Varied Career Paths for Multilingual Roles in Chester (UK): Jan & Natalia Share Their Journeys

Supporting over 30 different countries, the BMS Europe Capability Centre (ECC) in Chester, UK, offers a variety of roles for high-performing multi-lingual speakers. That’s what attracted two successful team members, Natalia Garcia Coria and Jan Shaefer, both of whom were looking for careers with a diverse, inclusive company.

“I discovered BMS while studying for my master’s degree at the University of Manchester,” said Natalia Garcia Coria, Chester’s Total Rewards Operations Manager. “I was attracted to how multicultural the company is, along with the possibility of working with intelligent and passionate people worldwide.”

Natalia joined BMS in January of 2021 as a contingent worker and became a permanent employee four months later when a position opened up. She added, “A plus was the potential of being able to use my language skills daily. I speak Spanish and English, and I am currently learning Portuguese.”

These language skills are driving her team’s success daily. “We have six different nationalities working together [Brazil, Italy, India, Hong Kong, Spain and the UK]. You can see that our differences make up our team’s strengths. We have created a space where everyone is willing and passionate about sharing knowledge and contributing to the team and the company’s development.”

Jan Schaefer, a German living in Chester, also joined BMS as a contingent worker with a bilingual background. He discovered the company at a Chester PRIDE event where BMS had set up a gazebo.

“I thought it was very nice to see such a big company there on that day,” Jan said. “And I really appreciate that BMS has a PRIDE Alliance.”

Previously, Jan was busy travelling around the world on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth as well as performing up to eight shows a week in musical theatre. When he wasn’t performing, he put his bilingual skills to work onboard, helping out with translation needs – something he now benefits from in his role as Customer Service Specialist at BMS.

“Being from Germany originally, my bilingual skills are very welcomed here,” he explained. “It can be a challenge to find native German speaking people to work here at the ECC.”

It’s not all science at BMS

Jan started as a contractor at the Chester Service Desk, then took on a Tour of Duty in the UK Order to Cash department, and now has a permanent position in the DACH team (DACH region of Germany, Austria, Switzerland). He notes that his previous experience with the high-end WHITE STAR service on the cruise ships helps him do this interesting and important work.

“Order management is about going the extra mile to be there for our patients,” Jan said. “We’re working with urgent, same-day deliveries where a patient is desperate for a treatment and the proper documentation needs to be there on a specific day or the clinical trial can’t start. It is a very exciting role, and it offers so much opportunity to grow within the company.”

Natalia sees the same patient impact as she and her team attract, engage and retain talent from all over the world. “We are the experts of local nuances for compensation and benefits to ensure compliance, maintain market competitiveness, and focus on operational effectiveness and simplification. Knowing that we are supporting patients to improve their lives through our current drugs and the ones we are developing keeps me excited every day. It makes my day-to-day work very meaningful.”

The draw of Chester

It may be a smaller city, but Chester offers a big family feel, especially within BMS.

“When I started working at BMS, all my friends from University had returned to their home countries, so I found myself with a small social network,” explained Natalia. “I thought I would feel lonely; however, it was ultimately the opposite. I created a good rapport with my colleagues. This exemplifies the family aspect, which I believe is a core characteristic of BMS. BMS is more than a place to work.”

Jan feels a similar sense of connection, stemming from the first day he met the team at Chester PRIDE. “That day in that gazebo, it wasn’t just about PRIDE. BMS presented itself and all the values they stand for. I’ve found that the EEC is just incredibly international, multicultural and the best type of place to work.”

Discover what Jan and Natalia have known since day one—a career at BMS Chester is a chance for transformation, both for the world and yourself. Explore a variety of open roles today.