The Life Sciences industry isn’t like most industries—the staff that a life sciences organization selects to form its organization can make or break groundbreaking discoveries, life-changing products, and critical medications for humanity. For recruiting agencies everywhere, it’s no secret that the stakes are higher in facilitating perfect talent acquisitions for life sciences industry clients.
If your organization is at the forefront of advances in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or healthcare, you need a recruiting and staffing partner who understands your mission, organizational goals, and unique culture. In this article, we’ll discuss ten of the top life science recruitment agencies in 2024 and touch on tips for navigating life sciences recruiting as a business process, so you can make the best match for your business.
Top Life Science Recruitment Agencies in 2024
Your life sciences business requires top-notch leadership to drive innovation, growth, and success. These firms are all partners you might consider in helping you make connections that will move the needle forward for your organization.
Cornerstone Search Group specializes exclusively in customized hiring solutions for life sciences. They dedicate all of their efforts to life sciences recruiting, and have spent over 20 years honing their skills in this critical industry-specific support arena. Cornerstone maintains a focus on C-suite and executive leadership recruitment and has a proven track record of placing top-tier talent in these highly specialized fields.
Cornerstone’s global reach and deep industry connections enable them to find the perfect match for their clients. They can also help your organization meet its DEI goals: over 50% of the candidates Cornerstone provides come from diverse backgrounds.
Medix Staffing Solutions is an established life sciences industry recruiting agency that has served organizations for over 20 years. They aim to help businesses match new talent with their existing overall goals, mission, and purpose. Medix places an emphasis on flexible staffing that does not require their clients to commit to full-time hires if that isn’t what their business needs at the time.
Insight Global identifies themselves as a “leading life sciences staffing agency.” This agency offers clients assistance in interviewing and onboarding candidates, in addition to recruitment efforts. They seek to find talent that clients’ competitors don’t have access to, including potential candidates who aren’t actively looking for jobs.
EPM Scientific is comparatively new to the life sciences recruiting industry. Founded in 2012, they primarily provide clients with permanent contracts and multi-hire recruitment in the areas of research and development, market launch, and pharmacovigilance. EPM Scientific focuses on global outreach, helping connect organizations with talent in the US, Europe, and APAC.
Barrington James has provided staffing solutions for companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device markets since the early 2000s. They specialize in sourcing talent from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Barrington James offers contract and interim recruitment, permanent recruitment, board and executive search services, retained campaign management, and more, depending on their clients’ needs.
Klein Hersh Strategic Leadership Placement specializes in partnering with early stage organizations and established biotech and pharmaceutical companies. They have also assisted companies within the venture capital space in placing executives and scientific leaders in start-ups. Klein Hersh prides themselves on providing clients with subject matter experts who can help organizations bring new products to market in innovative ways.
Randstad USA is an established life sciences consulting agency that specializes in long-term partnerships with their clients. They report retaining “more than 50% of clients” since their inception and value client satisfaction. Randstad presents pharmaceutical consultants to their clients who have been vetted first by Randstad, via skills assessments, background checks, FDA debarment search, education verification, FACIS checks, and more. They have a select group of consultants, with fifty percent holding advanced degrees and most boasting ten or more years of experience.
Biotech Rec provides clients with recruitment in a range of life science-adjacent industries and roles, including construction, engineering, validation, quality, information technology and automation, compliance, EHS, and supply chain work. Biotech Rec claims they often “fill jobs before they’re advertised” and allows interested candidates to receive outreach from them as soon as a job that matches their qualifications becomes available in Biotech Rec’s network.
Solo Point Solutions primarily serves the Bay Area and Orange County in both Northern and Southern California. They specialize in the engineering needs of OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) within the life science industries. Solo Point prides themselves on providing “engineering resources to support a wide array of R&D and manufacturing functions.” They have offices in Santa Clara, California; Tustin, California; and Appleton, Wisconsin.
Real Staffing is a life sciences focused talent recruitment agency with three core sectors: (1) pharma and biotech; (2) medical devices and diagnostics; and (3) healthcare and information technology. They specialize in “niche sectors of the life sciences across a range of markets and industries.” Real staffing aims to help clients fill both permanent and contract positions for short and long term projects.
Tips for Navigating Life Sciences Industry Recruitment
Navigating the complex world of life sciences requires a strategic approach. Here are some essential tips:
- Make sure your new hire is a solid cultural fit.
Technical skills, education, and experience are all critical factors in making the right talent match, but they’re not the only items that matter. During the interview process, it’s important that your organization and its staffing agency inquire about a candidate’s communication style, interpersonal skills, and teamwork abilities.
- Verify your applicants’ background information before making an offer.
Verifying an applicant’s background information is a critical step in recruiting that your staffing agency can help you with. Education, certifications, criminal records, and professional experience should all be double-checked before a final offer is extended to a candidate.
- Stay informed on regulatory compliance issues.
You already know that the life sciences industry carries regulatory nuances that other industries don’t necessarily handle on the same scale. These regulatory concerns don’t end at the recruiting stage—rather, it’s often where they begin. It’s always best practice to work with a staffing partner who understands and can confidently master life sciences regulations and keep you informed on the proper steps to take.
- Utilize the right life sciences-focused recruiting agency for your organization’s needs.
If you’re ready to make a new life sciences hire, one of the most advantageous steps you can take is to partner with an experienced executive search group that can help you approach your hiring needs in a holistic way.
Cornerstone Search Group is proud to serve the life sciences industries and has done so successfully for over 20 years. We’re eager to connect you with new talent across the globe. Start a conversation with us today to learn more.
