Program Manager for a Women’s Health Foundation

Overview
Our client is a niche pharmaceutical company with state-of-the art sterile manufacturing facilities. Heavy investments were made in their manufacturing plants and R&D center along with a team of coveted chemists and scientists. They were looking to a Chief Scientific Officer. This individual was expected to drive several critical processes including formulation development, clinical trials and technology transfer.

Challenge
Timing was a significant constraint from the outset as the vacancy was critical and urgent. Hence, PSS was given the mandate to work on the search and provide a shortlist within a week of getting the brief. The specifications of the role were clear – a woman candidate with management consulting or investment banking experience, a deep passion for maternal welfare issues and public & private sector experience was strongly preferred. Given such specifications, the pool of potential candidates was small. Finally, it was difficult to identify highly experienced candidates who were willing to take on a nascent initiative.

Strategy
We mapped and interacted with all possible candidates with consulting and banking backgrounds with experience in the social sector. Suitable candidates also came from non-profit organizations but with past experience in consulting or banking. A shortlist of 5 candidates were interviewed within a week by the client’s Managing Director and Head of Talent Acquisition.

Outcome
One candidate was made an offer after the interview rounds. She came from a banking background and had done extensive work with global foundations like the Gates Foundation. The candidate joined the company within one month. Today, she is driving several key initiatives of the foundation in India.