Related Jobs

Research Manager (Primary Market Research)
Salary:

£35000 - £45000 per annum

Location:

London

Description

Hobson Prior are working with an innovative pharmaceutical organisation who focus on providing research intelligence and strategic recommendations.

Stefan Beck
Read more
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Bioprocessing Scientist
Salary:

£30000 - £32000 per annum

Location:

London

Description

Hobson Prior are currently working with a gene therapy organisation who are determined to develop possible curative treatments for patients who are living with serious illnesses.

Marjolene D'Almeida
Marjolene D'Almeida
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Regulatory Project Manager
Salary:

£300 - £350 per day

Location:

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Description

Hobson Prior are currently seeking a Regulatory Project Manager for an exciting position at a research-based biopharmaceutical company.

Raymond Pankhurst
Raymond Pankhurst
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Associate Director (Market Research)
Salary:

£55000 - £65000 per annum

Location:

London

Description

Hobson Prior are working with an innovative pharmaceutical organisation who focus on providing research intelligence and strategic recommendations.

Stefan Beck
Read more
Shortlist
Business Systems Responsible
Salary:

CHF85000 - CHF90000 per annum

Location:

Geneva

Description

Hobson Prior are looking for Business Systems Responsible to join a growing drug discovery and development company who concentrates on developing antibody-based drugs

Matthew Vickers
Matthew Vickers
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Case study: Moving from Milan to Frankfurt

Patricia Ullbrich our consultant managing the role
Author: Patricia Ullbrich
Patricia Ullbrich our consultant managing the role
Author: Patricia Ullbrich
Posted:06/11/2019

The situation

For over six years, our Italian-born candidate had been working for a small medical sciences organisation based just outside Milan as a statistical head of programming. She wanted to move to a European country with a more stable economy, however with no languages other than English and Italian, her options were limited.

Hobson Prior solution

We managed to identify a position as a senior principal statistical programmer with a leading global organisation in the pharmaceutical sector based in Frankfurt, Germany, where the successful applicant would be able to work entirely in English.

Although extremely interested in the role, our candidate was concerned about moving to an area she knew nothing about. Her partner was due to move with her a few months later and they needed time to get to know the area and find a place to live.

The result

We explained their concerns and, in response, the organisation offered six open-dated return flights and a salary that outweighed expectations. This was far more than expected and she was delighted. She accepted the role and moved to Germany four months later.

Related posts

Hobson Prior continues global expansion within life sciences recruitment support

Hobson Prior continues global expansion within life sciences recruitment support Life science recruitment company Hobson Prior has further expanded its global presence this month by opening a new office in Cape Town. This is the second international office the UK-based firm has opened in 2020, after establishing itself in Basel, Switzerland earlier this year. As life sciences recruitment partners for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices companies around the world, scalability and global coverage have always been key to Hobson Prior’s success. With clients from around the world and a headhunting and candidate network spanning several continents, Hobson Prior continues to grow its international presence throughout 2020. International presence Hobson Prior prides itself on delivering expert recruitment solutions to candidates and clients around the world, covering the core life sciences hubs and beyond. It is through these international connections that they have access to the highest calibre of candidates and can headhunt rare and nicely specialised talent. Notably, Hobson Prior has placed life sciences workers in over 30 countries in interim and permanent positions. Also, Hobson Prior’s interim recruitment team hit a landmark 200 live onsite contractors across Europe amidst the global pandemic. “The currently global situation has proven the possibility of embracing more remote working, particularly on an international scale,” comments Patrick Forster, Managing Director of Hobson Prior. “As our network and internal coverage expands, we can continue to connect life sciences professionals with the companies that need their services and offer innovative and efficient recruitment solutions for our clients”. Global expansion This year, Hobson Prior relocated their Switzerland office from Lausanne to Basel. They also secured a SECO interim recruitment license, enabling them to payroll Swiss contractors and provide compliant interim recruitment services to Swiss clients directly from their Basel office. This has enabled them to improve their solutions for clients, as well as support international businesses source talent to launch new sites within Switzerland. Most recently, they’ve helped US based clients overcome the challenges of hiring in Switzerland from the states, using the recruiters based in Basel to impart their knowledge and experience of the Swiss candidate market. Introducing Hobson Prior Cape Town Following the Swiss move, Hobson Prior is also opening a new office in Cape Town, South Africa, expanding their team to establish themselves within a new continent and ensure they can continue to provide expert international support to their life sciences clients, wherever they may be.South Africa is home to sites for many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmitheKline, Pfizer and Sanofi and is a growing hub for development within the life science. This new office aims to support Hobson Priore's global efforts and ensure they can support their clients with recruitment solutions, regardless of time differences.   “These steps are key to Hobson Prior’s plans for sustainable global growth and will empower us to continue our mission to provide exceptional recruitment solutions to candidates and clients across the life sciences sector, on a truly worldwide scale”Patrick Forster- Managing Director, Hobson PriorFor more information on Hobson Prior’s international recruitment solutions, please visit the employers section of the website or contact the client services team directly:Email: clientservices@hobsonprior.com Telephone: (+44) 01892 612612

