Supply Chain - Macclesfield - Work Experience

Year 12 Work Experience Programme

Supply Chain - Macclesfield 

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Disease, and Biopharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory & Immunology. 

Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca has a strong global presence with 6 strategic R&D centres in the US, UK, Sweden and China, and 30 manufacturing sites across 17 countries.  Its innovative medicines are sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide.  

Our R&D focuses on delivering life-changing medicines for today’s highest unmet medical needs and investing in transformative technologies to pioneer next generation solutions for tomorrow and the day after.  By partnering across industries and borders, we collaborate and pursue opportunities to access the best science, fostering innovation and co-creating solutions that meet patients’ needs. 

We create great employee experiences that ignite innovation, unite diverse talent and unlock capacity.  We do this by being champions of inclusion and diversity and fostering personal growth and enterprise leadership.

Programme description

Are you curious about how new medicines reach clinical trials and, later, patients around the world? Join AstraZeneca for a 5-day work experience placement focused on the Clinical and Commercial supply chain. You’ll discover how science, data, logistics, and teamwork come together to deliver life-changing medicines safely, on time, and at the right quality.

What is the Clinical and Commercial supply chain?

• Clinical supply chain: The end to end process of planning, making, packaging, labelling, and distributing study medicines for clinical trials. This ensures patients receive the right investigational product, in the right quantity, with the correct instructions, temperature control, and regulatory compliance.

• Commercial supply chain: The end-to-end process post commercial regulatory approval that covers sourcing materials, manufacturing at scale, quality releasing, warehousing, forecasting demand, and distributing medicines to patients worldwide, while meeting strict safety and regulatory standards.

What you’ll learn

• How medicines move: From clinical trial batches to global distribution, including temperature-controlledlogistics, inventory, and packaging.

• Planning and data: How teams manage market forecasts to balance supply and demand, schedule production, and use analytics to ensure product availability.

• Quality and compliance: Why documentation, batch records, labelling, and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) matter.

• Sustainability in supply: Ways we reduce waste, emissions, and improve efficiency in transporting and packaging medicines. 

• Careers overview: Roles in supply chain planning, manufacturing, quality, procurement, logistics, and digital/automation.

What you’ll do

• Shadow experts: Spend time with professionals across planning, manufacturing, project management, and logistics.

• Hands on activities: Try simple scheduling and supply chain exercises, blinding of medicines for clinical trials and learning how to respond to changes in a supply chain.

What you’ll gain

• Real-world insight into how medicines are supplied for clinical trials and patients.

• Transferable skills in planning, communication, and basic data analysis.

• Certificate of completion and a reference outlining your experience.

• Career guidance for pathways into apprenticeships, internships, university courses, and early career roles.

Programme information

AstraZeneca has an exciting opportunity for 1 x one-week unpaid work experience placement based at our Macclesfield site. The placement dates are as follows:

• Monday 13th July to Friday 17th July 2026

Working hours will be 9 am to 4 pm* 

(* Monday will be 8:30 am start to allow time to register with reception). 

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply students must be in Year 12 and interested in learning more about a career in Supply Chain.

How to apply?

Please complete the application questionnaire and attach a copy of your CV. 

Applications will close on 15th February 2026

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