EHS&S

Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) turns GSK’s mission inward to help employees ‘do more, feel better and live longer.’ We work in partnership with departments all across GSK to build a healthy, resilient, high-performing workforce working in a safe workplace. Additionally, we aim to reduce GSK’s impact on Climate Change by reducing carbon, water and waste across our value chain and source materials responsibly.

We offer undergraduates a choice of EHSS placements in either:

  1. Environmental Sustainability, Centre of Excellence: Brentford, GSK House
  2. Environment Health Safety and Shared Services R&D: Ware, R&D

What do our IP students say?

Environmental Sustainability, Centre of Excellence Placement

Picture Of Veronica White

I have been working at GSK for less than 2 months, and yet I can already tell that my placement year here is going to teach me a lot. Whilst at university you learn knowledge, here you’ll get the chance to learn skills that will help you not only with the final year of your degree, but with whatever career you decide to pursue in the future. Everyone in the team is really friendly, and since the beginning I have felt welcomed and have been treated as a valuable part of the Supply Chain Sustainability team.

Veronica White, IP Student ES CoE

Environment Health Safety and Shared Services R&D

“My time at GSK has been invaluable for my personal development and has given me the confidence in my own ability which will be so crucial in the beginning of my career. The placement has opened my eyes to the possibilities of a career in Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability and has shown me the kind of things that I will be doing day in day out. I would recommend the industrial placement scheme to anyone currently at university, and GSK have been a great company to work for.”

Connor Rusby, IP Student EHSS R&D

Environmental Sustainability, Centre of Excellence

Introduction to the Environmental Sustainability team:

Our mission is to address our impacts on Climate Change, reduce carbon, water and waste across the value chain and source materials responsibly. We have set ambitious goals to reduce our impact across our value chain – from the sourcing of raw materials and the impacts of our own labs and factories, to the use and disposal of our products by patients and consumers.

We know that the impact of producing our products and medicines is much broader than what we do in our own operations. In fact, around 40% of our carbon footprint and 85% of our water footprint comes from our global supply chain. We view suppliers as critical partners in achieving our sustainability goals, and effective collaboration is central to that success. That is why we are working closely with them to help look at ways we can reduce our collective environmental impact. By taking a value-chain approach, we are identifying risks and opportunities right across our entire supplier network – from our supply chain operations to our procurement activity.

To read more about our Environmental Sustainability Strategy please see the ‘Our Planet’ section of GSK’s Responsible Business Supplement and on GSK.com.

What will this placement offer me?

This Industrial Placement (IP) position provides the opportunity to get hands-on experience from working in a global sustainability team, GSK’s Environmental Sustainability Centre of Excellence, and supporting the roll out of GSK’s Sustainability Strategy across the wider business. The role is based in GSK’s headquarters in Brentford (West London).

Job tasks could include:

  • Internal and external engagement on GSK’s environmental sustainability commitments mostly focused on our supply chain.
  • Supplier environmental data disclosure – gathering and analysing sustainability data from our suppliers.
  • Calculating carbon footprints and identifying opportunities for reduction.
  • Conducting water impact assessments and identifying areas for improvement.
  • Supporting our supply chain sustainability collaborations to decrease environmental impact across GSK’s supply chain.
  • Supporting the process of identifying and mitigating risks in the supply chain, including high risk materials and development of sustainable procurement policies.

Actual deliverables / projects depend on requirements and priorities throughout the placement.

Do I have the skills?

GSK's Environmental Sustainability Centre of Excellence is looking for a motivated Industrial Placement student to join the team for around 12 months to support with our on-going deployment of GSK's Sustainability Strategy across the business.

The candidate should preferably study a Sustainability, Environmental Management/Science, Engineering or Geography related topic and have completed a minimum of 2 years, but will not have graduated at the start of the placement. Most importantly the candidate needs to be passionate about environmental sustainability.

Please note that this is not a laboratory-based placement, and therefore not suitable for those looking for a career in scientific research.

Desirable skills include:

  • Must be on track to achieve a 2.1 (or above)
  • Strong communication, analytical and writing skills
  • Ability to communicate complex analysis and arguments in a concise, easy to follow manner
  • High attention to detail, with an ability to organise, prioritise and multi-task
  • A proactive and enthusiastic approach to work, with a high level of initiative
  • Ability to build good working relationships
  • Self-motivated and natural team player
  • Sense of urgency, calm under pressure, resilient and flexible
  • Literate in MS Word and Excel
  • Background / knowledge and passion in environmental sustainability

Where will I be based?

You will be based at our headquarters, GSK House, in Brentford, West London.

When can I start?

Placements start any time between June and September 2019 (start and end dates are flexible for the outgoing and incoming needs of the students and the business). Placements run for twelve months.

How can I apply?

Applications for 2020 are now closed.

Environment Health and Safety Shared Services (EHS&SS), R&D

Introduction to the EHS&SS, R&D team:

The Environment Health and Safety Shared Services (EH&SSS) is a global team, supporting business locally on site. EH&SSS provides comprehensive support in all areas of occupational safety, environmental protection and sustainability to GSK sites world-wide.

Our technical experts work closely with the scientists and facilities on site and through proactive engagement and advice to ensure our sites are consistently compliant with all regulatory and company standards and industry best practice. We support them to act responsibly with integrity and transparency, living up to high health, safety and sustainability standards we set ourselves.

What will this placement offer me?

Day to day responsibilities include providing assistance to the team in the provision of a broad range of environment, health, safety and sustainability management aspects, systems and projects. Specific responsibilities may include:

  • Involvement and the opportunity to lead in running EHS promotional events.
  • EHS performance data collection (internal and from suppliers), collation and interpretation, and assistance in reporting and preparing EHS&S reports, including for example, calculation of carbon footprints and water impacts to identify opportunities for reduction.
  • Developing and improving data management systems and communications to the business, gaining practical experience in monitoring chemical/biological agents and involvement in the Occupational Hygiene programmes.
  • Opportunity to lead biodiversity and sustainability groups in engagement of our sites, developing and promoting innovation to achieve our sustainability goals.
  • Internal and external engagement on EHS&S, including GSK’s environmental sustainability commitments.

Do I have the skills?

Preferred degrees include Environmental Management/Science, Engineering, Geography, Occupational health & safety and IT.

You should be able to demonstrate your ability to work as part of a team and, as needed, independently. You will be reliable, enthusiastic and self-motivated with good written and verbal communication skills. You should have an awareness of, and interest in, environment, health, safety and sustainability matters. You will be computer literate in MS Word and Excel. 

Please note that this is not a laboratory-based placement, and therefore not suitable for those looking for a career in scientific research.

Desirable skills include:

  • Strong communication, analytical and writing skills
  • Ability to communicate complex analysis and arguments in a concise, easy to follow manner
  • High attention to detail, with an ability to organise, prioritise and multi-task
  • A proactive and enthusiastic approach to work, with a high level of initiative
  • Ability to build good working relationships
  • Self-motivated and natural team player
  • Calm under pressure, resilient and flexible
  • Background / knowledge and passion in environmental sustainability

Where will I be based?

You will be based at our Research and Development Site in Ware, Hertfordshire.

When can I start?

Placements start any time between August and September (start and end dates are flexible for the outgoing and incoming needs of the students and the business). Placements run for twelve months.

How can I apply?

We will be opening applications on 4th November. In the meantime, did you know you can apply for more than one role with us? Feel free to take a look at other roles we are currently open for.