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LIFE SCIENCES · DEEP SPECIALTY
We recruit for medical device and life sciences contract manufacturers — placing the engineers, project managers, and commercial leaders who keep these complex operations running.
Specialized depth in medical device contract manufacturing, with growing capability in biologics and biopharma CMO recruiting.
Contract development and manufacturing organizations operate at the intersection of complex regulated manufacturing, demanding client relationships, and tight commercial timelines. The candidates who succeed in this environment are different from the candidates who succeed at in-house manufacturers — and most recruiters don't know how to tell them apart.
We bring a meaningful advantage most recruiting firms don't have: one of our senior recruiters spent 25 years in the medical device and contract manufacturing industry before joining Connexis. He understands how CDMOs actually run — the client dynamics, the GMP manufacturing realities, the engineering profiles that work, and the business development pressures that come with carrying a sponsor portfolio.
Across engineering, project management, commercial, and operations functions.
HIGHEST VOLUME
Process Engineers · Manufacturing Engineers · Validation Engineers · Quality Engineers · Automation Engineers · R&D Engineers · Sustaining Engineers
Our highest-volume CDMO category. We've placed engineering teams at medical device contract manufacturers — distinguishing candidates with genuine GMP manufacturing depth from generalist engineers who'd struggle in a regulated CDMO environment.
Project Managers · Program Managers · Senior Project Managers · Technical Project Leads · Portfolio Managers · PMO Leadership
CDMO project managers handle concurrent pharma and biotech sponsor programs under demanding timelines. These aren't generic PM roles — they require manufacturing fluency, regulatory awareness, and sponsor-facing maturity.
VP of Business Development · BD Directors · Business Development Managers · Account Directors · Strategic Account Managers · Inside Sales
BD at a CDMO requires scientific credibility, manufacturing knowledge, and established pharma and biotech sponsor relationships. This is one of the most consistently hard-to-fill searches in life sciences.
QA Directors · Quality Managers · Regulatory Affairs · Validation Specialists · CAPA Management · Document Control
QA leadership in a regulated CDMO environment requires specific GMP manufacturing compliance experience that doesn't transfer cleanly from adjacent industries. We've built dedicated network depth in this category.
VP of Operations · Manufacturing Directors · Plant Managers · Supply Chain Leadership · Chief Operating Officer · General Management · Site Leadership
From plant-level operations leadership to enterprise-level executive search — we recruit the operational and executive talent that runs CDMO businesses.
Three reasons generalist firms consistently struggle in this market.
A CDMO engineer needs GMP manufacturing experience and tech transfer knowledge. A CDMO project manager needs to manage demanding pharma and biotech sponsors on concurrent programs. A CDMO BD leader needs scientific credibility plus a sponsor network. These aren't generic roles — and generalist recruiters consistently underestimate the specificity required.
Recruiting firms that don't work in CDMO regularly struggle to distinguish candidates with genuine contract manufacturing experience from candidates with adjacent experience that doesn't translate. The interview process surfaces the gap, but only after time has already been lost.
One of our senior CDMO recruiters spent 25 years in the medical device and contract manufacturing industry before joining Connexis. He understands what CDMO clients actually need, what candidates are genuinely worth interviewing, and what the sponsor-facing dynamics require.
Real searches from our CDMO practice.
Medical Device CDMO
Medical device contract manufacturer needed to expand their engineering function across process, manufacturing, and validation roles. We placed multiple engineers across the function in a coordinated team build.
Read the engagement →Contract Manufacturer
CDMO needed to build out their project management function to support a growing pharma and biotech client portfolio. We placed project managers with the right manufacturing fluency and sponsor-facing experience.
Read the engagement →ACTIVE PRACTICE AREA
Business development leadership in the CDMO space is one of the most consistently hard-to-fill searches in life sciences. We work this category actively for medical device and biologics contract manufacturers building or scaling commercial functions.
Tell us about your BD search →Connexis recruits across diagnostics, life sciences, and medical device — these practices often intersect.
Life Sciences
Our full life sciences practice — tools, reagents, CRO, CDMO, and biotech recruiting.
Explore →Life Sciences
FAS, sales reps, and commercial talent for analytical instrument and lab technology companies.
Explore →Services
Fractional CDMO and CMO leaders — QA directors, COOs, and BD executives on a flexible basis.
Explore →Common questions about our recruiting practice in this space.
Process engineers, manufacturing engineers, validation engineers, quality engineers, automation engineers, and technical leadership. These candidates need GMP manufacturing depth and tech transfer experience — we screen specifically for that.
BD at a CDMO requires scientific credibility, manufacturing process knowledge, and established pharma or biotech sponsor relationships. We screen for hands-on sponsor management experience rather than generic enterprise sales backgrounds.
Our deepest CDMO experience is in medical device contract manufacturing. We also work with pharma and biologics CDMOs. We're transparent with clients about where our network depth is strongest.
Yes. CDMO project managers handle concurrent pharma and biotech sponsor programs under demanding timelines — not generic project management work. We screen for manufacturing fluency and sponsor-facing maturity.
Engineering placements typically complete in 6–10 weeks. Business development searches, which have the narrowest candidate pool, typically run longer — often 10–16 weeks for senior roles.
Whether you need an engineer with specific GMP experience, a project manager who understands CDMO client dynamics, or a business development leader with sponsor relationships — tell us what you're looking for.