​Role: Senior Director – Finance & Operations

Industry: Blue-chip Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Location: Germany

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Discovery

Our client, a blue-chip pharmaceutical organisation, was developing a multi-billion euro greenfield manufacturing site in Germany and required senior leadership appointments to support the build and early operational phases. ​

One of the most critical appointments was Senior Director Finance and Operations, given the financial, operational and governance pressures associated with establishing a site of this scale.

The role required a leader with strong pharmaceutical manufacturing experience, exposure to large-scale capital projects and the ability to operate effectively during the build and early operational phases. In addition, the search was underpinned by a clear commitment to diversity, adding further complexity to an already constrained leadership market.

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Reach

Working closely with site leadership and global stakeholders, we defined the critical capability requirements for the role. Our research team mapped relevant donor organisations across the pharmaceutical and advanced manufacturing sectors, identifying senior leaders with experience operating at comparable scale and complexity.

​Candidate engagement was tailored carefully to reflect the seniority of the role, the client’s employer brand and the sensitivity of a greenfield project. This ensured strong engagement with high-calibre, largely passive candidates operating at senior leadership level.

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Assessment

Candidates were assessed through our structured evaluation process, combining competency-based interviews with detailed assessment of financial leadership, operational planning capability and experience supporting major capital programmes.

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Impact

HRM delivered a high-quality shortlist of six candidates, with three progressing to final stage. The successful candidate was appointed and onboarded within a compressed timeframe, supporting an early start that was critical given the cost pressures of the greenfield site. The appointment strengthened financial and operational leadership at a pivotal stage and contributed directly to the successful rollout of the site.

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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 | +35383 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