Contingent Executive Search
Biotech Executive Search
Leadership search for growth-stage biotech and pharma platforms — contingent-first, twelve-month guarantee.
- Senior Practice Director, Blue Signal Search
- Contingent-first · No up-front retainer
- Twelve-month guarantee on every placement
I recruit executive and VP-level leadership for growth-stage biotech and pharma platforms — VP of Clinical Development, VP of Regulatory Affairs, VP of CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), and commercial leadership ahead of launch. Contingent-first. No up-front retainer. Every placement carries a twelve-month guarantee.
Why biotech search is its own market
Biotech and pharma leadership hiring is driven by development stage, not just function. A VP of Clinical Development who has run a Phase 1 program is not automatically the right fit for a company entering a pivotal Phase 3 trial. A VP of Regulatory Affairs who has never taken an asset through a BLA or NDA submission is a real risk for a company approaching that milestone.
The buyers here talk in IND and BLA/NDA submission timelines, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) readiness, pivotal trial design, and pre-commercial launch planning — vocabulary and stage-context that a generalist healthcare search does not carry.
Company types I recruit for
Clinical-stage biotech companies — platforms moving through Phase 1 to Phase 3 development, often board- and investor-driven on executive hiring decisions.
Pre-commercial pharma platforms — companies building out commercial, market access, and medical affairs leadership ahead of an anticipated approval.
Platform biotech companies — modality-focused organizations (cell and gene therapy, biologics, small molecule) needing leadership with specific technical-platform depth.
Blue Signal Search vertical: as Senior Practice Director, my desk runs clinical, regulatory, and commercial leadership searches for growth-stage biotech and pharma companies — the specific search history behind this page, not a generic recruiter claim.
Featured roles
- VP of Clinical Development — trial design and execution leadership matched to the company’s specific development stage.
- VP of Regulatory Affairs — submission strategy leadership for IND, BLA, or NDA milestones.
- VP of CMC — manufacturing and controls leadership as companies scale from clinical to commercial supply.
- VP of Medical Affairs — scientific and clinical communication leadership ahead of and following launch.
Pain patterns I see every quarter
Stage mismatches sink placements. A leader who has only operated in early clinical stages is a real risk stepping into a pivotal-trial or submission-stage role, and this has to be screened explicitly, not assumed from a title.
Board-level scrutiny raises the stakes on every hire. Because investors and board members are often directly involved, a mis-hire at the VP or C-suite level carries real governance consequences beyond the immediate functional gap.
CMC readiness gets under-resourced. Companies focused on clinical milestones often delay building out manufacturing and controls leadership until a supply or scale-up crisis forces the hire.
Generalist recruiters miss modality-specific risk signals. A candidate with biologics experience is not automatically qualified for a cell and gene therapy platform — modality experience has to be verified, not assumed.
How I run the search
I start with the decision, not a job description template: which development-stage transition the company is navigating, and what specific regulatory or manufacturing milestone the hire needs to support.
Then I map the therapeutic and stage-specific market — leaders with real experience at that exact development stage and modality. I do not run a generic life sciences search that ignores stage and modality nuance.
Engagements are contingent-first. No up-front retainer required to start. Retained is available when board-level risk justifies it. Every placement carries a twelve-month guarantee — the only quantified claim on this site.
This search runs under Blue Signal Search, a national contingent and retained executive search firm — the affiliation gives this desk firm-level sourcing infrastructure and reference-checkable delivery history, not just an independent recruiter's word.
Competitive positioning (respectful)
Large life-sciences-focused retained firms — built for late-stage or commercial-scale pharma C-suite searches at Fortune-scale fee bands and multi-month timelines. That is not the right lane for a clinical-stage biotech that needs a contingent-first search moving in weeks ahead of a trial readout or board meeting.
Cross-hub and next steps
For physical medical device leadership, see Medical Device Executive Search. For boutique positioning across verticals, see the executive search agency anchor.
Schedule a 30-Minute Call with Dan — Calendly, dpoore@bluesignal.com, or 669-900-4504. That is the only conversion path.
How a search works
- 01 Lock the decision
VP-level vs C-suite hire, and which development-stage transition the company is navigating — preclinical to clinical, Phase 2 to Phase 3, or pre-commercial launch.
- 02 Map the therapeutic and stage-specific market
Source leaders with real experience at the company's specific development stage and modality — not a generalist life sciences database pull.
- 03 Close with guarantee
Contingent-first engagement, clear development-stage and board context, twelve-month guarantee on the placement.
Case study
A recent placement
A clinical-stage biotech needed a VP of Regulatory Affairs ahead of a pivotal Phase 3 readout and planned BLA submission. The board wanted someone who had already taken an asset through FDA interactions at that stage, not a regulatory generalist learning the submission process in real time. We closed the search within 70 days.
The commitment
Twelve-month guarantee
Every placement carries a twelve-month guarantee. That is the only quantified claim on this site — no fee percentages, no invented placement counts.
Get in touch
Schedule a 30-Minute Call with Dan
Contingent-first. No up-front retainer. One conversion path — book the call.
Frequently asked questions
What roles do you cover in Biotech Executive Search?
VP of Clinical Development, VP of Regulatory Affairs, VP of CMC, VP of Medical Affairs, and pre-commercial leadership (VP of Market Access, VP of Commercial) for growth-stage biotech and pharma platforms.
Do you work contingent or retained?
Contingent-first is the default for most VP-level searches under my fee floor. Retained is available for board-critical C-suite mandates, which are common at this stage given investor and board involvement. There is no up-front retainer required to start a contingent search.
What is the twelve-month guarantee?
Every placement carries a twelve-month guarantee. That is the only quantified claim I publish — no fee percentages and no invented placement counts.
How is this different from a generalist life sciences recruiter?
A generalist recruiter pulls resumes matching job titles. I screen for candidates who have actually taken an asset through the specific development stage and regulatory interaction the company is facing — Phase 2 to Phase 3 transition, BLA/NDA submission, or pre-commercial build-out — not just titled correctly on paper.
How long does a biotech executive search take?
VP-level clinical and regulatory searches typically run 70-100 days. C-suite searches ahead of a pivotal trial readout or submission often run 100-150 days given how board-sensitive these hires are and how narrow the qualified candidate pool is.
Who typically signs the search?
Biotech and pharma company CEOs, Chief Medical Officers, and board members or investors involved in executive hiring decisions at clinical-stage companies.