Patrick Forster

Patrick Forster

03/09/2020

How to interview someone that you know

The life sciences industry relies upon the talents of often niche specialisms, where the number of qualified and experienced candidates can be limited. With a high demand for rare and specialised professionals, it is easy to get to know a lot of the names and faces within some sectors. As an interviewer, you need to ensure you’re conducting fair and unbiased interviews not only hire the best candidates for the job, but also to avoid breaching employment laws. However, this can be become more complex when you have an existing knowledge or awareness of the candidates.  Firstly, how do you know the candidate? We meet people in lots of ways within the industry. It is this level of relationship that will ultimately determine how best to address the interview:  Networking/Professionally People you meet at industry events, through a company collaboration or perhaps they’re a respected name in the field, won’t necessarily create a conflict of interests. That said, depending on the closeness of your professional relationship, any prior relationship could invite some biases, so it’s important to remain consciously impartial.  Previous employer/employee Having experience working with the candidate before will give you valuable insight into their performance, but may also complicate the interview process, as it will be more difficult to remain impartial.   Family or friend This relationship is likely the most problematic for an interviewer. Whilst it is certainly possible to be impartial, this may be considered a conflict of interests and could lead to accusations of nepotism or bias. It’s important to follow procedures to protect yourself in this scenario.   Internal promotion Perhaps someone from your team is going for a management role or someone from elsewhere in the business is looking to join your team. Depending on your close working relationship, you may find complications in remaining impartial, impacting the fairness of the process for you and your colleague. Balancing the needs of the company, your responsibility as the interviewer and your connection to the person being interviewed can be a tenuous task. Here are some core considerations for how to interview someone that you know within life sciences: 1. Inform your HR team It is best practice to tell your HR team if you are planning to interview a candidate that you have previous connections with. Even what you may consider to be an inconsequential connection can have ramifications, so it is best to protect yourself and ensure you have followed internal procedures. Your HR teams will have a greater knowledge surrounding legal and ethical issues you may not be aware of and will protect you from potential conflicts of interest. Be honest about how you know the candidate and the extent of your relationship with them.   2. Assess whether your involvement is needed How important is it that you conduct the interview? Is there someone else who could take the interview on your behalf? Even if you know you’d be fully professional, it may be easier to defer to colleague and avoid the potential pressures and awkwardness by not being involved. If you do choose to conduct the interview, ensure you are with a colleague and a HR representative if possible. This will protect you and your friends from breaching company policy, as well as guarantee there is an impartial second opinion. It is also worth considering the interviewees thoughts; interviews are stressful enough without the potential pitfalls of knowing your interviewer. Asking if they would be comfortable to be interviewed by you or offering an alternative interviewer could reduce some of this stress. 3. Establish boundaries early Addressing the issue head on will be the quickest and most effective way to clarify the process and dispel any concerns about your involvement, as well as make clear that you will remain professionally impartial.  Give a clear explanation on:How you will conduct the interviewHow they will be assessedWho will be involved in the decision-makingHow your existing relationship will (or rather will not) impact the proceedingsThe post-interview process and that you will not be able to influence the outcome Be honest and upfront about your relationship with them and address the elephant in the room. Perhaps give them an alternative interviewer option if it is a friend or an existing colleague. This should relieve tension and set the tone for an impartial and hopefully positive experience for you both. 4. Examine your biases and ethical dilemmaPrepare your response to scenarios before going into the interview. How will you react if they keep bringing up your relationship to them or if they reference personal issues you have a connection to?  Highlight areas where your relationship with the candidate could put you in an ethical quandary. For example, if you know the candidate is underselling their skills or not using an example that would help their cause, would you raise this? Would it be unfair to say something on their behalf or to lead the questioning to give them an advantage? Conversely, what if you know them to always be late to social events outside of work, could that create an unfair bias against their professional performance? What if they say something you believe to be untrue? Would you call them out? Could it be your unconscious bias?  A useful question to ask yourself to avoid bias is “would you ask this to another candidate?”. A second opinion is always useful to protect your and your friend’s interests. You can defer to them to help you avoid these ethical issues. 5. Evidence over experienceA sure-fire way to protect yourself from any accusation or bias based on assumption from your existing relationship, is to ensure that you have evidence for anything you inherently believe about the candidate. You may know the interviewee has exceptional leadership qualities from working together previously or from how they’ve lead teams outside of a working environment. However, without tangible evidence of this in the interview, you open yourself to criticism on your judgement.  Whilst it would be unethical to ask leading questions, the responses they give will be more valuable to the interview assessment.  6. Prepare for the conclusionOne of the pitfalls of interviewing someone you know, is the inevitable questioning of the result. Having established boundaries early on, you should be in a good position, but it is useful to have responses ready. If the candidate is unsuccessful, there may be impacts to your relationship outside of work, or even a complaint about your involvement. Be sure to communicate the decision process with your friend and be transparent about your involvement in any decision-making processes.  If the person you know is successful, you may have colleagues or other interviewees question the legitimacy or fairness of your interview. Even if you’ve followed all the procedures or even had a HR representative take over the process. Address concerns of your teams ahead of time and create a positive narrative about the new employee. Keep an open door to discuss any concerns that come up and keep an eye out for how the team dynamics are affected. Ultimately, the life sciences industry is fuelled by networking and collaboration. Having trusted and proven professionals on your team is a bonus and, although there may be some ethical issues to be aware of, having a previous relationship with people joining your team can be a huge advantage to productivity and success. Provided you keep an impartial position and follow procedures, interviewing someone you know can be no different than conducting an interview with a complete stranger. Looking to hire life sciences professionals?For more information on our recruitment solutions for interim and permanent vacancies, you can contact our dedicated client services team here, or upload your job description directly.

