Graduate recruitment at MSD – a thriving career, a healthy future

Joining MSD in Ireland means entering a world of opportunity. We are one f the largest healthcare companies in the world, and our operations in this country play a key part in our overall global success. And with eight sites and over 2,300 employees nationwide, we're here to stay. As we continue to grow and invest in Ireland, we're creating opportunities in all areas across the business.

Our Ballydine plant produces active pharmaceutical ingredients for export around the world. And with the completion of our new, €100million R&D facility, there's never been a more exciting time to work here.

The following are some examples of graduates who have come to work in our Ballydine plant recently.

JAMES DUFFY
Graduated: 2007
University: University College Dublin
Degree: BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering
Position Today: Process Engineer

In June 2007 I graduated from UCD with a B.E. (Hons) in chemical engineering. Two months and a fantastic holiday to America later, I took up a position with MSD. My first stop is in the Automation Department, where I work as a process control engineer. Later in the graduate development programme, I will gain experience in other departments. In the first few months I gained an understanding of the plant automation systems that run both factories on site. With the assistance of my colleagues, I was soon well on my way to getting to grips with what, at first, seemed a highly complex system. Much like a jigsaw, once I managed to fit the first few pieces of knowledge together, the overall picture became much clearer.

So what does a typical day in the life of a process control engineer entail? First thing I check the daily status report generated by Production which advises what automation issues have occurred. It is at this point that the idea of a typical day quickly disappears! I could find myself in the control room working with the manufacturing engineers and operators in order to get a process back up and running. Alternatively I could be in the solvent recovery area fixing an error on a graphic. Any of these issues can take minutes, hours or even days to be resolved, depending on their nature. When everything is running smoothly I am back at my desk working on one or more projects currently underway or implementing and testing a change to the control system. Even as I continue to piece together the Automation jigsaw, I am already being given opportunities to work outside the department. I will soon go on shift as a process support engineer for a number of weeks to support a product technical transfer across the site. This is something I am really looking forward to. The next interesting and challenging task is always just around the corner, and that is precisely what I like most about my job.

James has recently moved to the Process development and Commercialistaion group where he is currently carrying out a shift assignment supporting a new process introduction.

MICHAEL HEGARTY
Graduated: 2007
University: Queen's University Belfast
Degree: Chemical Engineering
Position Today: Process Engineer

I graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2007 with an MEng in Chemical Engineering. Fortunately I had a job confirmed with MSD before I graduated, which helped to remove some of the pressure and stress before my final exams.

I started working with MSD in August 2007 along with five other graduate engineers which made the transition to life in Tipperary much easier. A number of former graduates from Queens University Belfast work onsite, which also helped. I settled into the job very quickly. I was assigned a mentor, a Senior Process Engineer, to help and assist me with any day to day queries I had, this was extremely useful.

The department where I work is called PDC (Product Development and Commercialisation). The PDC department is made up from a mixture of Chemical Engineers and Organic Chemists, divided into separate product teams. My first assignment was working on a project to improve process robustness and prevent impurity formation for one of the key products on site. My current assignment is on the introduction of a new product from our research labs into one of the factories on site. This is one of the most interesting parts of working in this department as you have to design how the process will work in the factory and by using various scale up tools and simulation models, make sure that it runs smoothly and produces high quality product efficiently.

Overall, I am enjoying life in Tipperary and I really like my job at MSD. I am glad that I was brave enough to make the move to work here. The experience and knowledge I have gained over the last year has been first class and I hope to continue to learn and improve as an engineer.

BRENDA HANNEY
Graduated: 2008
University: Cork Institute of Technology
Degree: Beng (Hons) Chemical and Process Engineering
Position Today: Process Engineer

I joined MSD in August 2008. I started along with three other graduate Chemical Engineers so this made the transition to work and life in Clonmel quite simple. I was assigned the role of an IPT (Integrated Product Team) Engineer in Factory 01. Each product produced at Ballydine is supported by a product team. The team is 'integrated' because it's made up of a cross functional group, namely an engineer, a chemist, a lab technician and a quality specialist. This team is responsible for ensuring the efficient and successful running of the product campaign.

In my role as an IPT engineer, my key responsibilities include preparation of the process documentation, completion of the process Hazop, implementation of process improvements, and provision of daily process support. For me, each morning starts with attending the morning hand-over meeting. At this meeting, the out-going nightshift provides a production status and highlights any production issues to the incoming shift and IPT Engineers. This can potentially throw up a range of tasks me for me to do that day. Whether it's a distillation that's taking too long, a temperature control issue which needs resolving, a sample failure that requires an investigation, a batchsheet update, an improvement opportunity, the list is endless but...variety is the spice of life!

At any one time, I have also been involved in a number of on-going projects and work groups within Ballydine. For example I am currently a member of Factory 01 safety committee which meets on a regular basis to ensure safety is our priority at Ballydine. Without a doubt, I have been highly challenged in my role as an IPT Engineer over the past two years. But each new challenge has presented the opportunity to learn new skills and to gain invaluable engineering experience and responsibility within my role.

For further information about opportunities for graduates contact:

Elena Matsuura
Recruiting & Staffing Lead - Ireland
Tel: 01 297 0060
Email: elena.matsuura@merck.com