Looking Ahead at Recruitment in the Biopharma Industry
Lars Dreesmann, president and site head of our U.S. Biopharma business in Fremont, California, was recently featured in a Life Science Leader article highlighting what the future holds for recruitment in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain operations.
Along with 10 other executives, Lars shares his thoughts on our recruitment process and how we are continuing to diversify our talent. Here’s an excerpt from his portion of the Q&A:
“Here in the U.S., particularly in the biopharma hubs such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, and San Diego, a key challenge will continue to be attracting and retaining talent. When it comes to recruiting, rather than focusing solely on a small group of candidates with very specific biotech experience, we need to grow the talent pool. Educating a future biotech workforce is a long game, and the competition for talent is now. A more innovative approach is to set aside our industry’s expectations for the “perfect candidate” and focus instead on analogous experience and the kinds of qualities that will enable them to be successful. For example, when hiring new manufacturing operators, we put much less emphasis on previous biotech experience. We know we will provide excellent training to new hires, which allows us to consider “nontraditional” candidates. Now we focus more broadly on candidates with skills and experience gained in other highly regulated industries that involve complex processes and adhere to strict protocols, such as aerospace. This strategy has recently helped us hire some outstanding new colleagues whom we probably wouldn’t have considered in the past. Another potential benefit is an economic ripple effect created by a new career path to high-tech manufacturing roles. So, while hiring in our industry will continue to be a significant challenge next year, there are practical solutions to be found.”
Read the full article on Life Science Leader. (Subscription required)
As the biopharma industry continues to evolve, we’re taking steps to invest in new, diverse talent with well-rounded skills that’ll help advance the workforce and improve patients’ access to our life-enhancing medicines. Explore a career with our U.S. Biopharma team.