Pharmaceutical service provider Almac Group in Craigavon, Co Armagh, is to create 348 jobs over the next five years on the back of a stg£54m investment in expansion.
The Almac Group operates in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, providing services such as diagnostics, drug discovery, research and development, manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients, formulation development and clinical trials.
The company employs more than 2,100 staff at its headquarters in Craigavon, with an additional 1,380 staff in facilities throughout the rest of the UK, US and Asia.
Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster said the investment will enable Almac Group to expand the range of services it can offer, “allowing it to respond to key trends within the pharmaceutical industry and enhance its market-leading position”.
Alan Armstrong, chairman and CEO of the Almac Group, said the new jobs come in response to demand for the company’s services.
Of the total 348 jobs, 141 roles are to be within Almac Pharma Services. Almac Clinical Services expects to receive 181 jobs, and 26 jobs are to go to Almac Group itself. The company will also use the Invest NI-supported investment for new technologies and equipment.
Foster added the new jobs will generate salaries of more than stg£9.4m per annum when the projects are fully implemented.
“The investments are also good news for our growing life-sciences sector, which is gaining an international reputation for innovation and excellence,” she said.
