36% of biomanufacturers surveyed by BioPlan could not hire the process development staff they needed; 27% lacked process engineers.1
For hiring: Process development and MSAT are among the hardest roles in the industry to fill, everywhere.
Where we place
R&D & Technical
The hardest roles to fill in biomanufacturing sit between the lab and the plant: process development, MSAT and technology transfer.
- CSO / VP R&D
- Head of Process Development
- Head of MSAT
- Technology transfer leads
- CMC leads
- Analytical development
- Senior scientists and team leads
The market · checked September 2026, next review December 2026
What is changing, and what it means for hiring.
The Dutch life sciences ecosystem counts 1,988 companies, 537 of them biotech. Life sciences venture funding rose to $675.9 million in 2025.2
For hiring: A large base of development-stage companies needs technical leaders to take products towards the clinic and the plant.
Dutch biotech funding in 2025 was flat against 2024 (−2.3%), spread over fewer but larger rounds, and the number of assets in development fell 10%.3
For hiring: The companies that did raise money need senior technical people who can move fast and get it right the first time.
Why these hires are hard
Many of the right people are not actively looking.
The title rarely tells you who can do the job. A Head of MSAT has to bridge development and routine manufacturing; a Head of Process Development needs scientific credibility in a narrow niche and the ability to lead. The first step is agreeing which experience is indispensable and which transfers from adjacent environments.
The right people sit in teams at other biotechs, pharma companies and CDMOs, and are not applying. They are reached through specialist contacts and referrals, and they move for the scientific challenge and the authority that come with the role.
How we help
From a tech transfer lead to the CSO.
Heads of development and MSAT
Mid to senior search built on a map of the relevant teams across biotech, pharma and CDMOs.
Interim technology transfer
Interim leads for a transfer or scale-up programme, screened on hands-on transfer experience.
CSO and VP-level appointments
Retained search, handled in confidence.
Recent work
Stories from this area.
Head of Process Development
Indispensable experience agreed up front; teams mapped across biotech, pharma and CDMOs; filled.
Read the full story →Head of MSAT
Profile defined by what the candidate had done, not by titles; filled.
Read the full story →Interim Tech Transfer Lead
Scope agreed first; candidates screened on hands-on transfer experience; interim lead placed.
Read the full story →Tell us about the role, or the gap it's leaving.
A thirty-minute call with Russell, no pitch deck. You'll leave with a view on whether it's a search, an interim, or neither.