Formulation Placement Student (12 month FTC)

At Eakin Healthcare we put our patient at the heart of everything we do.

Fifty years ago, it all started with one man’s mission: pharmacist, Tom George Eakin. He saw his patients struggling with leaking urostomy pouches and decided enough was enough. He got to work and formulated what would become the game-changing, eakin Cohesive® seal.

Fast forward to today, and we’re still keeping it in the family. We’ve grown a lot since then, both organically and through acquisitions. We now have a team of over 700 colleagues across three manufacturing sites and 12 sales and distribution centres. We’re making a difference in three therapeutic areas:

• Ostomy
• Respiratory
• Surgical

We’re proud to export our innovative products to over 60 countries through a network of 40 distributors plus our own offices in Japan, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg.

We’re good at what we do – come and join us!

ABOUT THE ROLE

Eakin R&D is now recruiting for a student placement in the Formulation team. This role will report to the Formulation Chemistry Manager and is an exciting opportunity to join a growing R&D team. Crucially, this role will involve all aspects of formulation research and development leading to the development of new pressure sensitive adhesives and products for Eakin Healthcare. The duration of the placement is for one year.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Contribute to the development of new medical devices from early-stage product concepts, to ready for production, in line with Eakin R&Ds development strategy.
• Support formulation research and development projects.
• Contribute as a matrix team member to allocated work-streams within development projects, to meet project targets and ensure the end product meets with customer expectations and operational needs.
• Provide input to technical reports and design documentation for internal and external users to review, ensuring that the content is accurate and informed.
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach by proactively seeking out development opportunities.
• Plan and carry out laboratory manufacture and testing as required, developing new adhesive and product formulations to meet identified market needs.
• Research new technologies or materials that may be used in the field of medical adhesives.
• Support technical analysis of the marketplace, creating data to both drive product development marketing activities.

Other

• To adhere to the company’s Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible.
• To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the company’s’ Health and Safety policy.
• To adhere to the company’s Quality policy and Environmental policy.
• To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required.

KEY SKILLS

Essential

• Must be working towards a Degree level Scientific Discipline, preferably in a Chemistry, Materials Science or Chemical Engineering or Pharmaceutical Science related subject.
• Be able to work in a multi-functional, multi-disciplinary team and to build relationships with peers.
• Will be comfortable with both the practical and theoretical aspects of product development.
• Will have an ability to manage own time in a fast-paced environment and on multiple projects at one time.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• The successful candidate will have a ‘can do’ attitude and be able to work on their own initiative.

Desirable

• Knowledge in one of the following subject’s: pharmaceutics, chemistry, medicinal chemistry, polymer science, materials science, biochemistry or chemical engineering.
• Theoretical knowledge which could include the topics of rheology, spectroscopy and surface chemistry.
• Working knowledge of analytical techniques such as DSC, FTIR, rheology and pressure sensitive adhesive testing.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Working within the R&D team to support projects.
• Working alongside Manufacturing to understand manufacturing implications of technical decisions.
• Working alongside the Commercial team(s) to understand the commercial implications of technical decisions.
• Quality - ensuring all documentation is of an appropriate and consistent standard.

External

• Suppliers
• Test houses
• Universities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Full clean UK driving licence required with access to a vehicle.
• Travel Requirements: Possible UK travel to support projects.
• Interviews to take place mid Nov – mid Dec 2024 to join the business in June 2025

COMPETENCIES

Customer Focus

Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.

Manages Complexity

Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.

Action Oriented

Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.

Collaborates

Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

Communicates Effectively

Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.

Demonstrates Self-Awareness

Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.

Nimble Learning

Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.

Being Resilient

Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.