Case Study: Tailored interim solutions for international CRO organisation

The situation

In 2013, one of the largest contract research organisations in the world won a major bid with a leading pharmaceutical company that wished to outsource a number of high profile projects. As a result, the head of statistical programming found himself with an urgent requirement for statistical programmers. An industry-wide shortage meant he was uncertain of how to source the headcount required. Although the client’s intention was to recruit permanent staff we contacted him advising him to consider contractors. Together, we looked into the financial impact involved in contract staff; projected costs, as well as the impact of not having sufficient resources in place by project commencement.

Our actions

With the client’s approval, we contacted relevant contractors within our extensive network with the ideal skill set and experience, ascertaining the interest and commitment from each. Our focus on relationship building meant that we already had a pool of strong candidates who’d expressed an interest in working with the company should a suitable opportunity arise. We were, therefore, able to submit a list of candidates, together with profiles, within three working days.

The result

The exact match in candidate skills allowed interviewing to start immediately and within two weeks, three candidates were hired and working. We managed the entire process, from interviews to offer.

This contractor recruitment drive meant we approached our clients with the right balance of permanent head-count and professional contractors. They had the correct resources in place to cope with the peaks in workload and outperformed many of their competitors. As a result, we were highly recommended to their German office where we’ve filled every contract assignment we’ve been given.

We are proud to have made a small but significant contribution to their strategy and success.