Andy Haywood

Andy Haywood

01/09/2020

Using our local knowledge to help a US business launch in Switzerland

OverviewCompany: US based biotechnology company, looking to expand within European markets Role required: Medical Directors, Executive level Recruitment situation: Our US based client was looking to launch a new site, based in Geneva. They needed a medical director with experience across all stages of clinical development. The role had been open for 12 months, but all their previous candidates were more focused on late phase rather than the who process. The situation We were approached by a US-based biotechnology company that needed a senior director to join their executive team in their new Swiss site. The role was a strategy focused role, where the chosen candidate would be responsible for overseeing the programmes through all stages of clinical development as well as taking a key role in the leadership team. They had been working with recruitment companies, but they were unable to find medical directors with enough experience across the phases of development. As such, the role had been open for 12 months and was limiting the development of their Swiss entity. Based on our global experience aiding companies across the world source candidates on an international level, we were approached to help source potential candidates on this role. As a senior and critical role that had already experienced disappointment for the client, we referred them to our executive search team and began the process of identifying the optimal. Hobson Prior executive solutionThe initial focus was to identify which candidates had already been interviewed and why they were not offered the final role. By understanding the client’s minimum requirements and identifying where unsuccessful candidates had been sourced allowed us to minimise future unsuccessful submissions. As part of this process, we worked closely with the client to identify pre-existing role models within their business and the industry. Utilising our advanced recruitment software, we were then able to isolate candidates in Switzerland with similar education and employment history as they would have the skillset required for the role. Our European team began proactively headhunting our extensive mainland network. By utilising our contacts, we were able to collect referrals of skilled professionals that matched our client’s criteria. We were then able to build a pool of potential candidates and pre-interview each candidate before submission to ensure we only put forward those that would benefit our client. We worked closely with their US team to facilitate the phone interviews and follow-up face-to-face interviews, ensuring that despite the time difference, all parties were aware of the process and maintaining effective communication. The resultFollowing a successful interview period, a candidate from the UK was offered a role within 5 months of the role being with us, a 60% decrease from the previous attempts. Based on the success of this process, we found another candidate who was offered a similar roe in their European team two months after the first placement. By working with our executive team, they were able to expand across Germany and the UK, with the qualified medical directors they needed. We dramatically reduced their time to hire and they have gone on to create and addition third and fourth role to allow more of the candidates we sourced to join their team. To learn more about our recruitment solutions, you can view our employers section or upload a job description to our client services team. Hobson Prior Interim Recruitment  Our interim solutions are customised to ensure we provide you with fast delivery and high-quality candidates. You’ll also benefit from additional services to ensure efficient turnaround.Local candidate pools Same day search International contractor support Pre-assessed submissions Full compliance and support Click here for more information

