Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
These Headhunters Can Help You Find a Good Job
Even with all the layoffs resulting from mergers and acquisitions, overall hiring in biopharma is projected to grow this year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers a rosier forecast depending on the position, projecting growth through 2022 of between 9% (for chemical technicians) and 41% (for genetic counselors). Trends like these should mean more work for biopharma recruiters, who match employers with job candidates in significant portions of the industry.
Following is a list of 40 recruiters for biotechnology and pharmaceutical positions, unranked and listed in alphabetical order. That’s up from 24 firms in GEN’s 2013 List, and 32 such firms in last year’s List. Listings are based on information furnished by the companies on their websites and other publicly available material, including their LinkedIn and Twitter pages and press announcements.
Each recruiter is listed with its address, phone number, description of its services, top executive(s), and year established. The companies listed are among top recruiters as established from Internet searches or publicly available online lists of biopharma recruiters, but do not constitute a list of all biopharma recruiters.
Advanced Clinical
Address: 10 Parkway North, Suite 350, Deerfield, IL 60015. West Coast office: 570 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone number(s): (847) 267-1176
Services: Global clinical outsourcing organization providing full-service CRO capabilities, functional service provider (FSP) strategies, and on-demand staffing solutions (including contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire) for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device organizations.
Website: www.advancedclinical.com
Top executive: Leo Sheridan, CEO and president
Year established: 1994
Allen-Jeffers Associates
Address: 28512 Las Arubas, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. Additional office in Nashville, TN, serving Eastern and Southern regions of the U.S.
Phone number(s): (949) 643-2146
Services: Executive and technical search firm dedicated to serving pharmaceutical, medical device, and allied technology industries exclusively.
Website: www.allen-jeffersassoc.com
Top executive: Bob Jeffers, president and founder
Year established: 1978
The Bandish Group
Address: 1432 Easton Road, Suite 2B, Warrington, PA 18976
Phone number(s): (267) 483-5233
Services: Boutique specialty executive search firm providing full life cycle global recruiting services and staffing solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and device industries.
Website: www.bandishgroup.com
Top executive: Jackie Bandish, president and founder
Year established: 1996
BattaliaWinston
Address: 555 Madison Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Life Sciences practice group bases consultants in Chicago, and Woodbridge, NJ. Firm has its headquarters in New York, and additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Woodbridge, NJ.
Phone number(s): (212) 308-8080
Services: Executive search services for the life sciences and other industries. Functional areas include marketing, human resources, CEOs, CIO and technology leadership, legal, risk, compliance, R&D, sales, and CFO and financial leadership. One of the world’s largest woman-owned executive search firms.
Website: www.battaliawinston.com
Top executive: Dale Winston, chairwoman and CEO
Year established: 1963
Bio-Partners and Lennon Search Associates
Address: 611 W. Union St., Morganton, NC. Additional offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Phone number(s): (828) 433-7058
Services: Bio-Partners specializes in recruiting for positions in the life sciences, including specialties in bioinformatics, biopharmaceutical, genomics/proteomics, cheminformatics, clinical trials, and medical devices. Lennon Search Associates specializes in assignments for bioscience, healthcare, medical device, pharmaceutical, consumer, and personal product industries. Also specializes in key executive recruitment for positions in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, engineering leaders and technical management. Lennon Search also offers traditional direct staffing, and contractual services for executive, engineering and technical professions.
Websites: recruiters-connection.com ; lennonsearch.com/contact
Top executives: Bio-Partners—Conrad Taylor, founder; Bill Lennon, co-founder, and Fred Kaplan, co-founder; Lennon Search Associates—Bill Lennon, founder and president
Year established: 1988; founded as Hall Management Group
BioPhase Solutions
Address: 5405 Morehouse Dr, Suite 135, San Diego, CA 92121; 401 East Ocean Blvd, Suite 510, Long Beach, CA 90802; 1255 Treat Blvd, Suite 308, Walnut Creek, CA 94597
Phone number(s): San Diego—(858) 552-2000; Long Beach—(562) 495-3200; Walnut Creek—(925) 472-6636
Services: Provider of scientific, clinical research and administrative personnel to biotech and pharmaceutical companies in California; Placements have ranged from recent life science graduates to seasoned clinical research associates looking for managerial openings.
