#GradStories Amy Ni Chuinneagain, Operations Technical Shift Lead, AbbVie

What are your main tasks in a typical week?

No two days would really be the same. With my role there's always a new product, a new process, a new piece of equipment or a new challenge that requires solving which really makes it a diverse and an interesting job. My role involves managing the production area of the manufacturing facility with AbbVie. As part of that I would manage a team that manufactures commercial products for our patients and manufactures new pipeline products.

I set and track a schedule and the day-to-day tasks to make that happen. I also troubleshoot along

the way with any challenges that pop up to ensure safety quality and productivity.

What skills do you need to have to be successful in your role?

I would say the number one skill that I would use on a daily basis is curiosity. I think it's very important to be curious about the equipment and the processes that we have. The number two important skill to be successful in this role would be being a team player. It really takes a village to make the ideas that we have come to life for our patients. It's important to work well with your team and cross-functionally with other teams.

What do you love about your job?

I love the people that I work with. The team that I work with are passionate about what they do, and it really makes me love my job. I love thinking about the impact that we make, the products that we're making every day treat tens of millions of patients every year.

How did you get into your job?

I studied biomedical engineering at University College Dublin and as part of my master's, I completed an internship with AbbVie at their Cork site. When I completed that and finished my master's at UCD, I returned to AbbVie on their graduate program. The operations development program was a three-year development program where I worked in three different rotations in various sites across AbbVie. In my first year I worked as an operations specialist, in my second year I worked as an API process engineer and in my third role with their graduate program I worked as a global program manager. Upon completion of the graduate program, I took my current role as a technical shift lead.

What advice would you give a new graduate?

I think a very important skill to develop in university is good communication skills. It's important to be able to understand complex concepts and articulate them in a way that's easy and engaging to understand. Good presentation skills are also very important. You get good opportunities throughout university life to build them, and they really come into play in my current role.

How would you like your career to develop?

Over the next few years at AbbVie, I'd hope to continue building my leadership skills and my technical skills and I'd hope to move into a senior leadership position within the company to ultimately be able to make an impact on our business and our patients.