Matthew Vickers

Matthew Vickers

13/08/2020

Why are there so many pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland?

Switzerland is one of the most popular places for a pharmaceutical company to establish a new site. Global industry leading companies including Roche, Novartis, Merck and Celgene have a large presence within Switzerland and there is continued interest from international biotech and pharma companies, particularly from the US, to open new sites within the country. Over 40 new biotechs and pharma companies established themselves in there in 2019, so why are so many pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland? Why are European pharma companies concentrated in Switzerland? Switzerland’s relationship within Europe Over a third of Swiss exports come from the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry and the territory has established itself as a leading hub for life sciences development within Europe. With over 250 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies based across Basel, Zurich, Geneva and other core cities in Switzerland, there is already a proven and well-resourced access to talent, resources, funding and clinical development within the country. Similarly, being geographically close to other leading life sciences hubs within Germany, France and Italy provides Switzerland a very beneficial position to expand a life sciences business. Switzerland and the EU and EMA Switzerland is not a member of the EU or the EEA (European Economic Area), but maintains a confidentiality agreement with the European Commission and European Medicines Agency (EMA) through the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic). Similarly, the sovereign state maintains a strong connection to the European Union with a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) for good manufacturing practice (GMP) compliance, as well as strong ties to the FDA. This unique political and commercial position can be advantageous for pharmaceutical companies to have a presence in this booming market that has more financial and political freedom, whilst ensuring strong connections to the EMA and FDA global markets.   Top life sciences talent from Switzerland A core consideration for any site selection is ease of accessibility to top talent within the industry; ultimately, it is a strong workforce that drives success in pharma. Attraction and retention of talented professionals relies on the appeal of the country and its cities, the quality of life and understanding of local customs and employment laws. Whilst it is difficult to quantify analysis for employee potential and happiness in their environment, Switzerland ranks highly across numerous studies in workforce satisfaction and quality of life. Switzerland and access to talent Switzerland has consistently ranked highly in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), which measures and ranks countries based on their ability to grow, attract and retain talent. Switzerland was ranked first place in the GTCI 2020, with notably high rankings in employee retention, enabling employees’ development and encouraging personal growth. With a particular focus on how AI and adoption of technology have impacted the index in 2020, Switzerland’s high ranking demonstrates a promising consideration of innovation alongside talent attraction and business development Similarly, the country ranks highly for many aspects of workforce skills in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness report 2019, with 1st place rankings in extent of staff training, quality of vocational training and skillsets of graduates. Switzerland is also home to 4 out of 100 of the Times Higher Education top 100 universities worldwide, with 7 in the top 200 universities, promoting Switzerland’s reputation for education and research. Strong performance in these areas highlights the promising growth Switzerland has in attracting top talent internationally, as well as producing skilled workers within its education system and employee development.   Switzerland and quality of life for employees Switzerland scores highly in employee retention on the GTCI 2020, suggesting a satisfactory lifestyle provided for potential employees. This is further supported by Zurich’s position as 2nd, Geneva as 9th and Basel as 10th globally on the Mercer Quality of Living Index 2020, which reviews quality of living standards in line with typical compensation packages.    The combination of all these factors, alongside the proximity to other leading life sciences hubs in Germany and France, suggest Switzerland can be a highly beneficial place for skilled professionals to establish their career across biotechnology and pharma, enabling Swiss based pharmaceutical companies access to talented individuals, at a local level, across a range of specialist fields.   “Practically all the specialist life sciences candidates we work with are aware of Switzerland’s appeal within the industry. There is no shortage of talented professionals already based or looking to locate to the vicinity so there is often a surplus of viable candidates.” Matthew Vickers, Principal Consultant for Swiss Clinical recruitment at Hobson Prior. “In fact, it is often more difficult for the companies we work with to compete for the attention of this talent, particularly if they don’t know the swiss recruitment system.”   Switzerland’s investment in R&D With biotechnology and pharma making up 40% of Swiss exports, Switzerland has the largest export surplus of pharmaceutical products worldwide, producing 88.4 CHF billion in pharmaceutical industry exports in 2019. It is no surprise that Switzerland invests heavily in its research and development schemes to ensure continued growth and innovation. Around 7,000,000,000 CHF was invested into R&D from Swiss pharma companies in 2018, with continued investment and innovation across the pharma and biotech spaces within Switzerland. This led to the development of multiple new start-ups as Switzerland continues to continue to build its life sciences industry. As a core industry, the country is very supportive of its innovators.   Switzerland and innovation Switzerland ranked number 1 against EU countries on the in European Innovation Scoreboard 2020, which assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of national innovation systems within the EU and neighbouring countries. With Switzerland globally renowned for life sciences innovation, the pharma industry is likely to have contributed significantly to this.   For life sciences, Switzerland’s commitment to funding innovative ideas provides a great advantage for pharma development. The registration process for obtaining a license for a new pharmaceutical product from the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products is one of the fastest in the world and with one of the most sophisticated healthcare systems, it lends itself to efficient pharmaceutical development and clinical testing. With leading biotechs specialising in new technological advancements such as cell and gene therapy, CRISPR and AI integration across the life sciences, the country’s influence in life sciences is visible on a global scale. With a landscape centred on innovation and scientific development, many pharma companies enjoy the benefits of being based there.   Switzerland and future stability Through investment in innovation, Switzerland ranks highly across core areas of future development and readiness for changes and advancements within the life sciences industry and across the global business outlook: 1st for change readiness - 20191st for growth promise indicators - 2019 1st for economic freedom in Europe - 20202nd for global resilience - 20203rd for world competitiveness - 2020 Whilst the future is never fully certain, with strong investment and dedication to promoting its life sciences, Switzerland appears to be at the height of pharmaceutical development and with no plans to slow down.     Switzerland as an international investment Overall, there are various reasons impacting a pharmaceutical company’s decision for a site location and Switzerland has established itself as a proven global leader in many of these aspects, including talent attraction, investment into innovation and pharmaceutical success. With a large focus on the life sciences and pharma as a core export, it is unsurprising to see so many talented professionals - educated within Switzerland or living locally - and numerous start-up labs and biotech research teams establishing themselves across the country. It is also unsurprising that many growing companies in the pharmaceutical industry who are looking to expand internationally, choose Switzerland as the location for their sites including Hobson Prior, who have a team based in Basel. It is worth noting that, as with any international expansion, the customs, expectations and processes for recruitment within Switzerland can vary significantly.“We see particularly with US pharma companies looking to build teams in Switzerland, they can come across difficulties with time differences and slight differences in processes that makes it difficult to secure top talent in a competitive market.“With so much competition for strong candidates, we help them promote their career opportunities and navigate the local nuances of the typical Swiss recruitment process”.James Inwood – Client Services Manager at Hobson Prior For more information on hiring life sciences professionals in Switzerland as part of an international expansion, you can contact our Swiss recruitment team, or read our case study following how a US company launches its Swiss office despite the time differences and different hiring culture.

