Summary
A publicly traded biotech organization tasked Klein Hersh with quickly filling three high-level interim consulting leadership roles. The project required seasoned professionals for clinical development, medical writing, and biostatistics to drive key initiatives on tight deadlines. Leveraging our extensive networks, industry expertise, and established relationships, Klein Hersh delivered qualified interim leaders quickly, ensuring that the client’s project timelines were met and strengthening our ongoing partnership.
The Challenge
The Vice President of Clinical Development at a publicly traded biotech organization, a former Klein Hersh placement, shared during a regular check-in call with our team that she was in urgent need of interim consulting support to advance three critical projects. She was thrilled to learn that Klein Hersh offered interim and fractional staffing services and put her trust in us to deliver the top-tier talent these projects required.
The biostatistics, clinical development, and medical writing consulting positions were equivalent to director or senior director level roles, and each required seasoned experts who could hit the ground running to execute time-sensitive projects crucial to the company’s strategic goals. These short-term assignments ranged from 6-12 months and required a commitment of 20-40 hours/week. Candidates would need to possess the required technical skills and experience, and also be strong matches in terms of personality and working style. It was imperative to find interim talent that could seamlessly integrate into the organization’s collaborative work environment and align with the company’s values and goals.
The Approach
These fast-tracked searches took place against the backdrop of a highly competitive life sciences talent market, where top consultants are in high demand across the industry. With over 25 years as a leader in life sciences and healthcare executive search, Klein Hersh has established relationships with the most talented professionals across the industry, including those desiring interim-based consulting assignments. This extensive network of vetted leaders uniquely positions us to match clients with on-demand leaders with speed and agility.
- Immediate Candidate Identification: Rather than adhering to rigid job specifications, the client sought the best individuals in clinical development, biostatistics, and medical writing who could immediately contribute their expertise to drive tight project timelines. Utilizing internal networks and our knowledge of who is available, who is not, and who is open to interim consulting engagements, along with recommendations from other trusted relationships, Klein Hersh cast a wide net to quickly identify the best possible candidates for each role.
- Aggressive Outreach: The Klein Hersh team was able to seamlessly apply our strategic approach to this interim opportunity and aggressively target the appropriate people in the field to discuss the opportunities as quickly as possible.
- Rapid Presentation: Demonstrating Klein Hersh’s ability to move swiftly in response to urgent client needs, within one day, Klein Hersh’s Physician Recruitment practice presented two qualified candidates for the clinical development role, one of which ultimately landed the position. Within three days, he also presented two qualified candidates for the medical writing role. Within six days, Klein Hersh’s Data Practice presented an array of qualified candidates for the interim biostatistics opportunity.
- Streamlined Process: Facilitating quick phone screens and interviews, the Klein Hersh team ensured that the hiring process moved at the pace required by the client’s project timelines.
- Continuous Communication: Open lines of communication were maintained with both the client and candidates throughout the process to ensure ongoing alignment and address any concerns promptly.
The Results
The outcomes of these three searches were a resounding success. Aligned with each role’s project deadlines, within a matter of weeks Klein Hersh successfully placed high-caliber interim consulting leaders in the biostatistics, clinical development, and medical writing roles.
These highly skilled professionals immediately integrated into the client’s team to begin making an impact. By quickly filling these important gaps, Klein Hersh helped the VP of Clinical Development maintain project momentum and alleviate workload pressure. One of the consultants even remains with the client post-project, continuing to contribute to their ongoing initiatives. The success of this project also led to additional hiring engagements with the client, including a fourth interim consultant role shortly after the initial placements.
Key Takeaways
- Strong Relationships: The client’s pre-existing relationship with Klein Hersh, built on trust and past success, allowed us to respond to the need for interim staffing swiftly and effectively. Our extensive network of vetted on-demand talent allowed us to match the right leaders for these roles quickly and efficiently.
- Speed & Quality: Klein Hersh delivered high-caliber candidates in a matter of days, enabling the client to vet the candidates and ultimately fill these roles in time to meet critical project deadlines.
- Continued Partnership: This project’s success led to additional work with the client, demonstrating the long-term value of our interim staffing solutions.
Ethan Schwartz, a key member of the Klein Hersh team, emphasized the firm’s unique advantage: “If you’re in a bind and need to find someone quickly, there’s no better firm out there who can leverage their relationships than Klein Hersh. We have the trust and deep connections to ensure the story of the opportunity will be heard by the market.”
If your organization is facing similar talent gaps and needs interim leadership to drive critical projects, contact our team of experts to discuss how our precision executive search and interim staffing solutions can accelerate your projects, drive innovation, and help you stay ahead in the competitive life sciences landscape.