Website: www.biophaseinc.com
Top executive: Jeff Prekker, president
Year established: Year unavailable
BioQuest
Address: Northern California office: 100 Mission Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105. Southern California office: 27405 Puerto Real, Suite 355, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Phone number(s): (415) 777-2422
Services: Retained executive search services firm focused on the top two management tiers (CEO and all functional VPs), in addition to board searches, for the life sciences industry, including biopharmaceutical and diagnostics employers.
Website: www.bioquestinc.com
Top executive: Karen Bertrand, svp, Biopharmaceutical Practice leader, based in San Francisco
Year established: 1985
BLG Executive Search
Address: Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 54 60325 Frankfurt am Main. Additional offices in Zug, Switzerland; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands (following acquisition of HealthyCareers in January 2015)
Phone number: +49 (0) 69 380 78 76 00
Services: Executive search recruitment consultants searching for candidates across Europe to fill positions in diagnostics and medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotech.
Website: www.blg-es.com
Top executives: Pim van de Riet, managing director and chairman of the board
Year established: 2011
The Bowdoin Group
Address: 40 William Street, Wellesley, MA 02481; 120 E. 23rd Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017
Phone number(s): (781) 263-5200; New York—(646) 568-3250
Services: Full-time hiring practice with a focus on mid- to executive-level positions in life sciences and other practice areas. Focus on finding highly specialized executives and building out teams of scientists, medical affairs, manufacturing, operations and sales professionals.
Website: bowdoingroup.com
Top executive: Dave Melville, CEO and founder
Year established: 1994
Clark Executive Search
Address: 135 N. Ferry Road, PO Box 560, Shelter Island, NY 11964
Phone number(s): (631) 749-3540
Services: Boutique recruiting firm focused exclusively on placing senior level scientists and doctors in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; firm recruits M.D. or Ph.D. candidates for research and development positions ranging from senior scientists to corporate officers.
Website: clarksearch.com
Top executive: Ellen Clark, president
Year established: 1997
Compass Consulting Group
Address: 4145 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Suite 102, Danville, CA 94506
Phone number(s): (925) 884-3811
Services: Focused on placement of life science and biopharmaceutical professionals in research, development, and commercialization positions; also focuses on placement of IT and legal professionals.
Website: www.compasscgroup.com/life-science-bio-tech-recruiters/pharmaceutical-it-staffing
Top executive: Brett Forrest, founder and managing partner
Year established: 2008
Cornerstone Search Group
Address: 6 Campus Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone number(s): (973) 656-0220; also in Switzerland at 41 61 508 7010
Services: Specialized life sciences executive search firm whose clients include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, consumer healthcare, and life science consulting companies. Partners with U.S. and global life science companies to identify and recruit accomplished professionals for their senior staff through executive management level positions located worldwide.
Website: www.cornerstonesg.com
Top executives: Cliff F. Miras, co-founder & managing partner; Steven Y. Raz, co-founder & managing partner
Year established: 2000
Critical Path Inc.
Address: 8221 Village Harbor Drive, Cornelius, NC 28031
Phone number(s): (704) 765-2650
Services: National search firm providing recruitment services exclusively to clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Services for employers include contingency searches and retained searches.
Website: www.criticalpathinc.net
Top executive: Karen Baldwin, president
Year established: 1995
Double-Helix
Address: 1296 Mayette Ave., San Jose, CA 95125
Phone number(s): (408) 390-6948
Services: Provides technology, staffing, and security advisory services and resources tailored to meet the needs of growing personalized medicine and life-science companies.
Website: www.double-helix.com
Top executives: Molly Ryan, founder and CEO; Ken Stineman, founder and CTO
Year established: 1997
Dunne and Associates
Address: Greenville, SC1
Phone number(s): (864) 735-8786
Services: Executive search firm recruiting for sales, sales management, and marketing positions with biotech companies.
Website: www.dunneandassociates.net
Top executives: Vincent Dunne, president; Aaron AuBuchon, partner
Year established: 2013
Greylock Recruiting
Address: 545 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267
Phone number(s): (617) 680-1952
Services: Full-service recruiting, search, and staffing agency focused on providing a comprehensive and confidential service for scientific professionals within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Clients range from small startups to top-tier pharmaceutical and biotech companies throughout the continental U.S., for whom the firm sources and provides candidates for full-time positions. Areas of focus include bioanalysis/bioanalytical, clinical pharmacology, drug metabolism/DMPK, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology-in vitro/in vivo, pharmacometrics, preclinical development, and toxicology.
