​Role: Site Leadership Team (SLT)

Industry: Biologics

Location: Ireland

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Discovery

Our client, a global biologics organisation, initiated the development of a USD $500 million greenfield Drug Substance manufacturing facility in Leinster, Ireland. As a new site, the organisation needed to build its leadership and technical teams from the ground up while managing a demanding construction, commissioning and operational readiness programme.

The talent requirements were highly specialised, requiring leaders with significant biologics manufacturing expertise and experience in greenfield site builds or large-scale expansion environments. Limited regional availability of specialised biologics professionals and strong competition for senior leaders capable of shaping a next-generation biologics facility added complexity and underscored the need for a global executive search strategy.

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Reach

From project inception, HRM partnered with senior HR and project leadership to define the leadership structure and map the international talent landscape. Our reach extended across major global biologics, biopharma and drug substance manufacturing hubs in Europe, the United States and Asia to ensure access to the strongest and most relevant talent pools.

We targeted senior operations, quality, engineering and supply chain leaders with proven experience in large-scale biologics manufacturing and exposure to greenfield or high-growth environments. By positioning the scale of the investment and the opportunity to shape a next-generation biologics site, we secured strong international engagement and attracted senior candidates with directly comparable experience.

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Assessment

Candidates were evaluated for biologics operations expertise, leadership capability and experience in greenfield or expansion environments. Assessment focused on operational excellence and the ability to build teams, systems and processes within a newly constructed facility. Cultural alignment and adaptability were also critical, ensuring shortlisted leaders could succeed in a start-up-like environment while integrating effectively into a global organisation. This approach ensured the selected leaders could drive the site from construction through commissioning and into full operational readiness.

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Impact

Within an accelerated timeline, we delivered multiple appointments across the Site Leadership Team, establishing a strong leadership foundation ahead of key construction milestones. These hires strengthened the organisation’s ability to attract additional specialist talent in a competitive regional market. The newly appointed leaders played a central role in advancing the site’s early operational readiness and supported the organisation’s long-term growth trajectory in Ireland.

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Explore more Executive Search case studies here.

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​Get In Touch

To discuss how we can support your Executive Search and Contract & Interim requirements contact:

Ciarán McCaughey – Managing Director – Executive Search | ciaran.mccaughey@hrmrecruit.com | +353 83 1420673

Shane Browne – Managing Director – International Operations | shane.browne@hrmrecruit.com | +353 1 6321865

Arlene Moran – Managing Director – Contract & Interim | arlene.moran@hrmrecruit.com | +353 86 3656648