Executive Search Process

How we work

Six steps to executive search success

To realise their mission, life science organisations need exceptional leaders capable of guiding, motivate, and inspire their teams to achieve organisational goals. But they must find them first.

Since 2013, Fraser Dove International have made hundreds of senior-level appointments from Technical Specialists to C-suite across Europe, America and Asia. We take pride in helping life science organisations source the talent they need to design, manufacture and distribute life-changing drugs, treatments and devices which transform and save patient lives.

To find, qualify and shortlist the very best life science talent - leaders with the right mix of skills, experience, qualifications and competencies to not just excel in the role but ensure a good cultural fit - we must first understand our client’s business, their mission, values and culture. That’s why our industry-leading executive search process begins with a discovery briefing:

• Step 1: Discover & Define

  The first step of the executive search process, the discovery briefing serves two purposes:

   

  Firstly, the discovery briefing aims to establish the skills, experience and competencies essential for success in the role. This ensures we can qualify and shortlist candidates for job fit - the extent to which their strengths, needs and experience match the job specification. This is prerequisite for success in any senior management or executive position in the life sciences.

   

  Secondly, the discovery briefing clarifies the client’s market offering, their mission, values and culture. This enables our executive search consultants to deliver consistent messaging which aligns with our clients' employer brand while screening candidates for cultural fit - the extent to which a candidate's values, beliefs, outlook and conduct align with our clients'.

   

  The discovery briefing leads to the creation of a Search Matrix - a document outlining the skills, experience and competencies essential for success in the role.

• Step 2: Search & Identify

  Completion of the discovery briefing and the creation of the Search Matrix heralds the beginning of the research phase of the executive search process.

   

  Orchestrated by Fraser Dove’s in-house Research Team and overseen by the assignment lead, it combines traditional executive search techniques - headhunting, networking and talent mapping - with next-generation search tools and targeted advertising campaigns to supplement our extensive database of senior management and executive-level life science talent.

   

  This approach serves to identify passive and active candidates, reduces lead times while ensuring the geographic scope of the search is sufficient to deliver high-calibre life science talent.

• Step 3: Qualify & Assess

  Our consultants conduct a comprehensive qualification assessment which includes competency and technical based questioning designed to match a candidate’s skills, experience and competencies against the Search Matrix. We use this opportunity to determine an individual’s alignment with our client’s organisation; it’s values and mission, to ensure cultural fit.

• Step 4: Select & Shortlist

  Following qualification, those candidates who skills, experience and values best match the Search Matrix are presented to the client for consideration. Clients receive a candidate profile and technical report detailing how the individual has scored against the Search Matrix, as well as any supporting information that could assist the client in their selection.

   

  A meeting is then arranged to discuss the shortlisted profiles and address any questions or concerns voiced by the client. If required, the Assignment Lead will liaise directly with shortlisted candidates to clarify any points raised by the client, feeding this information back in a timely fashion so that the client can process with making their selection for first-stage interview.

• Step 5: Guide & Influence

  We manage the entire candidate-side interview process on behalf of our clients, from scheduling interviews and travel arrangements through to post-interview feedback. All candidates are given a thorough briefing ahead of interview, including insights into the hiring team, our client's market offering, their mission, values and culture, interview preparation and delivery tips, as well as confirming interview and travel arrangements. This due diligence ensures our candidates consistently deliver to a high standard and impress the hiring manager. 

• Step 6: Close & Feedback

  The sixth and final step in the executive search process, we provides full offer management to include the handling of counter offers and the provision of post-offer support. We liaise between client and candidate, ensuring a smooth process while managing expectations. This service extends throughout the candidate's notice period until their official starting date.

   

  Finally, we seek feedback on the interview and hiring process from all candidates who interviewed with the client. This information is fed back to key hiring stakeholders, enabling our client to hone their hiring process and alerting them to potential issues which could adversely affect the candidate experience and negatively impact their employer brand.

A varation of our executive search processes underpins all our life science search solutions. We continually tweak and refine this process, seeking new ways and improve the service we offer clients and candidates. Every refinement we make to our executive search process only serves to improves the cultural and technical fit of our shortlisted candidates while reducing time-to-hire.