Securing Senior Clinical Leadership Under Time Pressure

A Chief Medical Officer needed to make their first internal hire at Head of Clinical Operations. Later, after moving to a new company, they required a Vice President of Regulatory Affairs after another search partner stalled for two months.

“Jake was exceptionally strong in our initial discussions. He quickly understood the role, the calibre of talent required, and the culture we were building.”

Our Approach

We began with a detailed alignment discussion to understand the commercial driver behind the hire, the milestones at risk, and what success truly looked like in the role.

We clarified the story and timing that would resonate with senior leaders, the behaviours needed to thrive in this environment, and the non negotiables that would ultimately predict performance. We also defined how the hire needed to influence clinical progress, cross functional alignment, and investor confidence.

This insight allowed us to build a focused, high impact search strategy and deliver a tightly curated shortlist aligned to capability, culture, and the company’s next inflection point.

“He was constantly attuned to feedback and applied it immediately. Each new profile reflected exactly what we had discussed.”

“He represented our story clearly and kept top candidates engaged right through to offer.”

Outcome

• The Clinical Operations hire was identified on day one and, after full market comparison, selected as the final appointment. This level of accuracy reflected deep market knowledge, a clear understanding of the company’s goals, and the judgement that comes from knowing which leaders can truly deliver at this stage.
• The Regulatory search was completed in under a month following two months of stagnation with another partner.
• Clear communication, consistent engagement, and balanced offer development led to a smooth and confident acceptance.

“Across two other search partners and a public posting, we reviewed around fifty candidates. The person we hired was the one Jake highlighted on day one.”

“He partnered with us to build an offer that worked for both the company and the candidate.”