Website: www.greylock-recruiting.com
Top executive: T.J. Elder, principal
Year established: 2007
HireLifeScience.com
Address: 62 Pine Drive, Roosevelt, NJ 08555
Phone number(s): (609) 308-2658
Services: Employment resource and networking tool for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life science, and medical device industries. Works exclusively with direct employer clients seeking to fill positions in categories that include R&D, clinical research associate, chemist, scientist, biology, oncology, regulatory affairs, biostatistician, medical writer, laboratory, quality assurance, quality control, sales & marketing, manufacturing, and medical communication.
Website: www.hirelifescience.com
Top executive: Rob Masterson, president
Year established: 2004
HireMinds
Address: East Coast: 222 Third Street, Suite 0350, Cambridge, MA 02142. West Coast: 50 California St., Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone number(s): East Coast: (617) 252-0606; West Coast: (415) 795-9300
Services: Search firm focused on industries that include the life sciences; Job specialties include clinical research, chemistry, discovery research, engineering/facilities, lab animal medicine, manufacturing, process development, project management, quality and regulatory, and validation/calibration.
Website: www.hireminds.com
Top executive: David Hayes, president and founder
Year established: 1998
Joseph Associates Inc.
Address: 229 Main St., Huntington, NY 11743
Phone number(s): (631) 351-5805
Services: Recruit professional staff for the pharmaceutical, biomedical, biotechnical, healthcare, and medical device industries as well as information technology professionals for all business areas. Provide companies with personnel to fill positions that include biostatisticians, clinical development, computational biologists, drug safety, epidemiologists, HEOR Specialists, medical directors, directors of pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacovigilance, statisticians.
Website: www.jaexecutivesearch.com
Top executive: Joe Nakelski, president
Year established: 1986
K2 Executive Search
Address: 6088 Royal Birkdale Drive, #1700, Lake Worth, FL 33463
Phone number(s): (202) 465-4792
Services: Contingency recruiting firm serving clients in biotech and life sciences that seek candidates with experience in mass spec, genomics, proteomics, PCR, assay development, microarray, next-gen sequencing, drug discovery, HPLC/GC, biodefense, molecular diagnostics, and more. Firm provides candidates for sales, R&D, FAS, in-house counsel, marketing, operations, engineering, and management roles.
Website: k2search.com
Top executive: David Ruyle, owner
Year established: 2000
Kelly Services
Address: 999 West Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48084-4782; Asia-Pacific HQ: 20 Anson Road, #05-01 Twenty Anson, Singapore 079912; Europe-Middle East-Africa HQ: 20, Avenue Edouard-Dubois – CP 48, CH – 2006 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Phone number(s): U.S.: (248) 362-4444; Singapore: +656709 3388; Switzerland: +4132 737 18
Services: Provider of outsourcing and consulting services, as well as staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis.
Website: www.kellyservices.com/Global/Science
Top executive: Carl T. Camden, president and CEO
Year established: 1946
Kuhn Med-Tech
Address: 27128 Paseo Espada, San Juan Capestrano, CA 92675
Phone number(s): (714) 944-9231
Services: Executive search consultants for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device positions at companies worldwide; Positions include R&D, manufacturing, engineering, marketing/sales, senior management, regulatory/clinical affairs, and quality.
Website: www.kuhnmed-tech.com
Top executive: Bob Jeffers, president; Larry A. Kuhn, founder
Year established: 1979
Lab Support, A Division of On Assignment
Address: 26745 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas, CA 91301; 31 additional U.S. offices; eight offices and one additional location outside the U.S.
Phone number(s): (800) 536-3293
Services: Focuses on placing science, engineering, and preclinical professionals in contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire opportunities; positions include biochemists, biologists, chemists, clinical research associates, data managers, design engineers, environmental scientists, food scientists, lab assistants, molecular biologists, microbiologists, QA/QC technicians, regulatory affairs specialists, and validation engineers.
