Recently, we sat down with Antonin Cops, a Senior Consultant in Validation & Quality with more than 10 years of experience, and who has been working at Real Staffing for 2 years. Antonin is what we call an Ambassador, benefiting from our Secondment service, meaning he can choose to engage in temporary assignments at companies, with the major difference being that Real Staffing acts as the legal employer, taking complete responsibility for him as our “employee”.
We wanted to take this opportunity to get to know Antonin better and learn more about his journey with Real Staffing.
Which project are you currently working on? Or, what was the last project you worked on?
My last project was at Sanofi in the Quality department, responsible for the Management of third-party Contract Manufacturing Organisation (CMO) and the release of the product onto different markets. I had the opportunity to work on resolving different challenges:
- Daily support for the Release process of 2 medicines (in practice, I ensured that all documentation was available, did several checks in different systems, and compiled the information into a usable document by the QA release manager).
- Transfer of Master data from a legacy Documentation system to a new documentation system. I was the key person to manage Master Data in my team and ensuring that every necessary data had been transferred in time into the new system.
- Gap assessment for the Quality Agreement with the 3 mains CMO (evaluate the current validity status of the existing quality agreement in comparison with the new standard of Sanofi). This included the update of the Quality Agreement as well.
- Improvement process: at the end of my project, I also proposed & implemented the improvement of a specific part of the Release process to ensure reduced lead time for the different teams involved in the release process.
What do you like the most about your previous project?
What I liked the most about my previous project is that it gave me the flexibility to be really present for my family while still performing in a job that has a positive influence on the life of many people around the world. It also gave me the opportunity to work within an international team with people from all around the world (in the US, Germany, Sweden, etc.).
What has Real Staffing meant for your career?
For me, joining Real Staffing has meant restarting my career in the consultancy world, after a break at one of my last clients. Real Staffing offers the flexibility of a small company (usually going to smaller clients/companies as well) and the robustness of an international company (if you’re on the bench waiting for the best project, your salary is guaranteed) while reducing the issues of smaller companies (such as being limited to a few clients/companies only) and bigger companies (you’re not just a number, your voice is valued).
How would you describe the relationship between the client, yourself and your recruitment consultant at Real Staffing?
There is an open-minded/open door philosophy in place regarding the communication between me, my client, and my Recruitment Consultant. This allows for rapid feedback when necessary (regarding my current project or, for example, if there is a more difficult topic to tackle).
Why did you choose to work in the Pharma sector? Is there a project that you are particularly proud of?
I have lost several people to cancer, and that has pushed me to work in the human health & life sciences industry. I was not interested in the Research and Development part at University level and therefore decided to go directly into the private sector. One of the projects I’m most proud of is the one I did at Pfizer as a Project Engineer. We were able to have an extremely performing team and managed to implement a state-of-the-art packaging line.
What advice would you give to someone that aspires to start his/her career in your industry/sector?
The pharmaceutical industry is a tough world because it usually requires a lot of time and energy (you might have to work late, at night, or on the weekend) and can sometimes be stressful. But it also offers great rewards and allows you to continuously learn and develop. This is an industry where you can have many opportunities regardless of your culture, race, or gender.
The most important thing is to have a positive attitude, show respect to everyone, continuously improve your skills, and you will be able to have a great career.
Interested in joining our team? Real is hiring and growing. With opportunities across the Belgium and a global footprint, we have career-making roles within Life Sciences Industry.
You can also detail your needs via the form below and our team of specialized recruitment consultant will get in touch with as soon as possible.
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