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

Previous articleObama Administration Lays Out Plan vs. Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Next articleShape-Shifting Probe May Revolutionize Biology and Clinical Diagnostics