Health administration is a growing career field, with opportunities expanding as much as 15% faster than the average for all industries across the United States. Health administration jobs in pharmaceuticals are a viable part of this overall growing trend, but are lagging somewhat behind the others, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is not due to any lack of opportunity, but rather to the perceived association of a health administration degree with healthcare organizations and insurance companies. When people think about big pharmaceuticals, they typically think about research and development, but these companies require administrators, the same as any other.
Research & Development Manager
R&D is the domain of individuals with scientific and research acumen, and the associated credentials, but managing directors must have access to a wide range of other skills. The research and development manager must be able to analyze and organize the ongoing results of any research conducted, as well as handling scheduling, personnel management, training, human resources, and other concerns, which might be delegated to several different professional administrators in a typical business. While some companies divide these tasks among several people, whose predominant focus remains directly rooted in research, others will look to someone with experience (and credentials) in health management or administration to take on this role, leaving the scientists to do what they do best.
Project Manager
Within the pharmaceutical industry, a project manager is in charge of overseeing the development of specific new equipment and drugs. Examples might include a new antibiotic, or a new type of surgical camera. If we take our cue from Hollywood, this position is reserved for an industry expert with a PhD. While this may be the case, many companies take the same route that they do with their overall R&D management concerns. They focus on the skill set that doesn’t change from one project to the next, the administrative and financial management skill set, and they employ specialists to deal with the project itself, often to the point of having a “liaison” position in between the research team and the administrative staff. In this case, one of the most highly sought-after credentials is a healthcare administration degree, which guarantees a certain familiarity with common healthcare practices, regulations and terminology.
Quality Manager
Quality management and product testing are particularly important to the pharmaceutical industry. The final product is directly related to the health of those benefiting from it, and a major setback in product quality can result in 8-12 years and millions of dollars being invested in continued refinement. With this kind of sacrifice being made as the result, potentially, of a single error, the pharmaceutical companies invest a tremendous amount of resources into ensuring that the product does what it is supposed to — the way it is supposed to — before being made publicly available. The quality manager handles personnel concerns, administrative concerns, certain financial information, and is responsible for coordinating between multiple departments within an organization.
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A host of managerial and administrative support positions are available to health administration graduates within the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, a master’s degree in healthcare administration opens up a lot of doors. Positions ranging from retail pharmacy management to project management at a multinational corporation are all available, as these positions focus more on the practical side of management theory.
