Quality Assurance Director, biologics CDMO
Mid to senior search, exclusive · filled in twelve weeks
A biologics CDMO adding capacity needed a QA Director in a market where most credible candidates were already employed and regularly approached. The brief and the budget didn't match: the seniority the site needed cost more than the role had been scoped at. Rather than run a search that would fail quietly, Russell put the numbers on the table in week one and recalibrated the profile with the client. The candidate who emerged had the depth the site needed but a profile that undersold it, the kind of person a keyword screen discards. Russell went on site, presented the case in person, and the client hired. Twelve weeks from brief to signed offer.
The Validation Lead we told the client to keep
Search declined · counter-offer advised
A Validation Lead handed in his notice and the client asked for a replacement search the same day. Before quoting, Russell asked why he was leaving: a salary gap and a title that no longer matched the job. He suggested addressing that first, since a counter-offer would cost less than a search and would keep someone who already knew the site's systems. The client did, the Validation Lead stayed, and Russell ran the client's next search.
The Validation Lead who was already on the payroll
External search declined · internal promotion advised
A client briefed an external search for a Validation Lead. Russell had met their QC Manager on an earlier assignment and knew she had been leading much of the site's validation work alongside her QC role. He suggested an internal route: promote her into the Validation Lead role and recruit a new QC Manager to take over her previous responsibilities. The client agreed, and Russell filled the QC Manager role.
Computer System Validation Specialist, pharmaceutical manufacturer
Mid to senior search · tight market · passive candidate
CSV is a small pool in the Netherlands, and most experienced specialists were in stable roles and not responding to advertisements. Russell went to the people he already knew — specialists he had placed or interviewed since 2010 — and, because he knew the client well enough to describe the site, the systems and the team honestly, could put the opportunity to candidates who weren't looking in terms that made them want to hear more. The hire came from that network, not from an advertisement.
QA Validation Specialist, pharmaceutical manufacturer
Mid to senior search · full market coverage
A validation role that had to be filled properly, not quickly. Russell mapped the specialists within commuting distance, approached every one who fitted rather than the first five who replied, and worked through the network for the people the map missed. Turning over every stone produced a shortlist the client could choose from with confidence, and a hire who had not been actively looking.
Senior Marketing Director, biotech CDMO
Mid to senior search · profile sharpened at the briefing
A biotech CDMO needed a Senior Marketing Director and was open to candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. A detailed briefing and a map of the market sharpened the requirement: Russell recommended prioritising direct CDMO experience, someone who could turn complex scientific and manufacturing capabilities into a proposition prospective customers understand. Through an established industry network he identified a marketing professional at a competing CDMO whose experience matched the agreed profile. Candidate and hiring team were strongly aligned, and both sides were keen to progress.
Head of Process Development, pharma/biotech
Mid to senior search · a specialist scientific niche
A pharmaceutical business needed a Head of Process Development with expertise in a narrowly defined area. Scientific credibility was essential, alongside the ability to lead people and connect development work to manufacturing. The first step was agreeing which experience was indispensable and where expertise from adjacent environments would transfer. Russell then mapped the relevant teams across biotech, pharma and CDMOs, and used specialist contacts and referrals to reach people who were not on the market. The conversations tested technical depth and leadership in equal measure, and presented the scientific challenge, the decision-making authority and the career step behind the role. The role was filled.
Head of MSAT, biotech manufacturer
Mid to senior search · between development and manufacturing
A biotech manufacturer needed a Head of Manufacturing Science and Technology to bridge process development and routine manufacturing. The briefing focused on the real demands of the job: the balance between technical problem-solving, process transfer, manufacturing support and leading a team. That set out what the right person needed to have done personally, beyond holding a comparable title. Russell mapped the relevant manufacturing organisations and used industry relationships to find people with the right mix of process knowledge and leadership. The opportunity was presented on its technical scope, its influence and the chance to shape the function, which gave established professionals a clear reason to consider a move. The role was filled.
Utilities Lead, black utilities
Mid to senior search · scarce engineering expertise
A life sciences manufacturer needed a Utilities Lead with specific black utilities experience: the plant-side systems such as steam, cooling and compressed air, as opposed to the clean utilities that touch the product. A detailed briefing established the systems in scope, the level of technical ownership and the working environment, which separated the role from a broader engineering or facilities position. The search ran on sustained networking: conversations with experienced engineers, informed referrals and relationships with people whose expertise never shows up in an application. Those conversations tested the relevant capability and explored what would make the assignment attractive, giving a focused route to the specialists the business actually needed. The role was filled.
Maintenance Director, pharmaceutical manufacturing
Mid to senior search · leaders who were not looking
A pharmaceutical manufacturer needed a Maintenance Director with the technical credibility and leadership to take charge of a demanding operation. A detailed briefing aligned the mandate, the expectations and the reasons the role would appeal to an established leader. Reaching the right people took sustained personal outreach, trusted introductions and referrals through the engineering community, because most of them were not considering a move. Through those relationships Russell explored their experience, leadership style and motivation, and connected the opportunity to what mattered to them: responsibility, influence and the chance to make a real contribution. The role was filled.
