Life Science Leadership Search: Associate Director to VP

Talent is the lifeblood of the life sciences. Every product you make, every patient you serve, is the result of the decisions, planning, and dedication of your people.

While every role is important, middle-tier leadership is critical. They are the ones who transform strategy into action and drive change.

Quality of Hire at this level determines whether strategies succeed or stall. Finding leaders who don’t just fill the role, but transform your operations, is the challenge.

We can help. Our Primary Search solution caters for upper tier leadership and specialist roles, securing exceptional talent who can transform your value chain operations.

Fraser Dove International Leadership Search Solutions

We Deliver Your Leadership Search Without Compromise

Increase Hiring Velocity

Streamlined processes and market expertise help you fill critical roles in less than 60 days.

Secure World-Class Leaders

We source the best executives worldwide because leadership knows no borders.

Unlock Hidden Talent

Identify and engage high-calibre candidates who aren’t actively seeking roles.

Fast-Track Hiring

Leverage our network of 150,000+ life science leaders to hire game-changers faster.

Concierge-level Service

Dedicated support from a search specialist, backed by experts across every life sciences function.

Cancel Without Caveat

Found your hire elsewhere? Cancel at no cost – our priority is delivering the right fit.

Leadership Success, Guaranteed

If your leader doesn’t pass probation, we run the search again, absolutely free.

Life Science Primary Search is our retained search solution, designed to secure high-impact talent for leadership and specialist positions, from Director to VP. Our expert search consultants, with extensive life science and functional expertise, deliver each search in 60 days or less.

Thomas Dove Co-Founder

We Excel at Placing Life Science Leaders

VP Clinical Development

VP Global Operations

VP Site Head

Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs

Senior Director of Manufacturing

Director of Human Resources

Director of Sales

Associate Director of Supply Chain Management

Principal Scientist

We Work Across the Life Science Value Chain

C-Suite & Board

Identifying executives who can steer your company’s sustained growth and innovation.

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Science & R&D

Delivering high-calibre talent who can transform discoveries and ideas into product innovations.

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TechOps & Quality

Securing impact players who streamline processes and enhance operational efficiency.

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Business Services

Uncovering top-tier talent in business services who support and drive your infrastructure.

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Commercial & General Management

Finding leaders who help you expand into new markets and exceed your growth goals.

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We Partner with the World’s Most Innovative Life Science Businesses

Athira Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

BeiGene Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

Kenvue Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

Lonza Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

Prellis Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

Stada Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

Veranova Partners with Fraser Dove International for Life Science Executive Search & Recruitment

We Are Driven By Quality, Defined By Impact

While most search firms compete on speed or price, we compete on impact. The impact hiring your new leader had on your business.

It’s mission-critical. The wrong leadership hire in life sciences won’t just cost you money; but scientific innovation, patient outcomes, and your reputation.

Can you risk it?

Quality of Hire isn’t just our metric; it’s our operating philosophy – one we’ve built our entire search process around.

We track how the leaders we place in your business deliver impact. Not just today, not just tomorrow, but 5 years, 7 years, even 10 years from now.

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We Identify > Assess > Secure Impact Players

Whilst you’ve been making life-saving products, we’ve spent years refining our search process. Here’s how we go from Discovery Briefing to Offer Acceptance in under 60 working days.

Discover & Define

We begin with a consultation to understand your goals, challenges, and team dynamics, identifying key qualities for your new hire.
Identify & Engage

Our Research Division assesses a wide range of top candidates, exploring active and passive pools to find the best fit.
Assess & Shortlist

We conduct screenings, psychometric evaluations*, and reference checks to ensure candidates have job and cultural fit.
Evaluate & Offer

We assist throughout the selection process, from scheduling interviews to gathering feedback and negotiating offers.
Secure & Preboard

We facilitate a seamless transition for your new hires, ensuring they are prepared and equipped to excel from day one.

