As a creative person, I really feel that I can make a difference here at Roche.
Roche is all about innovation, and in Technical Regulatory Affairs we play a key role in enabling the introduction of new technologies into our manufacturing and analytical network.
Hi, my name is Gordon and I’m a Technical Regulatory Affairs leader based in Roche Basel. Soon after completing my university studies in Pharmacy, I began my career in the field of regulatory affairs. I have to say that, at that time, I wasn’t really sure what I was letting myself in for, but I was curious and quickly came to love the challenge of navigating and shaping the ever evolving regulatory landscape in order to deliver lifesaving medicines to patients.
I was lucky enough to have been able to combine my passion for seeing new places and experiencing new cultures with my chosen career. Five years ago, after working for a number of pharmaceutical companies in Ireland and Italy, I had the opportunity to move to Switzerland with my family and join Roche.
In my current position, I am the Technical Regulatory lead for a number of projects aimed at introducing innovative technologies into the Roche manufacturing and analytical network. This involves close partnership with stakeholders to understand and test these technologies, identifying potential challenges and developing appropriate solutions to enable implementation. We are generally navigating unchartered waters, with little precedence or available guidance to point us in the right direction. There are risks but there are also great opportunities to engage in scientific and regulatory discussions with industry groups and health authorities to find appropriate pathways and even influence the creation of new guidelines.
My typical day at work starts with a local team huddle but after that each day is different. There are always new challenges that pop up, opportunities to collaborate with brilliant and committed colleagues across the network, learn something new and add value for patients.
Best Work-life-Balance
No risk, no reward! So don’t be afraid to try something new.
slide 1 of 2 I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
Our impact
My work enables Roche to modernise the manufacturing and quality control network, while complying with the high standards of quality, safety and efficacy expected by health authorities and our patients around the world.
Innovative technologies benefit Roche and ultimately the patient in a variety of ways, including:
increasing robustness in the supply chain
decreasing the costs of production and testing
ensuring that Roche is using best-in-class manufacturing processes and controls
The place to Work
Roche is a great company with an important mission: “Doing now what patients need next.” That really says it all! It’s all about innovation: from delivering on the rich pipeline of new molecules, to implementing novel technologies, to experimenting with new ways of working, to shaping the regulatory environment and much more.
No one tells me what I have to do or how to do it! Instead, I’m encouraged to be curious, come up with new ideas that can contribute to the mission and then try them out. If they work out, great. If not, then share the learnings and move on.
As a creative person, I really feel that I can make a difference here.
Our workplace
My office is conveniently located at the main train station in Basel and is easily reachable by public transport, bicycle or on foot. Basel is relatively small and easy to get around, so I appreciate my very short and predictable commute to work. The office itself is a bright, recently refurbished, open-space office with an “activity based working” concept. There are laptop bars, standing tables, couches, coffee areas and quiet areas, communication boxes, meeting rooms, a cafeteria and even an indoor garden.
Not having an assigned desk did seem a bit strange at first but I quickly came to appreciate how this concept fosters collaboration and networking with my colleagues, while providing the flexibility to choose my work environment based on my needs on a particular day.
Roche also supports flexible working, part-time working and working from home. So there are many options to strike a good work-life balance.
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