Co Tyrone woman is Almac’s 2,000th UK employee

November 17, 2011

Almac has welcomed its 2,000th UK employee after doubling its workforce in the last six years.

Ciara Cassidy, from Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, has just taken up a position at the Craigavon-based pharmaceutical development company as an Application Support Developer.

Her job will involve constant updating of Almac’s IT systems to help it provide services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

Almac joins just a handful of local independent private companies to pass the landmark of employing more than 2,000.  It also employs around 1,200 people in America, over 900 of them at its $120m North American headquarters in Souderton, Philadelphia which was officially opened in May by formerUS Senator George Mitchell. The company also employs approximately 30 people in Edinburgh and Manchester.

Although many of its employees are leading scientists, the company’s rapid expansion has also created a wide range of opportunities in non-scientific jobs.

Over the last six years Almac has experienced double digit growth year on year and last year the company created 183 new jobs. It is expected that the rate of recruitment will continue across all areas of its work in Craigavon and at its US headquarters.

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Stewart Watt, Almac’s Group HR Manager UK, said: “We are extremely fortunate to be enjoying global growth at a time of economic downturn and as a result we are able to offer employment in a wide variety of high value jobs.

“Our employees work in almost 600 different roles and we are constantly searching for talented staff to ensure our business success continues on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We have extremely low rates of staff turnover so the opportunities being provided are brand new jobs.  At any one time our recruitment staff are working on filling up to 120 vacancies.

“There is a perception among some people that you need a scientific background to join Almac but for many of our jobs this is not the case. We currently have opportunities in information services, production manufacturing, engineering, quality and project management as well as HR and legal positions.”

Almac, which was founded by the late Sir Allen McClay in 2002, has more than doubled both its staff numbers and turnover since 2005.

Among its products and services are genomics, chemical development, manufacture, packaging, labelling, management and global distribution of clinical medication packs and commercial products. .

Notes to Editors

About Almac

The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS® technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 3,300 individuals and is headquartered inCraigavon,Northern Ireland. US operations are based inPennsylvania,North CarolinaandCalifornia.  Almac has now moved into its new North American Headquarters located in Souderton PA.

For more information about Almac contact Jane Wells or Andrea Clements at JPR on 028 9076 0066.

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