JUMP TO CONTENT

4 life sciences jobs that are taking off

Posting date: 24/11/2022
Author: Inside ICON

Life sciences are undeniably an exciting area to start and pursue a career in. In fact, the global life sciences space is predicted to be worth a massive $2 trillion in gross value by 2023. Contract Research Organisation (CRO) services are set to play a large part in that, with a predicted value of $73 billion in 2022.

But it isn’t just the huge financial opportunities that make this space so exciting. Careers in life sciences can also be incredibly rewarding. Few other professions allow you to fund a high quality of life whilst working with companies that are saving and making lives better.

In this article, we explore four jobs that are a great choice for those considering a career in life sciences

Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA) 

Becoming a Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA) is both a challenging and potentially rewarding career. Although CTAs have always played a key role in the life science space, this position has recently developed into a more integral part of ensuring the quality of clinical trials.

Covid-19 has completely changed how clinical trials work. Now more than ever there is an emphasis on the importance of well-designed and well-executed randomised clinical trials. CTAs play a major role in these trials.

At ICON, you can progress your career as a CTA as you move from CTA I to CTA II to senior CTA and beyond. As you build your skills you will have greater input into essential trials, making a greater positive impact.

Medical Writer

There is a growing demand for Medical Writers across the life sciences board. Those that can understand occasionally complex medical topics and communicate them in a clear and compelling way will find great success in a medical writing career.

The demand for competent Medical Writers is increasing. This is primarily in order to establish clear communication surrounding clinical trials in developing regions, new medical device regulation, increased R&D investment/activity, and social media representation.

Drug Safety Associate

Those that pick a Drug Safety Associate career are likely to see a boost in demand for their skills over the next few years. Drug safety is becoming a growing concern across the globe, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) launching its ‘Medication Without Harm’ Initiative in 2017 in the hopes of reducing severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50%.

With costs associated with medication errors costing an estimated $42 billion USD each year across the globe, Drug Safety Associates play a big part in protecting those who take medications and the businesses that produce them.

Project Managers

Project management skills have always been in high demand in the life science and CRO space. This demand will continue to increase as projects become more complex and competition intensifies. Those that can take a strategic approach to projects with high awareness of operational strategy and commercial goals will find their careers taking off.

Typically, project management skills can be applied to various areas of life sciences, opening a wide range of opportunities for career progression. Careers at ICON can see ambitious project managers quickly progress from project manager to project manager II to senior project manager and beyond - taking on bigger challenges and responsibilities with every step.

See where a job at ICON could take you

The life science and CRO space is an exciting and potentially lucrative place to pursue a career. The roles we have outlined in this guide show great promise for the coming years, each with an important role to play in overcoming some of the biggest upcoming life science challenges.

Do you see yourself pursuing a life science career? Already pursuing a career in this area and want to take it to the next level? You can browse clinical trial jobs, pharmacovigilance vacancies, medical writing opportunities, and project management jobs now.


List #1

Related jobs at ICON

Senior Manager, Quality Assurance

Salary

Location

US, Farmingdale, NY

Department

Full Service - Development & Commercialisation Solutions

Location

Boston

Portland

New York

Remote Working

Office Based

Business Area

ICON Full Service & Corporate Support

Job Categories

Quality Assurance

Job Type

Permanent

Description

We have an incredible opportunity for a Senior Manager, Quality Assurance (Medical Devices) to join ICON’s Central Laboratory team. ICON's Central Laboratory hosts our homegrown kit building team whic

Reference

JR128035

Expiry date

01/01/0001

Tallulah Pierre Read more Shortlist Save this role
Manager, Biostatistics

Salary

Location

UK, Reading

Location

Sofia

Prague

Dublin

Riga

Vilnius

Warsaw

Lisbon

Bucharest

Belgrade

Madrid

Tallinn

Reading

Remote Working

Hybrid: Office/Remote

Business Area

ICON Full Service & Corporate Support

Job Categories

Biostatistician

Job Type

Permanent

Description

We are currently seeking a Manager, Biostatistics to join our diverse and dynamic team. As a Manager in Biostatistics at ICON, you will lead a team of biostatisticians in designing and analyzing clini

Reference

JR129920

Expiry date

01/01/0001

Rowena Deswert Read more Shortlist Save this role
Executive Director, Business Development

Salary

Location

UK, Reading

Department

Full Service - Commercial Solutions

Location

Sofia

Warsaw

Bucharest

Barcelona

Reading

Remote Working

Hybrid: Office/Remote

Business Area

ICON Full Service & Corporate Support

Job Categories

Sales

Job Type

Permanent

Description

We are currently seeking an Executive Director of Business Development to join our diverse and dynamic team. As an Executive Director of Business Development at ICON, you will play a pivotal role in d

Reference

JR127048

Expiry date

01/01/0001

Caroline Lock

Author

Caroline Lock
Read more Shortlist Save this role
Senior CRA

Salary

Location

Taipei

Department

Clinical Monitoring

Location

Taipei

Remote Working

Office Based

Business Area

ICON Strategic Solutions

Job Categories

Clinical Monitoring

Job Type

Permanent

Description

As a Clinical Research Associate you will be joining the world’s largest & most comprehensive clinical research organisation, powered by healthcare intelligence.Working location: Taiwan Client Office

Reference

2025-119183

Expiry date

01/01/0001

Sandy Tang

Author

Sandy Tang
Sandy Tang

Author

Sandy Tang
Read more Shortlist Save this role
View all
List #1

Related stories

Ovarian cancer knot being held in woman's hands
Standing Strong on Ovarian Cancer Day

Teaser label

Inside ICON

Content type

Blogs

Publish date

05/08/2025

Summary

Standing Strong on Ovarian Cancer Day:    ICON's Commitment to Advancing Care Ovarian cancer remains one of the most challenging gynaecologic malignancies, both in terms of detection and treatmen

Teaser label

Martin Lachs, VP, Oncology Project Management at ICON discusses ICON’s role in advancing ovarian cancer research.

Read more
Nurse and patient
Patient Centricity in Clinical Research

Teaser label

Industry

Content type

Blogs

Publish date

05/07/2025

Summary

Patient Centricity in Clinical Research: What it is and Why it Matters In the past, clinical research was designed around the needs of sponsors, researchers, and regulatory bodies. Patients were of

Teaser label

Discover how patient centricity is reshaping clinical research by placing participants at the heart of study design and execution.

Read more
Liquid capsules
Navigating Regulatory Landscapes - FDA, EMA, & MHRA

Teaser label

Industry

Content type

Blogs

Publish date

05/05/2025

Summary

Navigating Regulatory Landscapes:     Comparing FDA, EMA, & MHRA in Clinical Trials In clinical research, no matter how promising a new therapy may be, it will go nowhere without regulatory appro

Teaser label

Compare FDA, EMA, and MHRA regulatory frameworks for clinical trials, and why this knowledge matters.

Read more
View all
List #1

Recently viewed jobs

View Jobs

Browse popular job categories below or search all jobs above