Executive Search · Life Sciences
Retained executive search that builds life sciences teams — from first commercial hire to global C-suite.
A specialized retained search practice for biotech, pharma, medical device, and diagnostics. We work board-driven C-suite, post-financing leadership builds, and confidential successions across the company lifecycle.
- Engagement
- Retained, exclusive
- Timeline
- 12–16 weeks typical
- Slate
- 3–5 named candidates with full dossiers
- Fee
- 30–33% of first-year cash compensation
- CEO, CCO, CMO, CSO, CTO, COO, CFO — full C-suite coverage
- Board director and committee placements
- Confidential by default — named-only candidate disclosure with explicit approval
- 12–16 week typical timeline with named slate at week 6–8
- 30–33% structured fee, three-installment payment, full transparency
The practice
Built around the company lifecycle, not a single search type.
Most life sciences executive search firms specialize in either early-stage founder hiring or established-company succession. We do both — and the work is better for it. Pattern recognition from a Series B CCO build informs the framing of an established company's commercial overhaul. Pattern recognition from established-company succession sharpens our slate discipline at growth-stage.
The operational reality of executive search at this level is a small named team running a small number of engagements at a time. We staff it that way deliberately.
Recent searches
Chief Commercial Officer — Series C neuro-oncology biotech
Placed in 11 weeks
Chief Medical Officer — Series B medical device
Placed in 9 weeks
VP Manufacturing — pre-commercial cell therapy
Placed in 14 weeks
Chief Scientific Officer — Series A discovery biotech
Placed in 13 weeks
Connected practice
How this work intersects the rest of the practice.
By Function
Frequently asked
Common questions, answered plainly.
- What roles do you run retained?
- VP / SVP / C-suite, board director, and any role where confidentiality, slate quality, or board engagement requires retained discipline.
- Across which industries?
- Biotech, pharma, medical device, diagnostics, and CRO leadership — across all four industries we serve.
- How does this differ from generalist exec search?
- Therapeutic-area depth, modality-specific pattern recognition, stage-specific calibration, and explicit fee transparency. Generalist search firms reach broader; we go deeper in life sciences.
- Can you support international searches?
- Yes. US, EU, and APAC executive placements run through the same engagement model with regional partners on the ground where helpful.
Building a leadership team?
Tell us the role, the stage, and the strategic context. We'll come back within one business day with a perspective.