Walker Cole International
Experienced Search Consultant / Leader - Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Recruitment
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Most recruitment adverts are about your next move. This one is about your next three to five years.
Walker Cole International is an executive search, talent, interim and embedded solutions business built specifically for the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.
Where we've got to
- Founded in 2020
- Now 25 people with offices in London, Boston, Düsseldorf and Amsterdam — grown entirely organically, with no external investment
- NFI from £1.2m in our first year to a forecast £3.8m by the end of 2026
- 29 countries, 92% search success rate, and 72% of clients working with us across all three of our geographies
Where we're going
We're in a clearly defined three-year growth phase. That's the honest framing: for the right people this isn't about a title or a short-term uplift, it's about shaping the direction of the business, taking real leadership responsibility, and sharing in the outcome.
The roles
We're recruiting across the full experience range, so the level is shaped around you rather than the other way round.
- Senior Search Consultant / Senior Associate: a 360 life sciences desk with genuine ownership of clients and candidates
- Principal Consultant: a sole-contributor role for high billers who want to build strategic client partnerships without managing a team
- Recruitment Manager / Team Lead: bill and build, with a team growing underneath you
- Associate Director / Director: own a vertical, a country, or a P&L
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
For senior appointments, the conversations we're having tend to fall into three pathways:
- Leading a country or international location — owning a market end to end
- Owning and developing a vertical or desk — taking an existing specialism and scaling it
- A senior sales / BD-focused role — building strategic, long-term client partnerships
Your specialism
We recruit into Research & Development, Quality Assurance & Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Commercial & Market Access, Manufacturing & Technical Operations, Clinical Research, Supply Chain & Procurement, Project Management, Business Development & Licensing, and Engineering & CQV — across pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotech, cell and gene therapy, medical devices, CDMO/CRO, IVD and consumer healthcare.
What's actually on offer
- A published progression framework from Researcher to Director — transparent promotion criteria, defined commission structure, and regular fairness reviews. You'll know exactly what the next level requires before you join
- Financial ownership of the outcome for senior appointments, discussed openly at offer stage
- International scope — live searches across 29 countries and a genuine route into US and European expansion
- A collaborative, team-based model. Deep sector specialisation and shared market knowledge, not individualistic transactional desks. Our clients work with the firm, not one consultant
- Directors who still bill — and a deliberate strategy to shift billing weight to the wider team as it grows
Get help with your application
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Who this is for
- Experienced recruiters and recruitment leaders with a proven billing record — life sciences or pharmaceutical recruitment experience is ideal, but a strong track record in another technical or specialist market travels well
- Commercial maturity: you can build client relationships that outlast a single placement
- A leadership mindset, whether or not you want direct reports
- A genuine interest in building something collectively rather than protecting a desk
Let's have a conversation
Every conversation is confidential and informal to begin with, and we'd rather talk early than wait for you to be actively looking.
Marketa Littlemore, People Director
careers@walkercole.com | +44 (0) 208 103 5473
Walker Cole International is committed to building a diverse team and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
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