MSD is one of the country’s leading healthcare companies. It attracts best-in-class graduates, particularly those with STEM skills, for many reasons. The training and ability to progress your career within the organisation is well known, as is its penetration across the nation, offering graduates good jobs locally, whether they are based in regions across Ireland or in proximity to the capital.
A global company, it employs more than 2,800 employees across six sites in Ireland, in counties Cork, Meath, Carlow, Tipperary and Dublin. In total, it has invested more than €4 billion in its operation here, and has an annual turnover that ranks it as one of Ireland’s top 20 companies.
Dungannon native Brian Killen, a member of MSD Ireland’s leadership team, who was appointed assistant vice-president operations and plant manager at MSD Ballydine in 2019, is a perfect example of someone whose career has gone from strength to strength within the company. He began his career at MSD Ballydine 26 years ago, fresh from gaining a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Queen’s University Belfast. Killen started out by joining MSD’s graduate programme, developing in technical and operations roles at the site in Tipperary, as well as in France, before relocating to lead one of the company’s US sites where he was assigned global roles.
“I’ve been back at Ballydine for 3½ years now after working internationally for the company. I am responsible for managing the 500 MSD employees and 200-plus contractors that we regularly have on site. It’s a very exciting role in which no two days are the same. But what I like best about it is the atmosphere on site — there’s an incredible sense of community here and we’re all very close,” he explains.
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At MSD Ballydine, we have a robust mentoring system for our new joiners, we encourage everyone to continue on the path to learning and we also run a fantastic apprenticeship programme
The Irish operation manufactures approximately half of MSD’s top 20 products globally, helping to enhance lives in more than 60 countries. In Ballydine, Co Tipperary, the site develops and supplies both the active ingredients and the final formulated product for a range of innovative medicines.
When it was established in 1976, Ballydine was MSD’s first site in Ireland. Today it is the life sciences company’s primary small-molecule pipeline commercialisation facility globally and a European hub for support groups in clinical quality, external manufacturing and engineering.
Its highly skilled teams lead the way in the development of new medicines, including innovative treatments for hepatitis C and HIV and in many areas of oncology.
“The work we do on site is hugely rewarding too,” says Killen. “We’re working to address the unmet needs of patients around the world and that gives a fantastic sense of purpose to the work we do.”
MSD’s focus on sustainability is another big draw for generation Z. It is also important to Killen. “MSD has made global commitments to sustainability over the next few years, but two particularly close to my heart are our commitment to reduce emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, and that 100 per cent of our purchased electricity will come from renewable sources by 2025,” he says.
“We at MSD Ballydine are hoping to surpass the 46 per cent reduction goal globally. It’s something everyone on site is aware of and keen to achieve together; it’s a goal we’re all proud to work towards,” he explains.
To this end, MSD Ballydine has worked with ESB’s Smart Energy Services to build a ground-mounted solar array. “The solar project will enable our site to reduce its carbon footprint by 2,336 tonnes every year and will play a key part in our overall renewable energy agenda,” he explains.
It is estimated that the system will generate up to 20 per cent of the site’s energy requirements. The move is one of many initiatives MSD is developing to reduce emissions globally.
The electrification of sites is also going to be very important in the future running of sites such as Ballydine, and it will help keep down costs, according to Killen. “In order to achieve our sustainability commitments, we need to reduce our use of gas and move towards reusable electricity, ideally from a renewable source like the one we’ve just invested in at MSD Ballydine.”
Hitting and surpassing sustainability targets is important to the whole team in Tipperary, and nationally.
It is estimated that the site’s new solar project will generate up to 20 per cent of MSD Ballydine’s energy requirements from renewable energy sources
“All staff are incredibly passionate and committed to helping us achieve these goals. MSD Ireland managing director Mairead McCaul and I co-lead the MSD Ireland ‘See Green, Be Green’ team, a national initiative to advance our sustainability goals, and I’m always encouraged and energised by the enthusiasm our employees have for making our sites greener,” he says.
MSD Ballydine is in the unique position of having the power to reinvent the process of scaling the manufacture and delivery of life-saving medicines too, he points out.
“We are constantly looking at ways to create systems that deliver the same high-quality products, but in a more environmentally friendly way. For example, we are currently developing a HIV product, replacing the use of heavy chemicals with water and natural enzymes, without changing the product outcome. We are committed to identifying other innovations that are friendly to our planet, and are excited about what we can achieve,” explains Killen.
MSD’s focus on sustainability is both local and global. The company is committed to helping end health inequalities, for example, and has many programmes dedicated to enhancing access to medicinal products across multiple diseases and treatment areas.
For example, its Mectizan Donation Programme which, at 35 years, is the longest-running disease-specific drug donation programme of its kind, is dedicated to eradicating river blindness, an affliction that has plagued remote communities in Africa, Latin America and Yemen for centuries.
“I am proud our company has committed to donate it to communities for as long as it is needed,” he points out.
We are constantly looking at ways to create systems that deliver the same high-quality products, but in a more environmentally-friendly way. For example, we are currently developing a HIV product, replacing the use of heavy chemicals with water and natural enzymes without changing the product outcome
MSD Ballydine is making a positive impact on its local community too. “We firmly believe that the most important thing is making a difference, and we’re very focused on giving back to the communities we operate in. For example, we have a very close and collaborative relationship with Kilsheelan Tidy Towns committee, and the MSD team support the committee’s great work,” says Killen.
“Just recently, Kilsheelan Tidy Towns committee was actively involved in the development of a fantastic nature walk, which is part of our solar farm. Its path goes through our manufacturing site and along the woods bordering the site.
“The Tidy Towns team consulted with us on the different flora and fauna we should include, and we collaborated to ensure all efforts were made to protect and preserve the biodiversity of the area.”
The resulting design means workers can enjoy getting up close to nature while on their lunch break.
MSD is also having an impact nationally by providing great careers, particularly for those coming out of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses. As an employer of choice, it supports skills development with opportunities to rotate across different sites.
“We have a robust mentoring system for our new joiners and encourage everyone to continue on the path to learning, no matter what their experience level. At MSD Ballydine, we also run a fantastic apprenticeship programme in our engineering and laboratory areas, and we’ve seen some great talent develop out of that programme,” says Killen.
The culture of lifelong learning for employees continues to be a priority. “The support and encouragement will always be there if you want to try your hand at something new, develop a different skill set or pivot into a new area,” Killen says.
In other words, build a sustainable career.
If you’d like a career at MSD Ballydine, please visit jobs.msd.com