Executive Search for Entrepreneurial Life Sciences
What We Do
We partner with entrepreneurial and PE-backed life sciences companies to recruit senior commercial and operations leaders—from VP through C-level—for organizations where the path forward isn’t fully defined and leadership mistakes compound quickly.
Who we serve:
- Founder-led biotech building commercial infrastructure for the first time
- PE-backed life sciences companies in transformation or rapid growth
- Rare disease and emerging pharma organizations where adaptability matters as much as experience
We don’t work with large, established pharmaceutical companies. We focus exclusively on environments where leaders must build, adapt, and inspire without established playbooks.
How We Assess Leadership
The Problem With Traditional Search
Most executive search evaluates credentials: where someone worked, what title they held, how closely their background matches a job description. It’s pattern-matching optimized for stability—which is exactly what entrepreneurial life sciences don’t have.
That approach works when you need someone to execute a known playbook in a stable environment.
It breaks down when the environment is uncertain and leaders must create rather than replicate.
Our Approach: The Three-Level Assessment
We evaluate candidates across three dimensions that actually predict success in entrepreneurial life sciences:
Level 1: The Engagement Evaluation
How candidates show up in initial conversations reveals leadership character.
In the first 10 minutes of conversation, we assess:
- Connection – Do they establish rapport intentionally, or treat the conversation as a transaction?
- Communication – Are responses concise and direct, or rambling and unfocused?
- Accountability – Do they take ownership of decisions (“I did,” “I decided”) or create distance through hypotheticals (“I think,” “I would”)?
These aren’t interview skills. These are behavioral patterns that show up under pressure—which is exactly when leadership matters most.
Level 2: The Character Assessment
Using The HUMAN Method™, we evaluate five leadership dimensions:
Moral Courage – Will they make difficult decisions when outcomes are uncertain and stakes are high? How do they handle situations where doing the right thing creates personal or professional risk?
Intellectual Humility – Can they admit when they’re wrong and adjust course? How do they respond when their judgment proves incorrect?
Human Development – Are they force multipliers who develop others, or individual contributors who happen to have teams? Do they invest in making others successful?
Emotional Intelligence – Can they lead authentically through uncertainty while managing their own emotions and supporting others?
Relationship Mastery – How do they handle conflict, build trust across stakeholders, and repair damaged relationships?
We assess these through structured interviews, behavioral patterns, and how candidates talk about past experiences—focusing on decisions they made, not accomplishments they list.
Level 3: The Motivational Fit Evaluation
We evaluate three questions that determine long-term success:
- Can they do the job? (Capability – table stakes)
- Do they want THIS job? (Intrinsic motivation – often missed)
- Will they elevate those around them? (Force multiplier – rarely assessed)
The difference between “this is a good next step” and “this is exactly what I want to build” determines whether someone stays 18 months or 5+ years.
What Clients Receive
Insight Beyond Credentials
When we present candidates, you receive:
- Character Assessment – Specific evaluation across the 5 leadership dimensions, including strengths and potential risks
- Cultural Fit Prediction – Where they’ll thrive and where they might struggle in your specific environment
- Motivational Alignment – Why they want this role beyond compensation and career progression
- Red Flag Transparency – Anything we observed that gives us pause, and why
This allows you to make hiring decisions with confidence—not just hope.
Our Search Process
Discovery
We immerse ourselves in your strategy, culture, and the specific leadership challenges that matter in the next 12-18 months. What actually needs to happen, not just what the job description says.
Assessment & Outreach
We identify and evaluate leaders against technical requirements and character traits your environment demands. We present only candidates who meet both criteria and have been assessed through our three-level framework.
Decision Support
We provide detailed assessment insights to support confident selection—including specific observations about leadership behavior, cultural alignment, and risk factors.
Integration Guidance
We partner with you through offer negotiation and early integration to ensure successful transition.
Why This Approach Works
Our clients face environments where:
- Speed matters, but mistakes are expensive
- Cultural misalignment derails leaders faster than capability gaps
- Adaptability and judgment matter as much as experience
We built our assessment approach for exactly these conditions.
Recent placements: Chief Commercial Officer and SVP Commercial Operations for PE-backed life sciences services company
Retention rate: 98% over 6+ years of executive placements
Ready to Discuss Your Leadership Search?
If you’re facing a critical VP+ commercial or operations hire and need to reduce risk, let’s talk.
Phone: 610 546 0426
Email: rob@tgitalent.com