Elizabeth Collins talks to Smart Futures about her career as a senior quality director at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
What are the main tasks, responsibilities and skills required?
I am responsible for the quality of all my company’s products manufactured externally at contract manufacturing sites around the world.
Describe a typical day?
I have teams in both Dublin and the USA, therefore mornings are when I have meetings with the Dublin Quality and wider teams based in Europe.
From lunch time onwards, my calendar gets very busy with teleconferences with colleagues in the USA.
In fact, most of my meetings are done over the phone.
In addition to the day to day activities associated with my job, I deal with complaints or significant quality issues associated with the products I am responsible for.
I am also involved in a wide variety of other activities such as due diligence, which is where we do research and analysis of a company or organization of companies we are looking to do business with or acquire, and then I work on integrating those we do acquire.
As this is a relatively new group, I am also working with our Operations Vice President to develop the group’s strategy and mission.
What’s cool?
I enjoy the travel that my job involves. I get to travel a lot to the USA and Canada, and also within Europe.
I enjoy the variety of my day and the activities I get involved in.
I like understanding the very different medicinal products I am responsible for, and I feel proud of the real impact my role has on people’s lives.
In addition, having the opportunity to be involved in projects that have significant impact for my company and its future is very exciting.
What are the main challenges?
Although I enjoy travel and the opportunity it brings to see new place and meet different people, sometimes it can be too frequent and impacts on my personal life.
The nature of a global role is that the afternoon / evening can be very busy and sometimes I need to take meetings late in the evening while I am much more of a morning person.
Who or what has most influenced your career direction?
I always liked science and maths but nobody in my immediate family had ever done anything like this.
I decided to do a science degree as I didn’t know leaving secondary school what I specifically wanted to do.
Chemistry appealed to me most as I could see the real life implications for it.
Once I completed my PhD, I started out in R&D / Process Development but quickly figured out that I really preferred working closer to the customer or patient.
As a result, I became involved in the support of production and then moved into the Quality arena.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
I have always prioritized my family and when my children were young, I did not actively pursue career progression.
However, in that time, I did continue to develop skills, including six sigma certification, a diploma in management and a Qualified Person (QP) Qualification, which I believe allowed me to get the role I currently have when the opportunity arose.
My current role has some time flexibility associated with it as some meetings can be taken from home in the evenings for example.
Our company is also in an exciting phase of development right now which is providing great opportunities for personal development and growth.
What subjects did you take in school and did they influence your career path?
I always loved science and maths, so I took all the science subjects (Chemistry, Biology and Physics) for my Leaving Cert.
What is your education to date?
- Secondary School: Mount St Michaels, Rosscarbery, Co. Cork
- UCC: BSc (Hons); PhD (Organic Chemistry)
- National College of Ireland : Diploma in Management
- Trinity College Dublin: Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology (QP qualification)
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
Working for a PhD allowed me to develop strong problem-solving skills which have proven critical throughout my career.
The QP qualification has also been very important for my career as it provided a broad overview of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
- An interest in science
- Ambition
- A desire to succeed
- The ability to adapt
- Problem solving skills
- Ability to relate cross culturally
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
Any experience in a pharmaceutical company would be relevant
