Laboratory Scientist apprentice (MCT) - Pfizer
Cogent Ssc Limited
Kent (CT13 9ND)
Closes on Monday 16 February 2026
Posted on 27 November 2025
Contents
Summary
If science is your passion, Pfizer is looking to recruit a Laboratory Scientist apprentice to work within the Materials Characterisation Team (MCT). You will help the team with troubleshooting investigations and new material supplier assessments using advanced analytics.
- Wage
-
£20,500 a year
- Training course
- Scientist (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Thursday, 9am – 5.25pm. Fridays, 9am – 4.05pm.
12n - 12.45pm lunch break.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
4 years 9 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Laboratory Scientist in the Materials Characterisation Team (MCT), part of Global Technology, Engineering and Launch Division.
Join a team that’s solving real-world challenges in medicine. The Materials Characterisation Team supports Pfizer’s global manufacturing sites and external partners by investigating and resolving quality issues, developing new analytical methods and evaluating new materials, all using state-of-the-art analytical technologies. The team provides material sciences expertise to our manufacturing network to help solve complex manufacturing challenges, ensuring that patients have continued access to our medicines. The team consists of experienced scientists from multiple disciplines who work on many different types of materials, including active ingredients, excipients, process intermediates, finished dosage forms and packaging materials.
What you can expect from a Pfizer science apprenticeship:
- Real Impact: Your work will help to ensure patients have access to critical medicines.
- State-of-the-art Technology: Work in high-spec labs with the latest advanced analytics.
- Mentorship & Growth: Learn from experienced scientists and develop with structured training.
- Creative Science: Use experimentation and critical thinking to solve problems.
- Career-Ready Skills: Build communication, planning, and innovation skills.
- Purpose-Driven Work: Be part of a company that’s improving lives globally.
- Inclusive Culture: Work in a diverse, collaborative, and supportive environment.
- Future-Focused: Get the tools and mindset to thrive in a science career.
Where you'll work
Discovery Park
Ramsgate Road
Sandwich
Kent
CT13 9ND
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Training course
Scientist (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow-up experiments.
- Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
- Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
- Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
- Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
- Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
- Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
- Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
- Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi-skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
- Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
- Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
- Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
- Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
- Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
- Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
- Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
- Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
- Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
- Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
- Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
- Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.
- Apply chemical concepts and theories to investigations.
- Design, develop and carry out chemical science investigations.
- Recommend synthetic pathways to target-compounds and design experimental activities to test predictions.
- Design and deploy purification, isolation and characterisation strategies, taking account of physicochemical properties of elements and compounds.
- Design, develop and carry out qualitative and quantitative sample preparation, chemical measurement, and analysis.
- Critically compare the results of theoretical or computational modelling with those from experiment and observation.
- Apply physics theories to solve problems that cross scientific discipline boundaries.
- Apply computational techniques to analysis and model physical behaviour.
- Apply physics concepts and theories to investigations.
- Design, develop and carry out physics based investigations.
- Use mathematical techniques and theories to solve physics problems.
- Use computer programming software to solve physics based problems.
- Critically analyse current and emerging developments in the biosciences and the contribution of Biosciences to the wider industry.
- Apply Biological concepts and theories to investigations.
- Design, develop and carry out biological investigations
- Perform tasks related to sample preparation and culturing techniques.
- Use of laboratory automation systems.
- Perform sampling with consideration for sample variation.
- Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow-up experiments.
- Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
- Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
- Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
- Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
- Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
- Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
- Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
- Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi-skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
- Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
- Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
- Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
- Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
- Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
- Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
- Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
- Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
- Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
- Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
- Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
- Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.
Training schedule
Training for this apprenticeship will be delivered online.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
About this employer
As the specialists in skills for science and technology, our purpose is to make sure your business; your people and our industry are future ready. We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation with a family of commercially focused companies committed to supporting the skills, needs and ambitions across the UK science and technology sector.
Company benefits
Holiday Allowance - 25.5 Days Holiday Allowance, plus Bank Holidays. Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3%. Flexible Working Hours. Casual Dress. Discount Scheme. Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite Canteen. Onsite Parking. Employee Recognition/Awards.
After this apprenticeship
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be eligible to apply for other positions within the business.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000002675.
Apply now
Closes on Monday 16 February 2026
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