Janine
Associate, Marketing Operations
Janine has established herself as a valuable member of Cubist's Marketing Team for CUBICIN® (daptomycin for injection). Indeed, in just a little over two years with Cubist - the first six months as a contractor - she has been promoted two times!
Q: You have a multifaceted role in marketing - explain what your job involves.
Janine: In essence I am responsible for the production piece of the Marketing process. It focuses on four major areas - facilitation of the approval process for all materials released to the field, printing, shipping and/or stocking of items, as well as supporting the Director of Product Marketing in the operational aspects of promotional medical education.
Q: What is a typical day at work like?
Janine: "Typical" is not a word that I can apply to a day in Marketing, but in general I can say it involves a lot of collaboration, communication, coordination and planning. I work closely with each member of the Marketing team, as they are responsible for the creation of the materials. Likewise, I work closely with our Clearance Committee, which approves all of our marketing materials before they can be used. Lastly, I work with a number of external vendors who provide a range of services to help deliver our materials.
Q: How long have you been with Cubist?
Janine: I came to Cubist as a contractor in July of 2007. From when I started as a contractor until the end of 2008, I was providing support to Marketing and Decision Support. After my first promotion to Senior Coordinator, I took on a full-time position in Marketing and my role in Decision Support was transitioned to someone else. Most recently when another employee moved to Government Affairs, I was promoted into my current role where I assumed her responsibilities in addition to clearance and printing, which I already had.
Q: Had you heard about Cubist before you came to work here?
Janine: I had just recently come to Massachusetts job hunting from Maryland. The relocation was called for because my husband had been accepted into law school in Massachusetts. We were newlyweds at the time and he is from the Boston area. I had spent the previous six years in Maryland, where I went to school after coming from Trinidad. I had never heard of Cubist prior to accepting a position here, but I quickly felt the energy of the culture during my interviews. I knew this would be a place that I would enjoy coming to each day.
Cubist is a great place to work and I think that is primarily because of the culture. When you spend 40 to 50 hours a week in a place with the same group of people, you want it to be a place where you can enjoy what you are doing and at the same time feel like you're making a valuable contribution. That is the type of company Cubist is and I really enjoy that combination.
Q: What were you doing in Maryland before coming to Massachusetts?
Janine: I worked in human resources for a mid-size company that managed defined stages of eldercare. It was a great job for me after I graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore. My degree is in Psychology, and at the time I was undecided as to whether to go into business, or pursue a graduate degree and go into academia. After being in business for eight years now, I feel comfortable in the environment and no longer have a desire to move my career in a different direction. Since coming to Cubist I have furthered my education, getting a master's degree in organizational management and development, which I was happy to accomplish with support from Cubist's tuition reimbursement program.
Q: What is the most satisfying part of your job?
Janine: Actually, not knowing - for the most part - in what direction a day will go is very satisfying for me. I know that would be frustrating for some, but I like not having my day completely programmed.
Q: Is there something about yourself that others would be surprised to know?
Janine: My colleagues in Marketing know me well, but most may not know that I played three instruments. Growing up I learned to play piano, guitar, and, of course, Trinidad's national instrument, the steel pan, which is also known as the steel drum outside of Trinidad.
Q: What traditions from growing up in Trinidad did you bring with you to the United States?
Janine: A large part of life when I lived in Trinidad revolved around food and music. I still love both. It is like Thanksgiving every Sunday at my house. In Trinidad everything closes on Sundays, so people go to church, enjoy a big lunch, and then either play or watch sports. It is a great lifestyle, but very different from life in the US, where there is a lot to choose from on any day, including Sundays. But I still do a big meal every Sunday.
Q: What do you have time for now that you did not have time for while you were in school?
Janine: I have always missed the year-round growing season in Trinidad, and now that I am getting into gardening I can't wait to see the fruit of my labor as the growing season arrives in New England.