Andy Haywood

Andy Haywood

10/08/2020

Moving from contract to permanent employment in life sciences

Contracting is a popular choice for many professionals within the life sciences industry and many use the variety interim working offers to move from company to company as they move from contract to contract. However, there are occasions where you maybe offered permanent employment at the end of their fixed term, either in the same role or in a different capacity, leaving them with a big decision to make. With aspects such as the introduction of IR35 to the private sector in the UK impacting the contracting opportunities within life sciences, what should a life sciences professional consider when moving from contract to permanent employment in life sciences? Naturally, the choice to move to a permanent position after contracting is a personal one that will be impacted by many factors. As recruiters for both the permanent and interim markets of life sciences, these are some of the core elements we discuss with candidates:Salary vs wages Benefits and flexibilityCompany culture vs. contractor independenceCareer development and job stabilityWhat is the company offering?How will moving from contract to permanent employment impact your income? Contracting jobs generally equate to more income per hour than permanent positions. There are numerous reasons for this: To secure an expert consultant’s time in the competitive contract marketTo cover costs contractors will have that would be covered by an employer in a permanent roleTo match the high expectations of a contract employee to meet deadlines and work to chargeable hours Although a base salary may be less income, permanent companies may offer additional benefits such as sick pay, pension scheme contributions or a bonus incentive. It is important that a proposed salary is in line with your expectations and you’re able to maintain financial commitments and living expenses. It is likely when considering a move from contracting to permanent that you will need to consider if you are willing to lower your salary for the benefits of a stable income and other company-funded financial perks such as sick pay and pension contribution.How do the company benefits weigh up to your contracting freedoms?There is a lot of rigidity within a contracting as hours are chargeable. Yet, contracting provides a great deal of freedom as well. Contractors have more control over the roles they take, the type of work they accept and can often negotiate their contracts around family and life commitments outside of the work place. This flexibility and ability to define their schedules is a common reason that keeps contractors from moving back to a permanent career. However, this independence also means contractors have very limited support, and with IR35 changes soon to hit the UK, clients are even more cautious of the benefits they can extend to contractors. When weighing up the option of taking a permanent opportunity, there are a few benefits to consider: Training and resources – Contractors fund and schedule their own training. Some roles within life sciences, such as biometrics or other digital-based areas, require consistent upkeep with in-demand technologies to keep their skillsets relevant. Would your permanent employer be able to support your personal development through courses and training as part of your employment? Financial schemes and healthcare support – Sick pay, healthcare, maternity or paternity leave, long-term illness cover, and pension schemes are benefits that permanent employees may be entitled to as standard from their employer. It is key to understand the benefits your potential permanent employer offers and how they impact your current or future plans. Holiday and flexibility – While we are seeing demand for flexible working hours and working from home, most life sciences companies, are still adapting to introducing these benefits across permanent employment. What are your current flexible benefits with contracting? Will you be able to transfer these to the permanent opportunity?Could you see yourself in the role permanently? The benefit of a contract to permanent move is that you essentially get to trial your future job before you commit. At some point within your contract period, you have likely questioned whether you could see yourself working in the role or at that company long-term, but it is important to take the time to reposition your thinking and review those thoughts in closer detail. Knowing the temporary nature of contracting, it is easier to appease frustrating aspects or monotonous daily tasks while working through your contract period, subconsciously knowing it is only temporary. Similarly, it’s easier for colleagues and the company to maintain some form of distance knowing the temporary nature of your employment. Inviting contractors to company events can have an impact of their IR35 determination so there can be less opportunities to identify how you’d fit into the team.   Once you start considering a permanent opportunity, take the time to reframe your thinking over the aspects of the job that you may have taken for granted: The team – How close are you with your current colleagues? Would you find yourself fitting into the culture? Would you be comfortable working as part of that team permanently? The management – Will you keep your current reporting structure? What support and development is offered? Where will you fit into the management structure? The company – What are the growth plans for the business? Do you like their ethos, their message and their employee considerations? Would you enjoy being part of their company mission? The role – What is the future of that role? Is it something you could do everyday? How much diversity in the role is there and is there opportunity to create more diversity? What do you dislike and is there room to carve out your ideal role? What is being offered and how does this fit in with your career goals? Before any of these considerations take place, it’s important to know what the company is actually offering you and why they want you to move from a contracted specialist to a permanent employee. Are they offering a permanent role or the opportunity to apply for the permanent position? Policy may dictate that they need to formally interview you for the role. This could be an opportunity to reframe your thinking about the position and get some answers to these questions, or it may be a red flag that you have been offered out of convenience. Perhaps an interview is required because the role on offer is not exactly what you’ve been doing under your contract. Are they offering the same role on the same project or a permanent opportunity on a different team/project? If your responsibilities are going to change, it is key to assess if your reasons behind undertaking the contract job initially still balance with the new opportunity. Similarly, do you want to continue with the project? Is there room to negotiate what type of role you want? Are they creating a new position to keep you? Undoubtedly a flattering offer; these types of moves imply that your skillset and expertise is so invaluable that the company wants to work with you to find you a place on their team. This is a great opportunity to discuss your career aspirations and how this company could help you achieve them, potentially building your ideal job through negotiation. As an independent contractor, you are responsible for your career progression, so it is important that you communicate your future plans and aspirations with your contracted employer and they know what you are expecting, where you want your career to go and the reasons behind you not moving to a permanent position sooner. There are many variables that will impact your decision, whether circumstantial or personal and ultimately, deciding whether to move into permanent employment or continue contracting is filled with many ‘what if’ scenarios. With IR35 impacting the UK and many uncertainties in the global life sciences industry, the option to move into permanent employment may be more prevalent. However, developments across the life science industry continue to create more contracting opportunities amongst employers – demand within the industry is still high, particularly for niche expertise. If you would like to talk to one of our recruiters about the hiring trends and stability of your sector within life sciences or discuss your interest and options between contract and permanent positions, please contact our team here.            Find a recruiter       

