I’m lucky in that my work tends to vary considerably, which I find keeps things interesting. That being said my day generally begins with me writing down a ‘To-Do’ List in priority order, noting any “must-wins” for that day. I also check what meetings I have in the calendar and ensure I’ve any required preparation completed.

Our colleagues at our site in Audubon, PA are 5 hours behind us and so, my first task of the day generally involves reviewing any emails which have come through overnight. This ensures any potential matters needing addressed are captured early in the UK morning time.

The Purchasing department work very closely with numerous other departments on a daily basis. This includes various aspects of the Quality function: Client Services; Scheduling; Production; Business Development; Stores; and Accounts.

Working in Purchasing obviously involves working on a daily basis with suppliers regarding orders which have been (or are to be) placed and ensuring materials are being delivered in line with our production requirements. Having good relationships and clear communication with our suppliers is certainly key to being successful in this role. Any issues that arise can be resolved quickly by helping to foster a dialogue of “let’s get this sorted”. The building of strong relationships and channels of communication is something which our entire team takes great pride in and are constantly working diligently to improve.

Having lived in the local area for most of my life I have always had an awareness of Almac being an industry leader who is at the forefront of innovative technologies and solutions. Not only that, I know quite a few people who have worked here and have spoken in glowing terms around how Almac look after and develop their staff. Having studied at Queens University of Belfast, whose library is named in honour of Sir Allen McClay, I was also aware of the investment Sir Allen (and Almac) have made in the local economy.

In 2015, when I spotted an advert for a job within the Purchasing department of Almac Pharma Services I jumped at the opportunity to join such a renowned and reputable organisation. Upon joining the company, I immediately realised I had made the right decision.

I feel that hard work and dedication is rewarded in Almac. I attribute the success of gaining this promotion not only to hard work on my own part but the development opportunities afforded to me by Almac, which I have been only too happy to seize.

Having worked in Purchasing for a number of years I enjoy negotiation and investigating opportunities to introduce cost-saving measures. During my time at Almac I have identified and implemented a number of cost-saving initiatives for our sites in Craigavon and also at our US site in Audubon, Pennsylvania.

One such proposal involved a potential switch of components for a large volume project packaged at our Audubon, PA site. This involved working with a number of suppliers, identifying who would be best placed to produce the components and negotiating suitable pricing and terms and resulted in a significant increase in the cost-effectiveness of the project.