THE CLIENT OPPORTUNITY

A small clinical stage biopharmaceutical company in the Northeast, which specializes in developing novel antibiotics to be effective against serious and life-threatening infections, was growing and needed extra financial support in the clinical operations area. Given the specific qualifications required of their ideal hire, the company decided this was a search they could not feasibly complete on their own. Ashton Tweed previously placed the client’s Chief Medical Officer and Senior Director Clinical Operations, so the Chief Financial Officer reached back out to the firm to find a direct report in the form of an Accounting Manager.

 

THE ASHTON TWEED SOLUTION

The client required an Accounting Manager with 5-10 years of experience and a pharmaceutical/biotechnology background – narrowing down the target to a specialized group of professionals from the start. Ideally, public company and small company experience would also be beneficial in this role. Given the company was a start-up, it would be tough to find an individual at this level for the salary they were able to pay.

The Ashton Tweed team researched and contacted 190 qualified candidates that matched the narrow experience the client needed. As trained experts in pitching career openings, Ashton Tweed was able to connect with these niche accounting professionals and excite them about this biopharma start-up opportunity. After screening the candidate pool and gauging each individual’s interest in the position, the recruiting team was ready to narrow down the search to two top candidates with the specialized background required by the company.

The client chose an accounting professional with laboratory skills and experience at surface and materials science, telecommunications, biopharmaceutical, and management consulting companies. This individual had strengths that would help the company in their growth, including the ability to work well in pressure situations, coordinate multiple projects, lead training and team building, and complete projects on time and within budget. Both the client and hired candidate are enthusiastic about handling the company’s quick growth as a team.

 

THE BENEFIT

The client engaged Ashton Tweed early on in the process, so by the time the client had raised the capital they needed, a candidate was hired and prepared to begin working immediately. Ashton Tweed helped negotiate the candidate’s final offer, ensuring that both parties were satisfied. As the company continues to raise more funds, they intend to partner with Ashton Tweed for future searches.