Search studies

The mandate is complex. The search should make it clear.

Built around evidence

How we turn a difficult brief into a precise market map, assessment, and shortlist.

One live mandate. Five representative search studies.

Client confidentiality matters, and no completed Muller placements are presented without verified permission and evidence. The representative studies below show the search architecture we would use for recurring leadership problems in our markets. They are not published client outcome claims.

Live mandate

Preclinical biotech · Paris

Regulatory Lead

Build the regulatory path from preclinical development toward first-in-human readiness.

Brief

A growing biotech needs a hands-on regulatory leader to shape global strategy, coordinate scientific advice, and prepare the evidence package required for CTA and IND progression.

Search difficulty

This is not a maintenance role. The person must create the regulatory operating model while influencing CMC, nonclinical, and clinical decisions before the organization has a large internal regulatory team.

Search design

The search focuses on leaders who have worked close to preclinical programs, agency interactions, and first-in-human preparation. Assessment separates true submission ownership from participation and tests how each candidate handles incomplete evidence.

Current status

Applications are open. Every CV is reviewed directly and handled in confidence.

View the live role

Representative mandate

Cell and gene therapy · Europe

Head of MSAT

Create technical continuity across process development, transfer, and GMP production.

Brief

An advanced therapy organization preparing for scale needs an MSAT leader who can own process performance across internal teams and external manufacturing partners.

Search difficulty

The title appears widely, but the evidence does not. The shortlist must distinguish advisory exposure from direct ownership of transfers, comparability, deviations, process characterization, and lifecycle improvement.

Search design

We map leaders by modality, process, scale, and manufacturing model. Each profile is assessed against the technical decisions they owned, the sites they influenced, and the problems they solved under GMP conditions.

Evidence for shortlist

A qualified shortlist would show repeatable technology transfer, measurable process improvement, and the ability to align development, quality, manufacturing, and CDMO partners.

Representative mandate

Specialist CDMO · Europe

VP Technical Operations

Scale delivery without separating technical performance from client trust.

Brief

A specialist CDMO entering its next growth phase needs an executive to align site operations, technical transfer, manufacturing science, engineering, supply, and client delivery.

Search difficulty

The person must combine technical depth with business judgment. A strong plant operator without client fluency is incomplete, as is a commercial leader without real command of GMP delivery and capacity trade-offs.

Search design

The market map spans CDMO and product-company leaders who have managed complex portfolios, capital decisions, transfers, and customer escalation. Evaluation follows delivery evidence, not employer prestige.

Evidence for shortlist

The strongest profiles would connect operational improvement to service reliability, inspection readiness, capacity use, and stronger client relationships.

Representative mandate

Specialist CRO · Europe

Business Unit Leader

Turn scientific capability into a focused service line with accountable growth.

Brief

A research services business needs a leader to unite scientific teams, operational delivery, commercial priorities, and full business-unit accountability.

Search difficulty

Few candidates bring technical authority, P and L ownership, service design, and the credibility to win complex biotech and pharma work. The search must reach beyond generic commercial profiles.

Search design

We identify leaders who have built or repositioned specialist services, improved delivery, and carried revenue accountability. References and assessment focus on the connection between scientific quality and commercial performance.

Evidence for shortlist

A credible shortlist would include leaders with service-line ownership, measurable growth, team leadership, and direct experience with demanding scientific buyers.

Representative mandate

Rare disease biotech · Europe

European Market Access Lead

Build an access strategy around a small population and a high evidence burden.

Brief

A rare disease company approaching European launch needs a market access leader to shape value, evidence, pricing, and country sequencing before the commercial organization is fully built.

Search difficulty

Rare disease access depends on more than payer negotiation. The leader must understand diagnosis pathways, centers of expertise, patient evidence, cross-border variation, and the practical implications of a small eligible population.

Search design

We map access leaders with direct orphan launch evidence, then assess which decisions they owned across HEOR, value communication, country planning, patient engagement, and affiliate buildout.

Evidence for shortlist

The final profiles would demonstrate orphan launch judgment, country-level execution, and the ability to turn limited evidence into a credible and responsible access plan.

Representative mandate

Life sciences software · Europe

Commercial Director

Sell a technical platform through scientific credibility and enterprise discipline.

Brief

A software company serving research and development teams needs a European commercial leader to sharpen positioning, build pipeline, and create repeatable enterprise growth.

Search difficulty

The market contains strong software sellers and strong life sciences operators, but fewer people who can do both. The person must navigate technical users, procurement, validation concerns, data governance, and long buying cycles.

Search design

The search targets leaders who have sold complex platforms into biotech, pharma, CRO, or CDMO environments. Assessment tests enterprise execution, scientific fluency, partnership strategy, and forecast discipline.

Evidence for shortlist

A qualified shortlist would show material enterprise wins, clear sales-system ownership, credible relationships, and the ability to translate technical value for multiple buyers.

Your mandate

What must the next person change?

Start with the business and scientific outcome. We will define the evidence, map the real market, and approach the people who can deliver it.

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