What is your role at Biomapas?
My current role is a Senior Quality Assurance Specialist. As I am part of the Quality Assurance team, the responsibilities vary depending on the ongoing projects. Preparation for internal and external audits and their completion, training provision to the teams, creation, adaptation and renewal of operational documents, nonconformities management, clients’ and partners’ satisfaction oversight, support to all departments for any questions that come up – it all leads to a quality management system we are responsible for.
However, I especially enjoy working with different departments because it lets you understand what everyone is involved in.
How did you become part of Biomapas team?
I joined Biomapas quite unexpectedly. In the last year of my pharmacy studies, an acquaintance from Biomapas approached me. At that time, I had already planned my early career path, but I still decided to apply to Biomapas and come to a job interview. This is where I got my first doubts about my career plan because the interviewers painted a lovely picture not just about Biomapas, but about the industry as well – I had no idea about all the quality aspects you could be involved in.
I realized I want to join the team during the second interview. I think it was lunch break at that time as the whole office was happily chattering away in the kitchen, in the halls – everywhere. I realized people here enjoy life and not just come here to work. That created a great vibe, and I realized this is how I want to work, how I want my colleagues to be. So, I started as a Quality Assurance Assistant, and now I am the Senior Specialist.
What is your typical day here?
There is no surprise – I start with a cup of coffee and a batch of new emails. However, I usually have two different types of days: without audits and with them. If it’s the former, I look over the timelines of various projects to see the priorities and prepare the tasks. If it’s the latter, the day becomes quite active. If the clients come to our headquarters, you have to organize many things and working with people can be pretty demanding. Right now, the audits are often remote, so it’s a bit easier.
What is the most challenging for you?
The most challenging thing might be finding the right balance between the business needs and the industry requirements. It can be difficult to sense where the middle ground is and where all parties would be satisfied. The other tricky aspect is staying up to date with all the latest trends, guidelines, recommendations, regulations and their updates. As the industry needs are constantly changing, you must go with them and adapt to any new changes.
However, there are some fun challenges as well. One thing that forced me to step out of my comfort zone was one of our projects – Biomapas Academy. I became a lecturer to the students for the first time, and I was filled with nervous excitement. It puts a smile on my face now remembering it – it went great! I love these kinds of challenges that turn into opportunities to reach out for more.
What do you like the most?
From a work perspective, it’s the audits. It may sound a bit unusual, but I like the onsite visits, presenting Biomapas, sharing my knowledge and experience and learning from others and their expertise. Usually, the atmosphere stays very amicable during them, and it seems you find something new to learn in every audit.
From a more fun perspective, it’s the internal Panacea awards. They have attracted me since the first year of working here. It’s great to see colleagues getting recognition for their efforts. We have awards such as The Support of The Year, The Optimist of The Year, The Phrase of The Year and more. I’m glad to be a part of a global team that values each other.
How do you feel being part of Biomapas community?
It feels like you’re a part of this vast and experienced social bubble. People here are bright, sharp and knowledgeable with loads of expertise. We have plenty of conversations about any topics of interest and learn something new in every conversation – people are very eager to share.
On the other side, colleagues are very down to earth, and you can have a chat about anything, from art, theatre, books to movie recommendations. It may sound simple, but these and other conversations create a sense of being in one huge and united team.
To whom would you recommend working in quality assurance?
First, you need to be very attentive to details. It would be best if you enjoyed working with documents, numbers, statistics, standards, regulations, requirements, guidelines – these are core drives behind quality assurance.
And secondly, you need to be able to check the industry updates every day. It can be rather challenging to stay up to date with all changes in regulations, best practices, clients’ needs. However, you must stay alert, and it shouldn’t feel too taxing. If you like following rules, being precise, and always knowing the latest industry trends, quality assurance might be just for you.
