Accelerating Success: How Advanced RPO Fast-Tracked Recruitment for a Leading Biopharma Lab
Situation
A European-based, leading provider of contract testing services to the global biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries was setting up a laboratory in the U.S. and had an aggressive hiring timeframe (just 60 days) to fully staff the facility. The company faced several challenges when it came to filling the open roles:
- The average time-to-fill for scientists in the market was 104 days
- While well-known in Europe, they did not have the same brand recognition in the U.S. and thus faced competition for talent from other life sciences organizations with stronger brands and value propositions
- Candidates needed to have biosimilar and bio analytics experience, further shrinking the potential talent pool
- Candidates needed to be available to attend four weeks of training in Europe upon being hired so they could learn about the new equipment and processes, then help set up the lab in the U.S., ensuring it met FDA regulations and was GMP compliant.
- There were significant delays in the current hiring process based on time zone differences and because candidates were being presented to hiring managers one at a time, often with weeks in between candidate submissions, leading to frustrations among both hiring managers and candidates
Solution
Immediately upon project initiation, our recruiters leveraged their deep professional networks within the life sciences industry to identify candidates with the specialized skillset required by the client. They engaged with and recruited highly qualified candidates, conveying the unique career opportunities associated with this new U.S.-based location.
Simultaneously, we educated the client’s European-based leadership on the candidate landscape in the U.S. and provided market specific data including candidate supply and demand, salary information, top companies hiring the same talent, and active workforce data.
Knowing that time was of the essence, we optimized the recruitment process and incorporated technology to streamline and accelerate the timeline to ensure we didn’t lose candidates. We presented a full slate of candidates versus one at a time to best utilize the hiring manager’s time and enable more efficient evaluation.
Results
Advanced RPO quickly source and filled critical roles, significantly reducing time-to-fill and ensuring the team was fully staffed for a successful launch.
Roles We Filled
Senior ADCC Scientist
ADCC Scientist
Senior Biacore Scientist
Senior Bioassay Scientist
Quality Manager
Quality Auditor
5 days
We began submitting passive, screened candidates within 5 days of the launch discussion with the hiring manager.
Insights
Enhanced client knowledge of the U.S. talent market, providing leadership with key data on candidate availability, salary benchmarks, and industry hiring trends.
Quick Turnaround
All roles were filled prior to the company receiving FDA approval, enabling the lab to get up and running immediately.
46%
The average time-to-fill decreased by 46% to just 54 days.