Case studies: Study director: Jayne

Jayne graduated with a degree in applied biochemistry. She now works as a study director for Pfizer...

As my degree involved a sandwich year placement, I had a year's employment in histology and immunohistochemistry at a pharmaceutical company. Having completed the placement, I knew I wanted to stay within this field when I graduated. After graduation, I contacted my placement year supervisor, and was interviewed and offered a job.

Prior to joining Pfizer, I was employed by Syngenta as a teratology technician, and then by SafePharm, as a trainee study director and teratology specialist. I found my current job through a recruitment agency called Matchtech. I got in contact with them, and sent my current CV for the vacancies I was interested in on the website. 

Matchtech put me forward for a job at Pfizer. I went to the site for a day of interviews, and was subsequently offered the study director role.

I am currently still training within the job role, so at the moment everything is new. I have been involved in a variety of projects, so that I can gain experience in all different types of studies and projects. On a day-to-day basis, I am responsible for the preparation of a study - confirming details for the study plan, so the study can be completed to a high specification.

I haven't got a 'typical day' at the moment, because the training I need to undertake for the different areas I will be involved in means that I shadow more experienced colleagues to gain their view and experience on completing their current task.

The thing that I most enjoy about my job is the wide variety of topics/areas that can be investigated. Since starting work, I have undertaken on-the-job training, so that I understand the role I am required to perform on a daily basis. I am thinking of continuing my education by completing an MSc with the support of the company I am working for.

To get into this career area, you have to decide if you want a hands-on job (working in a lab), or the more investigative role (working in an office). If you prefer working in an office-based investigative role, then the career area that I am in is one you should consider.

To be successful in this job, you need good communication skills - both written and oral - for discussing your data, or writing up results that need to be presented in the appropriate way.

My degree subject itself wasn't overly relevant for the work I do, but some of the modules I completed are relevant to my current job. A science background is required for my job role even if the degree gained isn't the preferred choice. I believe the experience you gain is a big factor in convincing employers that you could perform the job. It's therefore important to decide exactly what you want to achieve, and in what area you want to form your career.