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How to Find Director and Senior Level Professionals

Posted on February 2023

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One of the greatest challenges that Life Sciences organizations face is in finding talented professionals to fill senior level positions. With 70% of the global workforce being composed of professionals who aren’t actively job searching, this also means that you will often need to initiate contact with potential candidates. The difficulty in filling director level and other senior roles is made all the greater when there is a pressing need for niche talent in specialized roles.

While recruiting senior level employees is far from straightforward, our Life Sciences survey revealed that more than 40% of Life Sciences professionals are looking for a new role. Attracting executive-level talent involves adopting the most effective talent acquisition methods for director and senior level employees in the Life Sciences industry. Let’s take a look at the steps that you’ll need to take.

Craft a standout job description

If you wish to appeal to senior and director level professionals, providing them with a comprehensive summary of the role is essential.

Think of the job description as your elevator pitch to the Life Science industry’s top talent. What will their responsibilities be in this role, and to whom will be they be reporting? What previous experience will they need to have had, and how can they apply that to this position? What is the annual salary for this role, and the benefits of working at the company?

Make their lives easier by clearly outlining these key pieces of information in bullet-point form. Consider the sorts of things that matter most to Life Sciences professionals looking for a new role. Our Life Sciences Year in Review revealed that a desire for higher compensation is the top reason for wanting to switch jobs, and more than a third of respondents said that a lack of work-life balance was also a main factor, in addition to changes to their role and not feeling sufficiently challenged. These are all important takeaways to incorporate into the job description where relevant.

Demonstrate the company and its culture at the first touchpoint

When it comes to securing talent across senior and director level roles in the Life Sciences industry, it's essential to make a strong first impression. This means demonstrating your company and its culture at the first touchpoint, whether that be through the job description, your website, or an initial introductory call.

Why is this important? Senior and director level professionals are often looking for more than just a job - they want to be part of a company and culture that aligns with their values and goals. By effectively demonstrating your company and culture, you'll be more likely to attract the right people for the job.

Make a compelling offer

If, following the interview stage, you decide that you’d like to make a formal offer of employment, you’ll need to present an attractive offer that accords with the experience and expertise that they can bring to your company. Offering the following will help you to achieve this:

  • A competitive salary and benefits

  • Flexible work arrangements

  • Tangible points that relate to the work-life balance they can enjoy, i.e. their working hours and holiday entitlement

Outline this information in a clear, concise fashion. We recommend that you either make a job offer over the telephone or write a welcoming offer letter when recruiting senior level employees to make it as personable as possible, in addition to sending an email that outlines the terms of the offer.

Value their expertise

Celebrating the achievements of your team on a regular basis is a great way to keep your senior team motivated and engaged. One way in which you can do this is to acknowledge their hard work in company-wide correspondence; we would also recommend that you provide financial incentives for good performance, employee stock options and earned time off.

Research conducted by McKinsey has found that 54% of employees who quit during The Great Resignation reported that they didn’t feel valued by their organizations. The good news is that there are plenty of ways in which appreciation for senior staff can be expressed – and they need not be expensive. LinkedIn posts are a simple yet effective way to highlight excellent work that has been undertaken by your senior team to the wider Life Sciences community, and they don’t cost anything.

Prioritize their long-term career growth within the company

Once you have succeeded in recruiting senior and director level employees, you should aim to retain them over the longer term by prioritizing their career growth.

The key here is to ask them about their career goals during the interview stage and the challenges that they’d find most interesting and fulfilling. Investing in career development benefits both the organization and its employees, so it is worth arranging regular meetings and check-ins to ensure that your senior staff feel happy with the general direction of their careers and look for ways to address any issues.

Partner with an executive search company

EPM Scientific is a leading talent partner for the Life Sciences industry, providing permanent, contract and multi-hire professional services for companies looking for business-critical talent. Find out more about how we can assist you in securing top talent across senior and director level positions by requesting a call back today.  

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