Andy Haywood

Andy Haywood

14/07/2020

Case study: Helping a cell & gene therapy start-up 10x their headcount

The situationDuring a candidate check-in, one of our previous candidates informed us he’d joined an upcoming clinical stage cell and gene therapy company that had developed new labs. They were a small team of 5 people and needed to bulk hire GMP technician and production scientist for a bulk project. As a small team in a highly competitive industry, they struggled with the resources and reach to attract top candidates with the required skillsets. Based on our previous relationship with the senior vice president, we arranged a site visit to discuss how Hobson Prior could help them increase their headcount.Hobson Prior solution At the initial meeting, we identified the – Basically, found out as much as we could about the company and the project they were working on, so we could best represent them to the talent in the industry. As well as agree a budget and timescale – from this we tailored a recruitment package to suit them. We utilised our international candidate pools of pre-screened candidates with the required skillsets. Our technical operations recruitment team spoke to these candidates to ensure they were appropriately skilled, available and to ensure they were engaged and excited by the opportunity to join the project. We were quickly able to source a list of 20 candidates that would be suitable for the role. As resources and time were key areas of concern for the company, we suggested using our digital interview system, HireVue, to give them more control over the initial stages of interview review. Each of the 20 submitted candidates completed a video interview that could be quickly and simply reviewed by the company to ensure we maximised their time. From these 20, 10 were taken into a final face-to -face interview.The resultWithin 6 weeks, we had sourced, screened and placed 8 candidates. 9 out of the 10 final interviews were offered jobs and we have been working with this cell and gene therapy company since. Their team has grown from 5 members to over 50, with Hobson Prior responsible for the pre-screen checks, gathering references and on-boarding for half of these new hires. In fact, the last 4 placements made by Hobson Prior were for a team reporting into one of the original 8 we helped place. We are proud to be a trusted part in this innovative company’s rapid growth as the continue to research ground-breaking developments in the life sciences industry. 

Edward Ellis

Edward Ellis

01/07/2020

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Associate Director (Market Research)
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£55000 - £65000 per annum

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London

Description

Hobson Prior are working with an innovative pharmaceutical organisation who focus on providing research intelligence and strategic recommendations.

Stefan Beck
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Research Manager (Primary Market Research)
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£35000 - £45000 per annum

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Hobson Prior are currently working with a gene therapy organisation who are determined to develop possible curative treatments for patients who are living with serious illnesses.

Marjolene D'Almeida
Marjolene D'Almeida
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£300 - £350 per day

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Roxie Parkins
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