GSK Rockville looks for in prospective employees? There are currently many openings on the company’s website, ranging from entry-level research assistants to production managers. There are no mandated skill prerequisites for the more junior entry-level positions as the majority of the eligible candidates might not have prior industrial experience. While most of the skill set will be developed on-site, the ideal candidates in these roles should be committed to adhering to GSK’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
In addition, prior experience in the biotech industry, particularly in manufacturing or quality control, is generally desired for mid to senior-level roles. However, GSK Rockville often adopts a holistic hiring approach to find greater success:
“We value the diversity that each candidate brings to the company. GSK’s mission is to always do right by the patient. If your values align with what we are trying to do as a company for the patient, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re the ideal person for GSK Rockville”
Kevin Kalinski (Associate Director, Production)
It is worth mentioning that GSK is one of the few companies that encourages its employees to participate in services that support healthcare challenges worldwide. Launched in 2009, the PULSE program is GSK’s social responsibility program that pairs volunteering GSK employees to a non-profit or charitable organization in a developing country for three to six months full-time. Once there, the employees apply their skills in production and operations to solve healthcare challenges in the local community.
Lauren Andretti (Associate Director, Production) highlighted her life-changing experience with the PULSE program, where she used her expertise to improve logistics for a local hospital in Liberia. Through the PULSE program and other initiatives, GSK employees grow professionally and learn to become leaders who positively impact global society.
GSK Rockville also takes pride in being one of the most diverse facilities in the company. Part of this success is due to its practice of engaging employees in cross-functional assignments, for instance, hiring a person with expertise in production to work in the quality control department and vice versa. This not only allows employees to grow personally and professionally but improves the efficiency of the site. In addition, current GSK employees can also avail themselves of generous 100% tuition reimbursement for coursework or degrees related to professional development and other competitive benefits.
A comprehensive list of current openings at GSK Rockville BioPharm can be found here.
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Nivedita recently received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in biochemistry and molecular biology and an MS in law (patent law). She is passionate about science writing and communication, and is actively involved with the Maryland biotech scene through her work with Women in Bio- Capital Region , AWIS (Baltimore Chapter) and BioBuzz.
