Communications Industrial Placement (Multiple Roles & Locations)

Communications Industrial Placement (Multiple Roles & Locations)

Choose Wisely, Apply Confidently

To maximise your opportunities at securing an Industrial Placement with us this year, we strongly advise that you apply to no more than 3 adverts. (For clarity, multiple roles within a single advert are considered one application.) We encourage you to concentrate your efforts on the roles that best align with your skills, interests and university experience, as this will strengthen your application and give you the best chance of success.

Roles Available in Location : Barnard Castle, Worthing, GSK HQ London, Ware

Education required : To apply for this placement, you must be:

• Currently studying an Undergraduate Degree in Marketing, Business, Humanities, Communications, Sociology, Psychology, English, HR, Media, arts or related.

Other requirements : You will have completed a minimum of 2 years of your undergraduate degree but will not have graduated at the start of your placement. You must be enrolled at a UK (United Kingdom) or ROI (Republic of Ireland) University for the duration of your placement.

If you have already graduated with a bachelor’s degree and are currently studying a postgraduate Masters, you are not eligible for this programme.

Language requirement : Written and spoken fluency in English

Expected Start date : June 2026

Duration : 1 year (approximately)

Salary : A salary of £27,100 (London) or £25,400 (other locations) plus a bonus.

Workplace Arrangements : Please read the workplace arrangements for each role carefully before applying.

Application Closing : Early applications are encouraged as candidates will be reviewed regularly, and the advert may close at any point.

Are you looking to gain valuable real world work experience and help positively impact the lives of others?

A GSK internship offers you the opportunity to kickstart your career – to take on a real role with genuine impact. You’ll take on challenging tasks within live projects or assignments. You’ll also get to learn from others in your team and other parts of GSK whilst developing your skills and gaining valuable experience for wherever the future takes you.

What do we offer you?

• A competitive salary, with an annual bonus based on company performance.
• Employee recognition programs, which reward exceptional achievements.
• Access to our cutting-edge wellbeing platform: personalise your experience, help reduce stress, increase focus, build connections and resilience. You will also have access to a confidential helpline 24/7, mindfulness, health screenings and financial wellbeing support.
• Access to Private Healthcare Insurance, including 24-hour access to an online GP.
• Optional Support: Includes identity protection, long-term care insurance, home, auto, and pet insurance
• Opportunities to work with Employee Resource Groups, providing opportunities to network, gain mentorship, and develop personally and professionally.
• Access to IPUnite which is a community of Early Careers programme participants offering development, networking and social connections to help you make the best of your programme. You will also be invited to join LinkedIn groups and pre-joining webinars, to enable you to connect and network with new students.
• 2 volunteering days per year

Typical skills you can expect to learn on this placement will include:

• Teamworking through working with multidisciplinary teams
• Communication (written & verbal)
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Networking
• Data analysis and management
• Technical skills (detailed within each role description)

The Roles (5 available)

This advert contains multiple roles. Please read each role carefully before proceeding as you will be asked to provide a preference later in the application process.

Role 1 – Strategy & Change Communications - Barnard Castle

Workplace Arrangements: Full time on site required

Overview of the Department

A communications placement at Barnard Castle will give the successful candidate an opportunity to support the internal communications plan and activities for the site. Working within our communications team, you have the opportunity to produce and deliver high quality materials to support leaders in their cascade of messaging and drive staff engagement.

The Barnard Castle site is located in the Northeast of England is sited within the County Durham countryside. Barnard Castle is a key site for GSK with a large number of New Products coming through development at site. We manufacture and supply a huge range of different pharmaceutical products from Sterile Products (Syringes and Vials) to Liquid Inhalations and Dermatologicals. We have recently opened a new state of the art aseptic digital facility producing biopharmaceuticals.

Key Placement Learnings

• Keeping employees at all levels informed of change, performance and progress at the site
• Being involved in delivering the site’s communications strategy
• Drafting news stories, case studies and features for internal and external communications channels from digital to print using multiple platforms.
• Preparing materials from posters to videos
• Organising town halls, site conferences and specific campaigns
• Creating clear and consistent messages using multiple communication platforms.
• Interacting with different levels of the business to ensure the appropriate approach is taken to engage staff across all functions
• Utilising and improving current digital platforms

Role 2 – Communications & Events - Worthing

Workplace Arrangements: Full time on site required

Overview of the Department

Working within the Communications department at Worthing, you will report directly to the Site Communications Lead, ensuring that site communications support the team’s strategic goals and objectives. You will have the opportunity to produce and deliver high quality materials to support leaders in their cascade of messaging and drive staff engagement.

You will have the opportunity to develop rapport and build relationships with staff at all levels of the business and will build on your existing communication skills through creating engaging communications materials for site employees in our fundamentals of safety, sustainability and quality culture, as well as our approach to continuous improvement. Working closely with our site communications lead, you’ll quickly develop an awareness of the day-to-day challenges and deliverables of a pharma manufacturing facility.

