The Background
Our client is an established, European-based pharmaceutical company that specializes in Rare Disease. In the EU and UK, this organization has one product on the market. They are actively building out their inaugural, US-based Commercial team as they prepare to launch their first FDA-approved product.
The organization is dedicated to identifying, developing, and providing access to innovative treatments for patients with rare diseases. Our client selected to develop their first product to treat Wilson’s disease, which affects approximately 1 in every 30,000 of the worldwide population. Wilson’s disease is an inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate in your liver, brain and other vital organs. “In people with Wilson’s disease, copper isn’t eliminated properly and instead accumulates, possibly to a life-threatening level,” according to Mayo Clinic.
The Partnership
With a predominantly unknown presence in the United States, they needed a partner to build out their Commercial leadership team while championing their employer brand and reputation in the market.
Building the Relationship
- Before we were contractually selected to support our client, they did not yet have an established line of command in the U.S.
- Our Head of TSP Europe connected us with the organization’s Chief Commercial Officer, who introduced two U.S. consultants. We later met the new European Head of HR, and despite his initial lack of authority in the U.S., kept communication open for a future partnership. Through consistent follow-ups and consultations on their product and the various challenges they were facing, we fostered a robust relationship. Our positive reputation reached the CEO and leadership, laying a solid foundation over two years prior to forming an official partnership.
- Our passion to partner with them was apparent, and our ability to build a trusted relationship, appreciate their timeline and understand their brand and team empowered us to be selected as their Executive Search and Talent & Leadership Consulting partner.
- Once our work with them became official, things moved quickly. Based on our knowledge of the client, we built tailored solutions and delivered a customized and effective hiring strategy.
Here’s What You Should Know About How We Supported Our Client
- To begin building out our client’s business in the U.S., the priority was to hire the Commercial leadership team – four Key Account Managers, a VP of Marketing, a Director of Pricing, an Associate Director of Patient Services, an Associate Director of Marketing Operations, and two Market Access Managers. As the project developed, they required an additional nine Key Account Managers, a Director of Patient Marketing, and a Senior Director.
- Our client required significant assistance to increase their brand awareness in the U.S. market, a subject matter expert to sort through the nuances of hiring in a new country, and needed to leverage an expansive network of qualified candidates, as they did not have one established at the time. They were also looking for a partner to consult on compensation, timelines, bonus and equity structure, and profiles to consider.
- To accompany our Executive & Professional Search solution, our client invested in Talent & Leadership Consulting’s Competency Modeling and Interview Guide Development solution. Our team of Industrial/Organizational Psychologists led focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders to outline the competencies for success in a global environment. They built competency frameworks and guides to support the hiring process and delivered in-depth training to cover how to interview in the U.S.
- We worked alongside our client to create their brand story – why a candidate should choose their organizations – pulling through what existed in Europe while expanding upon it to ensure it was relevant and meaningful to the U.S. talent pool. Our Recruitment Marketing and Employer Brand team launched recruitment campaigns highlighting the Employer Value Proposition and open roles that our recruiters were hiring for. Our recruiting team used these assets in the marketplace prior to kickoff and throughout the duration of the project.
- Our recruiters leveraged our tried-and-true search process and customized search strategy to identify top talent, create a pipeline of qualified candidates, and deliver the executive leadership team of choice. We began the search by meeting with our client stakeholders to consult, provide guidance, and align on the profile, timeline, compensation structure, and go-to-market strategy. Our team reinforced the determined value proposition, leadership values, and cultural visions. We developed a comprehensive target list to pursue while actively recruiting newly found candidates and those in our vast professional network.
- Once our recruiters built the talent pipeline, they conducted applicant interviews designed to collect practical data, measure cultural fit, and affirm interest. We conducted behavioral assessments to determine the validity between the candidate, client, culture, and their respective objectives. Then, our team provided our client with a briefing book, including the candidates’ resumes, a summary of experience, and the assessment report.
- The Talent & Leadership Consulting team developed an Executive Assessment for the Head of Marketing search. Our Executive Assessment process includes personality testing and an in-depth behavioral interview with one of our in-house I/O Psychologists. We provided an executive summary highlighting strengths, insights, and onboarding/coaching considerations. Our client found the Executive Assessment to be an integral tool to differentiate top talent while hiring for this leadership position and loved the insight it brought into how this hire learns, teaches, and mentors.
The Challenges and How We Overcame Them
From the onset of our relationship, we were tasked with a unique challenge to help define our client’s employer brand in the U.S. market while balancing what already existed in Europe. We were positioned as a partner and consultant in education rather than a simple vendor and resume finder, which allowed us to work together to create a solution. There are many cultural differences that we worked through – working around the holidays, vacation time, and timeline expectations throughout the hiring process – and our client truly appreciated, valued, and trusted our insight and expertise.
Additionally, our client is a one-product company, sitting on a product that received FDA approval but had yet to launch in the market. Candidates found this to be understandably puzzling, creating a challenge to explain during the screening process. It raised eyebrows in every conversation. We worked with our client to understand the reasoning and share the story with candidates to ease concerns. This organization is willing to take a step back, look at the big picture, and take time to launch the right way rather than racing through. They are also a company that plans to grow through the acquisition of breakthrough assets instead of building out a massive R&D and Clinical team to develop a deep and robust pipeline in-house. Ultimately, candidates resonated with that message, and we overcame that hurdle by understanding our client’s story through the relationship we’d. built.
The Outcome
Our relationship with our client involves partnership, consultation, and trust. They were thrilled with our ability to deliver top talent within a tight timeline. They have leaned on us as their eyes and ears in the U.S. market, were open to feedback, and acted on it. We both have the common goal of hiring a great team.
To date, we have successfully filled ten of our client’s open roles:
- AD Patient Services
- Director Patient Marketing
- Director Pricing
- Senior Director
- Vice President – ED Marketing & Comms
- 13 Key Account Managers
- Market Access
- AD Marketing Ops
Our client is grateful for our work, and we plan to continue our partnership as they build out their sales team.
