Table 1Transition record

nanoengineertopharmaceutical engineer

A nanoengineer already meets 45% of what the pharmaceutical engineer role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From nanoengineer

45%

Overlap1

To pharmaceutical engineer

23 Skills carried over

13 Required, not held

63.2 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

45%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.2/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the pharmaceutical engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the nanoengineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A pharmaceutical engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a nanoengineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
analytical chemistry
apply health and safety standards
approve engineering design
assess environmental impact
chemistry

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pharmaceutical engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a nanoengineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems communication, collaboration and creativity
already held pharmaceutical drug development health and welfare
already held develop pharmaceutical drugs management skills
already held forecast organisational risks information skills
already held computational chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held perform chemical experiments working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 23 carried skills, including the 14 the pharmaceutical engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 36 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 health and welfare 4 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held drug administration regulations required
required, not held human physiology required
required, not held pharmaceutical industry required
required, not held pharmaceutical manufacturing quality systems required

optional, not held pharmacovigilance legislation optional

02 assisting and caring 3 required

required, not held test production input materials required
required, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
required, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation required

03 information skills 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held monitor plant production required
required, not held write batch record documentation required

optional, not held analyse medication's impact on brain optional
optional, not held evaluate pharmaceutical manufacturing process optional
optional, not held test pharmaceutical process optional
optional, not held contribute to registration of pharmaceutical products optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held good manufacturing practices required

optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held packaging engineering optional
optional, not held types of packaging materials optional

05 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held biological chemistry required

optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held toxicology optional

06 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held write technical reports required

optional, not held manage pharmaceutical production facilities construction optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a pharmaceutical engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 23 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held analytical chemistry knowledge
already held apply health and safety standards skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held assess environmental impact skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held examine engineering principles skill
already held forecast organisational risks skill
already held industrial research and development knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held pharmaceutical drug development knowledge
already held work with chemicals skill
already held computational chemistry knowledge
already held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems skill
already held develop pharmaceutical drugs skill
already held manage chemical testing procedures skill
already held perform chemical experiments skill
already held pharmaceutical chemistry knowledge
already held scientific literature knowledge
already held test chemical samples skill
already held use chemical analysis equipment skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use technical drawing software required

08 business, administration and law 4 supplementary

optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
optional, not held supply chain management optional

09 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary

optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held industrial software optional

10 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held improve safety of medicines optional

23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held analyse medication's impact on brain optional
optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held evaluate pharmaceutical manufacturing process optional
optional, not held improve safety of medicines optional
optional, not held manage pharmaceutical production facilities construction optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held test pharmaceutical process optional
optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held contribute to registration of pharmaceutical products optional
optional, not held industrial software optional
optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
optional, not held packaging engineering optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held pharmacovigilance legislation optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
optional, not held supply chain management optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held types of packaging materials optional

32 held skills the pharmaceutical engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role biology knowledge
not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role design optical systems skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
not needed by the target role develop chemical products skill
not needed by the target role develop components separation processes skill
not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role green chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role improve chemical processes skill
not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role life sciences knowledge
not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role mathematical modelling knowledge
not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
not needed by the target role nanomaterials knowledge
not needed by the target role nanotechnology knowledge
not needed by the target role optical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role pharmaceutical technology knowledge
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum computing knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum technology knowledge
not needed by the target role record test data skill
not needed by the target role solid mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role spectroscopy knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill

21 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held biological chemistry required
required, not held drug administration regulations required
required, not held good manufacturing practices required
required, not held human physiology required
required, not held pharmaceutical industry required
required, not held pharmaceutical manufacturing quality systems required
optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held industrial software optional
optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
optional, not held packaging engineering optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held pharmacovigilance legislation optional
optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
optional, not held supply chain management optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held types of packaging materials optional

Index

Other moves recorded from nanoengineer

Full index of moves from nanoengineer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.