May 5, 2017
By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
WILMINGTON, Mass. – Charles River Laboratories , an early-stage contract research organization (CRO), has had a strong several years, including a 31.9 percent increase in quarterly revenue following a number of acquisitions of WIL Research, Agilux Labs, Blue Stream Labs, and Oncotest.
This year marks the company’s 70th Anniversary in business.
In an exclusive interview, Grace Lee, Charles River’s Corporate Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources, took time out to talk with BioSpace about the company and what they’re looking for in new employees.
Charles River Laboratories
Although often described as an early-stage CRO, Lee says, “Charles River works in every area along the drug discovery and development continuum. We start with clients in early hit identification and can support their program through to Investigational New Drug submission. Instead of having to switch their program between multiple CROs throughout the life of a treatment, clients can work with Charles River throughout, making the process ultimately more efficient and effective.”
Lee credits the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, Jim Foster, with the company’s longstanding history of success. She notes that since he took the reins as CEO, Charles River had closed on more than 35 acquisitions, and since 2000, the company’s stock has appreciated at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 10 percent.
“Jim is constantly looking at the industry and trying to anticipate what our clients need now, and will need in the future. Our recent acquisitions point to that—we’re growing divisions where we’re seeing client growth and expansion, while simultaneously looking at where the future science is headed,” Lee says.
Now Hiring
With that kind of growth, the assumption is that Charles River Laboratories is hiring. And Lee confirms that, saying, “Yes! We’re always looking for talented people to join our teams across the globe.”
The company has 70 facilities in 18 countries with over 500 open jobs. “We expect to hire in life sciences, finance, IT, sales, marketing and human resources,” Lee says.
The company looks for people it feels can develop and grow along with Charles River. “We have career opportunities across areas of biology, chemistry, veterinary care, toxicology, pathology and much more. Depending on the position,” Lee says, “requirements can range from a bachelor’s degree up to a PhD level.”
Ownership is a big part of their corporate culture, and encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own work. “We want our people to act like owners,” Lee tells BioSpace. “That means making good decisions and focusing on the satisfaction of our clients. Our main goal is to empower our people with the tools, resources and training required to increase speed, responsiveness and flexibility.”
Lee touts many of the benefits to working for the company, including a flexible work environment, a variety of training and other programs that add to a healthy work-life balance. She notes:
• “Our One Day program, which provides every employee with eight hours annually to volunteer. We are committed to having a meaningful impact on the communities in which we live and work.
• Training programs that support our employees in achieving their career goals by providing tools, resources and programs. These programs help employees develop the essential skills to perform at their fullest potential.
• A Sabbatical Program for all employees. After five years of working for Charles River, our employees can apply for a four-week paid sabbatical to focus on their professional development or on giving back to their community.
• The Charles River Innovation Fund, which creates a culture of innovation and nurtures the creativity of our employees. With the Fund, employees can submit their innovative ideas and can make those ideas a reality with Charles River’s support.
• A commitment to recognizing and appreciating our employees. We take time to celebrate our efforts and thank our employees for all they do every day. This includes cook-outs, free breakfasts, on-site ice cream trucks and other activities.”
The Future
With 70 years in the business, Charles Rivers Laboratories refuses to rest on its laurels. It plans to continue providing industry-leading services to its customers and is always on the lookout for ways to improve.
“In the industry, one trend we’ve been following is the increased number of clients improving their pipeline productivity by leveraging diverse sources of innovation. Our goal is to facilitate their early-stage research through collaboration by combining our scientific expertise with both our clients and other industry thought leaders,” Lee says.
Recently, Charles River inked a multi-year strategic partnership with Nimbus Therapeutics to advance new programs across a number of disease areas, including immunology, metabolic disorders and oncology. Those programs will range from the discovery phase through IND submission.
“Charles River’s broad experience in discovery research across multiple therapeutic areas, as well as background in safety assessment, makes them a highly-valued contributor to Nimbus’ drug discovery efforts,” said Don Nicholson, Nimbus’ chief executive officer, in a statement. “We’re looking forward to furthering our collaboration with Charles River as we work together to progress the most promising targets through discovery and preclinical development.”
That’s just one example, but Lee notes that the company’s impact is very broad. “We work with clients very early in the development pipeline, and our teams know the long-term impact of their work. There’s deep pride and satisfaction in knowing that in 2016 alone, we worked on 70 percent of the drugs approved by the FDA. That’s massive, and this positive impact on the lives of the patients who need those drugs is what drives us forward,” Lee says.
For candidates interested in jobs with Charles River Laboratories, visit their careers page or BioSpace.com’s website, which currently lists 305 jobs with Charles River Laboratories.
“When people start a career at Charles River they get the opportunity to grow, both personally and professionally. Developing our employees is very important to us because if our employees thrive, Charles River thrives,” Lee says.