THE CLIENT OPPORTUNITY

The client, a fast-growing global provider of electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment (eCOA) solutions for clinical trials, needed a Vice President of Quality Assurance. Their incumbent VP Quality Assurance resigned but gave 60-day notice, which allowed the company to begin recruiting for the role in a confidential matter. In order to respect this confidentiality and target the specific industry space, the client hired Ashton Tweed to find a replacement in a timely manner.

 

THE ASHTON TWEED SOLUTION

This role required in depth experience with clinical quality assurance, leading regulatory inspections/audits, and in the eCOA/eClinical area. Knowledge of ISO software quality standards, principles, and methodologies and in testing enterprise software solutions was also a must. Additionally, direct contract research organization (CRO) and global work experience was of importance, as the client’s customers are primarily top large pharmaceutical companies and CROs around the world.

Working in the very small niche of eCOA/eClinical, the Ashton Tweed team had to tactfully navigate the non-compete issues within the limited industry space. Following the team’s research and initial screenings, they quickly worked through a total of 355 possible candidates. Due to the circumstances, the role was initially confidential. Once the original VP left, Ashton Tweed could disclose the name of the company. Throughout the process, the team successfully communicated with both the Recruiting Manager in the U.S. and Chief People Officer located in the U.K to keep all parties informed. The final candidates, nine distinct and qualified professionals, were presented to the client.

The chosen candidate had an in-depth background in quality assurance operations and was also an expert in the areas of eClinical systems, data visualization, and data stewardship. This professional not only had several years of experience leading on a global level, but did so at a prestigious Big Pharma company. Along with the other ISO and CRO requirements, the candidate had a proven track record of solving problems in today’s evolving technical and regulatory landscape.

 

THE BENEFITS

From the original Vice President’s announced resignation to the replacement’s engagement took just three months. The client was impressed with this timeline and was eager to have the new hire jump in and fill the small gap. Ashton Tweed helped with negotiation throughout entire offer process to move things along amenably and efficiently. The client was able to continue operations with the peace of mind that this vital role was filled with a top professional by the trusted partners they found in Ashton Tweed.