Website: www.labsupport.com
Top executive: Peter Dameris, president and CEO
Year established: 1985
Life Science Partner
Address: 1230 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone number(s): (404) 920-2050
Services: National recruiting firm providing executive search and consulting services designed to meet the needs of life sciences and healthcare organizations.
Website: lifesciencepartner.com
Top executives: Thomas H. Callaway, M.D., founder and president; Katie Barton, vp, client relations and business development
Year established: Year unavailable
Life Science Search Partners
Address: 145. S Livernois, Suite 240, Rochester Hills, MI 48307
Phone number(s): (888) 303-3960
Services: National executive search and recruiting firm specializing in strategic placements within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors; Executing complex and discreet searches for multinational corporations, start-ups and companies in turnaround situations; Division of JMJ Phillip.
Website: lifesciencesearch.com
Top executive: Ryan Goff, executive director
Year established: 2009
Life Search Technologies
Address: 11350 McCormick Road – Executive Plaza 3, Suite 1001, Hunt Valley, MD 21030
Phone number(s): (410) 785-6313
Services: Executive search firm providing staffing solutionsfor biotechnology as well as healthcare and IT; Focuses on drug discovery positions in molecular/cell biology; genomics; proteomics; immunology; protein chemistry; chromatography; mass spectrometry; high throughput screening (HTS); microarray; instrumentation; bioinformatics; image analysis equipment; lab supplies.
Website: lifesearchtech.com
Top executive: Glenn A. Davis, president/CEO
Year established: 2002
MEIRxRS
Address: 100 N. Brand Blvd., Suite 306-309, Glendale, CA 91203
Phone number(s): (818) 552-2503
Services: MEI: Recruitment for top-echelon executive and vp-level positions in clinical research, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and medical affairs; Rx RS focuses on staffing solutions for the life sciences industry designed to be comprehensive, flexible, and cost-effective.
Websites: www.meirxrs.com/medexec-international-healthcare-recruiters; www.meirxrs.com/rx-research-staffing; www.meirxrs.com/cro-clinical-research-company
Top executive: Rosemarie Christopher, founder, president and CEO
Year established: 1992
Neil Michael Group
Address: 9 Park Place, Great Neck, NY 11021
Phone number(s): (516) 482-8810
Services: Life science executive search firm focused entirely on senior level executive and scientific searches on an international scale.
Website: www.nmgsearch.com
Top executive: Neil M. Solomon, Ph.D., principal and consultant
Year established: 1983
On Assignment
Address: 26745 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas, CA 91301
Phone number(s): (818) 878-7900
Services: Provides life sciences staffing service offerings through two divisions: Lab Support, and Valesta Clinical Research Solutions (See separate listings for both).
Website: www.onassignment.com/divisions/life-sciences-staffing
Top executive: Peter T. Dameris, president and CEO
Year established: Founded 1999 as Sharpstream; acquired 2010 by On Assignment, founded 1985
Powell Search Associates
Address: 123 Harbor Drive, Suite 202, Stamford, CT 06902
Phone number(s): (203) 327-7671
Services: Pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive search firm. Positions filled include R&D areas such as biometrics/biostatistics, clinical development/clinical research, Phase IV patient registries, pricing and reimbursement, produce development, QA/QC, regulatory affairs, safety, and toxicology. Firm also fills positions in nontechnical areas that include alliance management, business development, intellectual property, marketing, government affairs, and public/investor relations.
Website: powellsearch.com
Top executive: Clare Powell, founder
Year established: 2008
Randstad Pharma
Address: Headquarters: Four Parkway North, Suite 120, Deerfield, IL 60015; Additional offices in Philadelphia, Burlingame, CA; and Woburn, MA
Phone number(s): (877) 335-8210
Services: Matching professionals with career opportunities at the world's leading biopharma and life science companies for more than 20 years; Staffing services encompass specific areas of clinical research and development, including clinical operations, pharmacovigilance, medical writing, clinical IT, biometrics, regulatory affairs, and much more.
Website: pharma.randstadusa.com
Top executive: Greg Coir, president, Randstad Pharma and evp of Randstad's Pharma and Life Sciences Division
Year established: 1996
Reaction Search International
Address: 5000 Executive Parkway, Suite 450, San Ramon, CA 94583; 45 additional U.S. locations, and nine additional locations outside the U.S.
