Craigavon firm Almac Group to recruit 1,800 new staff with 1,000 jobs based in Northern Ireland

The international firm, which has offices across the world, has its global headquarters in Carn on the outskirts of Portadown.

Today (Tuesday) the company announced it is planning to recruit 1,800 new jobs across its global operations over the next three years, over 1,000 of which will be located in Northern Ireland.

These new jobs include operational, supervisory and managerial roles across its business and offer a variety of opportunities for both graduates and experienced candidates alike.

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

The company, which marked 50 years in business in 2018, is at the forefront of the development, manufacturing, testing and distribution of essential medicines to vulnerable patients across the globe.

A company spokesperson said: “Over the past 18 months, Almac 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.

“Almac Group has experienced continued growth in revenue and employee numbers annually over the past 15 years and with significant investment in expansion projects planned over the next three years, the company will see its headcount rise to 8,000 across its 19 facilities in Europe, the US and Asia.

“Earlier this year the Group reported £677.3 million turnover for its financial year 2019/20 - an increase of £43 million (6%) from the previous year.

“With 100% of the Group’s profits reinvested into the business, Almac has already committed to a number of significant expansion and improvement projects across its sites. These new roles will support this ongoing investment.”

Alan Armstrong, Almac Group CEO, 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.”

The international company is a privately owned organisation which has grown organically over the past five decades now employing over 6,000 highly skilled personnel across 19 facilities including Europe, the US and Asia

To find out more, visit www.almacgroup.com/careers.

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart said it is ‘a huge boost for the local economy, and a vote of confidence in both Upper Bann and Northern Ireland as a place to operate a world leading business’.

“Almac is a world leader within the pharmaceutical industry. From its base in Craigavon, it has been instrumental in many ground breaking drug developments, not least in relation to clinical trials of the first effective Covid-19 vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech.

“The announcement that the firm is creating 1000 jobs within their Northern Ireland operation over the next three years is a timely boost and vote of confidence in Northern Ireland and in Craigavon as a place to locate world leading manufacturing, particularly in pharma. It is a testament to existing staff and the skills available locally within Almac that the company has decided to add more local people to their workforce.

“As we continue to emerge from the pandemic we need firms like Almac to be driving our economic recovery. We also must ensure that the workforce we are creating at our schools and universities have the skills these firms need.

“I know my colleague Gordon Lyons, as Economy Minister, is very much focused on building that talent pool in Northern Ireland in conjunction with local Higher Education providers and Universities. This is vital work, and we must resource it to develop that skilled labour pool companies like Almac want to source in Northern Ireland.”

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