Pharma
Batches moving, records audit ready.
Manufacturing operators, quality assurance, QC analysts, validation engineers, regulatory and supply chain staff for pharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs. Screened on GMP practice, not just GMP vocabulary.
- 6 functions
- from the production suite and the QC lab through validation, regulatory and the cold chain
- GMP in practice
- screened on how people document, deviate and escalate, not on whether the acronym is on the resume
- 48 to 72 hours
- to first qualified profiles on most pharmaceutical briefs
Pharma
In pharma, the record is part of the work.
We staff pharmaceutical manufacturers, contract development and manufacturing organisations, packagers and distributors: production operators, quality assurance and quality control, validation and commissioning, regulatory affairs and drug safety, and the warehouse staff who keep the cold chain intact.
What separates a strong pharma hire from an average one is rarely technical. It is whether they record what they did, when they did it, the way the procedure says to. Data integrity and good documentation practice are where inspections find problems, so they are where we screen hardest.
The second constraint is the site. Sterile or non-sterile, oral solid dose or biologics, commercial or clinical supply. Experience in one transfers to another less freely than job titles suggest, and we confirm which one a candidate actually knows before anyone is put forward.
Functions
What we actually recruit for.
Pick one and you get what they actually produce, the seniority we fill, and the tools and standards a screen has to cover.
Dispensing, granulation, compression, filling and packaging, run to the batch record and signed as it happens rather than at the end of the shift.
- Seniority we fill
- Operator and technician through to production supervisor
- Tools
- MES and electronic batch recordsTablet presses and fill linesIsolators and RABSSAP shop floor
- Standards
- 21 CFR 210 and 211Good documentation practiceAseptic gowning qualification
Dispensing, granulation, compression, filling and packaging, run to the batch record and signed as it happens rather than at the end of the shift.
- Seniority we fill
- Operator and technician through to production supervisor
- Tools
- MES and electronic batch recordsTablet presses and fill linesIsolators and RABSSAP shop floor
- Standards
- 21 CFR 210 and 211Good documentation practiceAseptic gowning qualification
The vocabulary
What we recruit against.
Dosage form, quality system and regulation. Those three questions decide most pharmaceutical shortlists before years of experience are even discussed.
Dosage forms
- Oral solid dose
- Sterile injectables
- Aseptic fill finish
- Biologics
- Liquids and topicals
- Packaging and labelling
Systems
- Veeva Vault
- MasterControl
- TrackWise
- LIMS
- Empower
- MES
- SAP
Regulations
- 21 CFR 210 and 211
- 21 CFR Part 11
- EU GMP Annex 1
- ICH Q7 to Q10
- DSCSA
Practice
- GDocP
- ALCOA+
- CAPA
- Change control
- OOS and OOT
- Aseptic qualification
Anyone can put GMP on a resume. The useful question is what they did the last time a record was wrong.
Screening
How we screen for a GMP site.
Technical knowledge is the easy part of a pharmaceutical candidate to verify. Documentation habits are the part that fails audits, so that is where most of the screen goes.
- 01
Dosage form and site type named
Sterile or non-sterile, small molecule or biologic, commercial or clinical supply. This is the question that decides whether experience transfers.
- 02
Documentation habits tested
We ask candidates to walk through a deviation they raised and a correction they made to a record, and how they made it. Good documentation practice shows up in the detail of the answer.
- 03
Systems confirmed
The QMS, LIMS or MES they actually worked in, and whether they used it, reviewed in it or administered it. Three different people share one line on a resume.
- 04
Gowning and shift readiness
Aseptic qualification history, any gowning or medical requirement your site applies, and the shift pattern, confirmed with the candidate before you meet them.
- 05
A reference from quality, not only production
Somebody who reviewed their records. In this industry that is the reference worth having.
Straight answer
Where the market is actually tight.
What our recruiters see running these searches. Experience rather than a guarantee.
| Role | What the market looks like | Realistic shortlist |
|---|---|---|
| GDP warehouse associates | Available in most distribution hubs. Cold chain experience narrows the field. | One to two weeks |
| Manufacturing operators | Available for oral solid dose. Aseptic experience is far thinner. | Two to three weeks |
| QC analysts | A steady supply of graduates, far fewer with Empower and OOS investigation experience. | Two to four weeks |
| QA specialists | Competitive, particularly for batch release and deviation ownership. | Three to five weeks |
| Validation engineers | Tight, and driven by capital projects across a whole region at once. | Four to six weeks |
| Regulatory affairs and drug safety | Specialist and national rather than local, often remote or hybrid. | Four to six weeks |
Sites inside an established pharmaceutical cluster have a larger pool and a more aggressive market. Sites outside one should expect to discuss relocation for anything beyond operator level.
Shapes
Three shapes this usually takes.
Pharmaceutical demand is driven by capital projects, inspections and launches.
Project and validation team
Validation and engineering staff against a commissioning and qualification schedule.
- When it fits
- A new line, a facility expansion, a technology transfer.
- The arrangement
- Contract for the project, with the option to convert the people you want to keep.
Quality backlog and remediation
QA reviewers and QC analysts to clear a backlog or support an inspection response.
- When it fits
- Deviation and CAPA backlogs, stability catch up, preparing for or responding to an inspection.
- The arrangement
- Contract, scoped to the backlog, with a clear end date.
Production and warehouse cover
Operators and GDP associates for a launch, a campaign or a seasonal volume increase.
- When it fits
- New product launches, extra shifts, leave cover on a qualified line.
- The arrangement
- Temporary or contract-to-hire, with gowning and shift requirements confirmed up front.
Before you call
What to have ready before you call.
Five specifics here are worth more than a full job description.
- The dosage form and whether the area is sterile or non-sterile
- The quality system, LIMS or MES the person will work in
- Any gowning, aseptic qualification or medical requirement
- The shift pattern, including weekends and nights
- Whether the role reviews, approves or only executes
- The rate or salary band, and whether relocation is supported
Open roles
A sample of pharma roles we fill.
Questions
Before you call.
We screen for practice. A certificate says somebody attended a course; a walk through of a real deviation or record correction tells you whether they work that way. Where a role suits a graduate or career changer, we say so plainly rather than dressing it up.
Inspection coming, or a line to staff?
Tell us the dosage form, the system and the shift. We will tell you honestly how long the search will take.