Phone number(s): (925) 275-0727
Services: Executive recruitment firm placing candidates in biotechnology among a dozen functional practice areas. Positions placed have included biostatistics and clinical data management, board search, CEO, CBO, CFO, CMO, chemistry (analytical/bio-analytical/organic), clinical pharmacology, clinical research, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, drug discovery, IT and laboratory automation, manufacturing and engineering, medical affairs, pathology and toxicology, process and product development, project management, QA/QC, regulatory affairs, sales, vp-clinical development.
Website: www.reactionsearch.com
Top executive: Robert Boroff, managing director
Year established: 1995
Resource Management & Acquisitions (RMA®)
Address: Principal location address not available; 40 locations in the U.S. and Canada; nine in Europe; eight in Asia; and three in the South Pacific
Phone number(s): (888) 646-2607
Services: Executive search and executive recruiting for 30 industries including biotechnology, where the firm serves companies whose technologies are based on biology, agriculture, food science, or medicine. Segments include genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology IT and biorobotics.
Website: www.rmasearchfirm.com
Top executive: Name unavailable
Year established: Year unavailable; “over 20 years of experience,” according to website
Scientific Search
Address: 101 East Gate Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034; Additional offices in Fort Washington, PA; Hoboken, NJ; and Fairfax, VA
Phone number(s): (856) 761-0900
Services: Full-service employment agency offering multiple staffing options for professionals, with specialties in pharmaceutical and biotechnology as well as other industries, placing candidates all in positions across the U.S.
Website: scientificsearch.com
Top executive: Joseph Peters, president
Year established: 1983
Shaw Associates
Address: 11182 Callaway Greens Drive, Suite 100, Fort Myers, FL 33913-8139
Phone number(s): (239) 454-4414, and toll free at (800) 875-SHAW [7429]
Services: Executive search firm serving the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries; Areas of specialty include analytical, auditing, business development, clinical research, manufacturing, product development, QA/QC, regulatory affairs, technical services, and validation. Firm does not focus on sales specialties.
Website: www.shawassociates.com
Top executive: A. Gregory Shaw, president
Year established: 1995
Simply Biotech
Address: 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92127
Phone number(s): (858) 487-0507
Services: Recruiting firm dedicated exclusively to the biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries in San Diego. Candidates placed at all levels in temporary, contract, or contract-to-hire positions.
Website: www.simplybiotech.com
Top executive: Travis Medley, president
Year established: 2008
The Swan Group
Address: 35 West High Street Somerville, NJ 08876; Also has an office in Buckingham, PA
Phone number(s): (908) 526-5440; (215) 230-9612
Services: Professional staffing firm specializing in high-level information technology placement within the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and consumer products industries.
Website: www.swangroup.net
Top executives: Barbara Swan, founder and president (Buckingham, PA); Steven Swan, technology recruiter (Somerville, NJ)
Year established: 1983
Craig Tanner & Associates
Address: 993 South Santa Fe, Vista, CA 92083
Phone number(s): (760) 598-3363
Services: Executive search firm recruiting for positions in biotechnology companies and large pharmaceutical companies, as well as consumer goods companies.
Website: www.biotechsearch.com
Top executive: Craig Tanner, founder and CEO
Year established: 1984
Valesta Clinical Research Solutions, a Division of On Assignment
Address: 26745 Malibu Hills Road Calabasas, CA 91301; Additional offices in Belgium (Mechelen and Mont-Saint-Guibert), Spain (Barcelona and Madrid), and the Netherlands (’s-Hertogenbosch)
Phone number(s): (800) 445-2465
Services: Specializes in filling positions in life sciences, as well as in healthcare and technology; Places candidates in functional outsourcing, contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire opportunities. Focuses on staffing throughout every phase of clinical trials, including professionals in biostatistics, clinical data management, clinical operations, clinical systems, compliance, medical affairs, QA/QC, regulatory affairs, R&D, SAS/statistical programming, and validation.
Website: us.valesta.com
Top executive: Peter Dameris, president and CEO
Year established: 2011; formed by acquisition of Belgian-owned Valesta, founded 1997, by On Assignment, founded 1985; On Assignment combined Valesta with its clinical research division, which incorporates The Cambridge Group, founded 1976
Note:
1 Address unavailable at deadline pending opening of new facility