The Client Opportunity
A small biotech start-up in Princeton, NJ was quickly growing and needed extra support in the clinical operations area as soon as possible. Specifically, the company needed a Senior Director of Clinical Operations with an MD and cancer immunotherapy experience, but they did not have the manpower to take on a search of this magnitude. Ashton Tweed had placed the Chief Medical Officer back in 2014 and, because he trusted their expertise in the life sciences, the CMO reached back out to Ashton Tweed to find a direct report.
The Ashton Tweed Solution
After consulting with the client, Ashton Tweed discovered that the biggest challenge would be finding a doctor in the MRSA space. Additionally, given that the company was a start-up, the compensation the client was able to offer would be less than attractive to an MD. Fortunately, Ashton Tweed has extensive experience negotiating 
these issues and a network of over 70,000 professionals to kick off the search.
Ashton Tweed researched hundreds of candidates that matched the client’s criteria and used its resources to contact doctors currently working with MRSA experience. The team took the time to speak with 258 candidates that were qualified for the job and used their expertise to pitch this opportunity to interested professionals. After further engagement and discussion with these candidates, Ashton Tweed was able to determine the top 5 candidates that most perfectly suited the client and its needs.
The client hired a PhD with over 10 years of clinical operations experience and who had worked in the infectious disease space. The PhD had the same benefits as MD candidates, but possessed greater solid business leadership experience, which attracted the client. Not only was this candidate a perfect match, this professional also had P1-P3 expertise, global experience, and familiarity with start-up/small company culture. Additionally, this candidate was local to New Jersey, allowing for a quick start to the position. Due to the candidate’s experience, the title of the role was negotiated and upgraded to the Vice President of Clinical Operations at the offer stage.
The Benefits
In just 3 months, the client was able to hire exactly the professional they required for their team. The company gained the clinical support they needed to move forward with operations without having to exhaust their executive team’s time and money on this narrow search. Ashton Tweed assisted with the negotiations and helped pave the way for a smooth hire. The CMO was very pleased and looks forward to entrusting Ashton Tweed with future hires.