Key Placement Learnings

• Managing the daily and weekly newsletter
• Channels Management
• Supporting the delivery of the site’s communication strategy ensuring employees are kept up to date regarding the site, including change, performance and progress.
• Organising site events and leading site-specific campaigns.
• Creating clear and consistent messages using multiple communication platforms.
• Drafting news stories, case studies and features for internal and external communication channels
• Preparing various site communications materials, from posters to videos and others as required.

Role 3 – Communications and Government Affairs – GSK HQ

Workplace Arrangements: Flexible working via performance with choice (office & home working may be available)

Overview of the Department

Our Communications and Government Affairs (CGA) function in GSK builds engagement and belief in GSK and its purpose, strategy and culture – internally and externally. In CGA, you have the opportunity to protect and enhance our reputation, ensure our story is told accurately and consistently, bring external viewpoints into the company and partner with our business on developing policy and positions. CGA has a critical role in growing and supporting the GSK business for the benefit of patients.

Our assessment team will place you in one of our CGA teams, such as Digital Channels and Communications (UK & US), Emerging Markets, European Commercial Communications, Internal Engagement Communications, Research and Development Communications, and UK Commercial Communications and Government Affairs (CGA) to support the communications requirements of the business both internally and/or externally. The programme will challenge and support you to grow professionally and personally. You will improve your communication, analytical and influencing skills, alongside gaining commercial awareness working for a multi-national company at our head office.

Key Placement Learnings

• To develop your writing and briefing skills for internal business and external audiences
• To work collaboratively with cross-functional GSK teams to develop communication materials, including key messages, campaign materials, briefing materials, visual/video assets for different audiences and different channels
• To research, monitor, analyse and interpret information that helps you understand healthcare trends and external insights and impact to our business
• To learn how to manage projects and effectively prioritise tasks and understand the business-critical role of CGA
• To have the opportunity to work in a multi-cultural setting and gain experience navigating a global organisation

Role 4 - ViiV Digital Channels and Communications team – GSK HQ

Workplace Arrangements: Flexible working via performance with choice (office & home working may be available)

Overview of the Department

The ViiV communications team is responsible for promoting and maintaining the representation of ViiV Healthcare, communicating with various key audience groups about our progress in HIV research and our initiatives with the HIV Community. Our role in digital communications is to ensure we're producing unbranded, educational content about HIV to help challenge stigma and promote our commitment to ending the epidemic.

Key Placement Learnings

• Working with stakeholders across the business to develop and execute digital content and campaigns
• Managing our global website, ensuring information is accurate and up to date
• Monitoring and reporting on social media channels and performance
• Executing content across global social channels, ensuring a consistent follow of content across key channels throughout the year

Role 5 - Site Communications Officer - Ware

Workplace Arrangements: Flexible working via performance with choice (office & home working may be available)

Overview of the Department

A Communications placement at Ware will give the successful candidate the opportunity to participate in a range of practical communications programmes, supporting our site’s engagement and culture priorities. Working closely with our site communications lead, you’ll quickly develop an awareness of the day-to-day challenges and deliverables of a pharma manufacturing facility. Using your people-facing skills, you will communicate information and engage site employees in our fundamentals of safety, sustainability and quality culture, as well as our approach to continuous improvement.

Key Placement Learnings

• Content creation
• Written and audio-visual
• Event management
• Channels management
• Employee Resource Group communications

Role 6 - ViiV Communications & Positive Action – GSK HQ

Workplace Arrangements: Flexible working via performance with choice (office & home working may be available)

Overview of the Department

Positive Action mission is to be a transformational partner that champions people and communities to end AIDS. Our vision is healthy communities in a world free of AIDS. We do this through putting people and communities first, strengthening capacity and collaborating strategically. Positive Action plays a pivotal role in ensuring we deliver against the strategy and contributes greatly to ViiV Healthcare’s mission of leaving no person living with or affected by HIV behind. We are a small yet mighty team who grant over £12m per year to organisations across the world focusing on reduction of stigma, HIV prevention, harm reduction and paediatrics.

Key Placement Learnings

• Supporting the Positive Action Request for Proposal Process
• Supporting Grant Management
• Supporting the Gathering and Sharing of Grant Programme Learning
• Supporting the Development of the Positive Action Thematic Swim Lanes

Apply now!

These placement opportunities have the following recruitment stages – you must successfully pass each stage to be offered a placement year with GSK for 2026:

• Eligibility Form
• GSK Digital Assessment
• Virtual Assessment Centre or Virtual Interview

You can find hints and tips on our recruitment process and get guidance from real GSK mentors on our Early Careers Hub here.

We’re 100% open to all talent. We want to recruit the right people for GSK from the widest possible backgrounds, so we can better serve the inclusion of our patients and because it’s the right thing to do. You can learn more about Inclusion at GSK here.

For more information about GSK and our careers please visit our website here.

Need help with your application? Please email us at [email protected] or call us on 01582 692870 and let us know how we can help you.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to our process which might help you demonstrate your strengths and capabilities.

For UK Intern roles (including Industrial Placements) you can either call us on 01582 692870, or send an email [email protected]

For UK Apprentice and Graduate Programme roles you can either call us on 0203 862 2277, or send an email [email protected]

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.