Craigavon pharmaceutical company to create 1,000 new jobs in Northern Ireland

By Q Radio News

The Craigavon headquartered pharmaceutical company Almac has announced plans to create more than 1,000 new jobs in Northern Ireland over the next three years.

The move is part of a a global recruitment drive to expand the company's overall workforce by 1,800 in the next 36 months. 

Almac currently employs around 6,200 people across 19 sites globally, with around 3,800 staff based in Northern Ireland.

The announcement comes just months after the griup declared a 33 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to £63.5 million for the year ending September 2020.

In the last 18 months, Almac, which develops its own drugs, said it has been instrumental in providing support to over 140 separate “crucial” research projects for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments through a range of service areas.

The new jobs announced include operational, supervisory and managerial roles, with positions for both graduates and experienced candidates.

Positions are also available immediately across 120 different job roles at sites in Craigavon, Belfast, Londonderry, Dundalk, Athlone, Charnwood and Edinburgh.

Last year Almac played a role in the clinical trials of the first effective Covid-19 vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech.Pic - Almac

In a statement, Alan Armstrong, Almac Group CEO, commented said, "Almac's mission is to "advance human health" and we are proud to be supporting so many global clients as they develop their life-saving treatment for patients in need.

He continued "As demand for our services steadily increases, our aim is to continue to grow our global team by actively recruiting 1,800 new individuals across a wide variety of diverse and exciting areas.

"Over 1,000 of these positions will be based in Northern Ireland and come with a range of benefits including flexible working, competitive salary and an annual bonus.

"Crucially this offers individuals the chance to help us continue our provision of solutions whilst making a real and positive contribution to health right across the world."