Case Study: Redefining The Role

Fraser Dove International partnered exclusively with a biopharmaceutical organisation specialising in developing solutions to treat those affected by immunology and neurology diseases.

Our client sought a Head of Upstream Process Development to drive the performance of the broader biotechnology sciences division. The unique leader would not only serve on the senior leadership team but also possess the knowledge to work directly in the laboratory and demonstrate expertise of process development in mammalian cell culture.

The current occupant of the role was moving to a new position within the organisation. Our client urgently sought an exceptional replacement capable of leading a large, well established and high performing group, however, they decided against promoting from within. Not wanting to unsettle the team by advertising the position internally, our client reached out to Fraser Dove to ensure the search was highly confidential. Although our client was well established, enticing top-talent to relocate to Belgium – outside of the prosperous, European life science hub – proved to be challenging.

Solution: Primary Search

Due to the specialist nature of the role and the required expertise, our exclusive search solution – Primary Search – was the perfect solution. This research-heavy, retained solution is designed to find, engage and qualify high-impact talent across geographies and regardless of whether they are seeking new opportunities.

The Assignment Lead – Richard Dane – was invited to our client’s site in Belgium to meet with the Hiring Manager and Talent Acquisition Lead. Undecided on the seniority of the role, the Hiring Manager was receptive to a number of profiles with varying levels of experience. With this in mind, Richard conducted a thorough search, reaching out to members of his network while simultaneously headhunting additional talent. After interviewing and assessing the majority of the ten shortlisted candidates, the Hiring Manager refined his thinking of the role and realigned the search for a more junior candidate.

Richard commenced the search once again, delivering a shortlist of four remarkably talented candidates who were considerably more junior, but still ticked the essential requirements of the role. Richard scheduled interviews, aligning candidate and client diaries and helped to organise travel arrangements.

Outcome:

Richard demonstrated strong perseverance and commitment to identifying and engaging the desired candidate. Our client praised Richard for his ability to deliver an original shortlist comprising a wide range of experience levels. In fact, meeting with these diverse candidates allowed the Hiring Manager to consolidate and refine his thinking and strategy for the ideal candidate. The successful candidate had the required advanced technical and leadership experience but was considerably more junior than the candidates delivered in the original shortlist. Cultural fit is an important factor for our client, and the successful candidate’s values were strongly aligned to theirs.