We Delight our Life Sciences Clients

My relationship with Fraser Dove began through several key talent searches to fill critical positions across different departments in my company. He and his team consistently introduced exceptional candidates and truly understood our hiring needs, helping us bring in top-tier talent that strengthened our company’s foundations and helped us cover for critical MD roles and new competencies in the fields of commercial, HR, and transformation.

Alexandre Montague Chief Executive Officer Hoya

I have worked with Fraser Dove on both sides of the hiring equation. Their expertise in life sciences and deep understanding of the market and talent pools have kept me close to them over the past decade. They’ve got their finger on the pulse and are always willing to share intelligence and add value at every opportunity.

Daniel Palmacci President & Head Specialized Modalities Lonza

I have had the pleasure of working with Thomas Dove and his team for several years, and it has been an incredibly successful partnership – both from a talent acquisition perspective and in terms of personal development…. They are genuinely committed to developing life sciences leadership and companies with a holistic mindset – focusing not just on ticking boxes but on carefully selecting top talent that truly integrates and adds value to the life sciences sector.

Ian Wells Global Chief Financial Officer Hoya

I have worked with Fraser Dove for many years. They always been an excellent thought partner in organisational design and brought talented candidates forward to strengthen the team.

Alan Rankin Chief Procurement Officer Moderna

Thomas and the team have consistently delivered good results under tight timelines. I’m most impressed with their deep CDMO industry knowledge, speed without sacrificing quality, strong communication and their ability to anticipate our business challenges. He has helped us to fill multiple Director-level plus positions, and I look forward to our partnership going forward.

Julie Osborne Global Head of Human Resources SK pharmteco

Fraser Dove has a true passion for their work, and it shows. They go the extra mile to truly understand the needs of their clients and guide candidates in a way that makes the selection process a positive experience for both sides. Fraser Dove acts as the positive ‘glue’ between both sides of the search, making them a trusted advisor.

Laura-Katrin Seitz Ex. VP Global Head of HR, Biologics Sanofi

Fraser Dove has been instrumental in identifying and screening top Quality professionals to support our recruiting efforts for senior management positions. The Fraser Dove team provide top-level service and engagement throughout the process, and they have a keen eye for talent identification. It’s been a pleasure working with them over these past 2 years, and I will continue to reach out when future needs arise.

John Pietruszka Ex. SVP, Head of Global Quality Management Bayer

I have worked with Fraser Dove for several years on some difficult searches. Finding good, executive-level, talent in the Tech Ops space is not easy… However, with the help of Thomas and his team, we made it happen.

Nicola Bianchi Global Head of HR Product Supply, Global Talent Lead Bayer

I recently worked with Fraser Dove for two positions on my team, and I really appreciate their winning combination of personality and professionalism. With Fraser Dove’s help, I identified and secured candidates for two niche positions within just a few months. I highly recommend working with Fraser Dove whenever you need highly professional, client-oriented, and engaged assistance filling any vacant leadership positions in your team!

Thorsten Fallisch Senior Director, Head of Global R&D Procurement Grunenthal

I have recommended Fraser Dove to several colleagues within the Quality & Regulatory function and in adjacent operations and technical teams. I will absolutely work with Fraser Dove for critical, senior roles in future.

Mark Peturson Head of Value Chain Quality Kenvue

The Fraser Dove team is creative, innovative and reliable and drive innovative initiatives that help people develop and help companies understand better their needs and propose great profiles!

Laurent Abuaf VP Head of Developed Markets Argenx

I have been working with Fraser Dove for years on sourcing candidates. Our candidates always comment on how great their interactions are with Fraser Dove and that they have always played a crucial part in them accepting the role. They have been very proactive with our hiring needs and have played a big part in enabling me to build an excellent team.

Adam Stonier, Lonza Global Growth Projects, Senior Director Lonza

Fraser Dove has supported us on many complex senior searches at GSK and has been excellent. Their knowledge of the market, as well as their professionalism and regular catch-ups, really make a positive impact on our business. I highly recommend Fraser Dove.

