The Challenge
Backed by Ionis, Akcea Therapeutics develops and commercializes products which benet patients living with serious and rare diseases. TAP for Hire partnered with Akcea to source, screen, recruit and hire two top performing Senior Medical Science Liaisons (MSL). We worked with Akcea on a contingency basis, meaning we are only paid once the right person was hired!
Akcea specializes in delivering a mature pipeline of programs and products to address the unmet needs and complex medical challenges of patients with serious and rare diseases using antisense technology. The high growth phase of development that the business was going through had created the need for two Senior MSL roles to help the rm successfully launch their ATTR Amyloidosis (ATTR) product in October 2018.
As a result of the work involved in driving clinical programs forward from development to commercialization colleagues were working to capacity – this was an issue felt not just in the operational areas of the business, with the internal HR department’s capacity fully committed to managing existing employees and specific programs.
TAP for Hire partnered with Akcea's HR and Hiring Teams to help ll these roles that have been open for 8 months.
As with any vacancy, keeping them open is a huge cost to any business in a number of ways. These issues include:
Lost revenue, lost profits, project delays and even potential project failure.
A lack of productivity and an impact on the ability of the business to deliver.
Other team members are working under pressure, across roles they may be unfamiliar with and this can lead to a lack of motivation, increased stress levels and prioritization of key tasks resulting in other activities being delayed or incomplete.
Impacts on customer satisfaction as a consequence of the factors outlined above.
Our experience meant that we were well positioned to work directly with the hiring team without the need for any detailed training or guidance. We adopted an approach which allowed us to work with the business as if we were part of the in- house team. We quickly assessed their culture, job role requirements and developed a recruitment strategy, even making recommendations for the hiring team to consider in terms of offer negotiation with shortlisted candidates
Why we were asked to help
It is our consultative and strategic approach that differentiates us from other recruitment agencies. With a team which includes people with experience of Medical Science Liaison Management we have an innate understanding of the skills, capabilities and competencies required to build and sustain a high-performing organization. It is this experience and our reputation for excellence which has enabled us to develop a strong and engaged network of tenured Medical Science Liaisons with experience across a breadth of therapeutic areas. These are individuals who are actively seeking opportunities to work within a progressive company.
Finding the right people for the right jobs
Akcea was keen to ensure that their two candidates could bring with them at least ve years of direct MSL experience and a PhD, PharmD or MD degree. Ideally the successful candidates would also have experience within an area of therapeutics which included rare diseases. We successfully found people that matched this high bar. Before we worked with the business the roles had been advertised for more than 8 months. We had secured two outstanding MSLs within 90 days.
We achieved this through a slick and efficient plan. Within the first two weeks we had identified potential candidates and arranged phone interviews with the hiring manager. We had targeted a range of highly qualified passive candidates – these people were not actively looking for jobs. We found these people through our network of MSLs that we have built over the past few years, and through targeted research and strategic sourcing, which included email marketing campaigns.
When we engage with potential clients we always ensure that we develop detailed job outlines for candidates, and then we can ensure that we brief our client fully about each candidate. Engaged and interested talent is screened by our Recruitment Consultants (former Sr. MSLs and MSL Hiring Leaders with PhD’s and PharmD’s with over 20 years combined experience). This enables us to accurately and knowledgeably screen for specific scientific and medical skill sets, as well as behavioral competencies.
A Different Approach Wins the Day
We believe it is really important that candidates are also given a great experience. This helps us develop our network and ensures candidates have the best possible impression of the employer.
We make sure we keep HR and in-house recruitment teams in the loop at all times with regular updates which we can customize to meet their requirements to ensure we truly work in partnership. It is always important to be sensitive when we are working directly with hiring managers rather than engaging with the HR team directly.
Generally, our process is designed to be quick and efficient, guided by our philosophy of integration, development, strategizing, executing, organizing, closing and reconnecting. Our reputation, experience and expertise mean that we have the ability to seek out individuals through sophisticated recruitment marketing strategies who possesses the qualities required by employers in this sector.
Our competitive advantage, and the reason so many clients ask us to work with them, is our consultative approach, our ability and interest in listening to our clients, empathizing and then tailoring the talent that we present. We add real value through results.
We can’t wait to be your hiring super power, let’s talk about building your dream team!
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