Sarah Fenanir Talent Lead GSK

It’s been a pleasure working with Fraser Dove & I highly recommend their expertise in hiring top talent, especially in the genetic medicine field. Fraser Dove is prompt and professional with their responses and candidate presentations. I really appreciate their commitment to regular communication and meetings with the hiring team. They ask the right questions and understand the candidates’ perspectives, which is important in this competitive field. My experience with FDI has been a 10 out of 10, and I recommend them to anyone in the biopharmaceutical space.

Grace Slate Sr. Associate Recruiter Eli Lilly

We Are the Right Choice for Your Search

We are life science executive search expects.
We focus on outcomes (promotions, objectives, growth milestones) over activity (time-to-hire, cost-per-hire).
We specialise in the leadership-layer.
We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
We’ve been identifying, engaging and securing high-impact leaders since 2014.

WE ANSWER YOUR LEADERSHIP SEARCH QUESTIONS

Retained leadership search uses the same commercial model as executive search, applied to Associate Director to VP roles rather than the C-suite: one firm with an exclusive mandate, paid in instalments rather than on placement. Fees are usually split into thirds, one at engagement, one when the shortlist lands, and one when your chosen candidate accepts. At this level, the candidate pool is larger than at C-Suite and Board level, but candidates are busy doing the job for someone else and aren’t actively seeking new opportunities. A dedicated, retained search identifies, engages and secures them through a direct approach rather than hoping they respond to a job advert. In science and R&D leadership hires especially, that direct approach is what separates a good shortlist from a long one.

At C-suite, the question rarely surfaces, because contingent recruiters tend to focus on roles lower down the organisational hierarchy. At Associate Director to VP, however, it becomes a very real decision. Contingent recruiters are paid only if their candidate is hired, so they carry several clients for the same role, and the incentive rewards whoever can be placed quickest rather than whoever fits best. Retained means one firm, one exclusive mandate, and a search built around your requirement rather than whichever CV is already on file. Retained costs more upfront, but for a MedTech or CDMO leadership hire, where your shortlist depends on who your consultant can reach rather than who applies, that accountability is what you’re paying for.

Contingent recruitment works well for roles with plenty of qualified, active candidates: the kind of hire where speed matters more than an exhaustive search. It stops working once a role gets specific enough that the active candidate pool runs thin, which occurs frequently in life sciences compared to other industries, because the experience clients ask for is usually tied to a modality, a regulatory pathway or a manufacturing site. When a contingent search has run for weeks without a credible shortlist, that’s usually the market telling you the role needs proactive sourcing, not a wider net or a lower salary band.

Four to seven is the range worth aiming for on a life science leadership hire. Fewer than that and you haven’t tested the market properly; more than seven and interview fatigue sets in, with hiring managers struggling to compare candidates. Getting to that number means starting with a much longer list. In our experience, 80% or more of candidates are screened out at the longlisting stage before anyone reaches an interview, and that’s where most of the quality control happens. We set out the full process, including how to reduce bias with scorecards and two independent assessors, in our guide to longlisting and shortlisting.

Both are retained, and both use the same proactive search methodology. Plenty of firms use executive search as an umbrella term covering everything from Director to Board, so it’s worth saying how we divide the two. Our Leadership Search covers Director to VP roles: specialist and functional leadership, senior enough that the best candidates aren’t applying anywhere, but part of a wider pool than the Boardroom. Our Executive Search covers SVP, C-suite and Board appointments, where confidentiality and scarcity shape the process. A VP Site Head would run through Leadership Search, while replacing the CEO above them would run through Executive Search, usually under confidentiality. If you’re not sure which band your role sits in, get in touch, since it shapes the whole approach. For SVP, C-suite and Board mandates, see our Executive Search page.

We Know Your Next Leader

Complete our Form, and our talent acquisition specialists will be in touch to discuss your specific search requirements. Alternatively, call us on +44 (0)203 355 7050.

We Are More Than Search

Our Talent Ecosystem, a holistic approach to strategic talent management, ensures Quality of Hire at every stage of the hiring process, helping you attract, secure and retain the transformative leaders your business needs to thrive.

VIEW TALENT ECOSYSTEM

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