This shift is especially visible in life-sciences, where Pharma and Food Science employers are under increasing pressure to embed sustainability and ethical governance into daily operations.

At SEDA Talent, we’re seeing a clear rise in ESG-driven hiring, from leadership roles to frontline teams. Here’s how this evolution is unfolding, and what forward-thinking companies should be doing to stay ahead of the curve.

ESG is now driving business strategy (not just reporting)

In recent years, ESG has moved beyond compliance checklists and annual reports.

Investors, consumers, and regulators now expect real progress in areas like carbon reduction, ethical sourcing, and community impact.

This has led to the creation of new roles, the reshaping of existing ones, and a broader cultural shift in what makes a “good hire.”

Key examples:

• New ESG-specific roles such as Sustainability Manager, ESG Analyst or Carbon Strategy Lead
• Expanded responsibilities in existing teams (e.g., Procurement, QA, or Supply Chain now including sustainability metrics)
• Increased cross-functional collaboration between operations, compliance and strategy

The most in-demand ESG-related skills in life sciences

We’re seeing consistent hiring demand in the following areas:

Carbon and energy expertise:

• Carbon footprint analysis
• Energy efficiency in manufacturing
• Life-cycle assessment of products and processes

Sustainable procurement:

• Ethical supplier auditing
• Conflict-free sourcing
• Waste and packaging reduction

Governance and transparency:

• ESG reporting aligned to GRI or SASB frameworks
• Risk assessments linked to climate and social factors
• ESG performance metrics tied to board-level KPIs

Community and employee engagement:

• DE&I strategy
• Employee wellbeing and retention programmes
• Local hiring and skills initiatives

ESG awareness is influencing all hiring (not just specialist roles)

Even when ESG isn’t part of the job title, it’s increasingly part of the conversation. Candidates are asking about company values. Job descriptions include references to sustainability. Interviewers are looking for alignment on cultural and ethical priorities.

For employers, this means:

• Being transparent about ESG policies in candidate conversations
• Including ESG-related responsibilities in technical and support roles
• Hiring for both hard skills and values alignment

How to embed ESG thinking into your hiring strategy

1. Audit your job descriptions:
   Are you missing opportunities to highlight ESG elements in the role?
2. Define your ESG narrative:
   What does sustainability or governance look like in your company, and can your recruiters articulate it?
3. Update interview questions:
   Incorporate behavioural questions that explore awareness of ESG topics.
4. Partner with ESG-literate recruiters:
   Your recruitment partner should understand both your sector and your ESG goals, and be able to find candidates who align with both.

Building a future-ready team starts with the right priorities

Whether you’re a fast-growing biotech or managing multiple manufacturing sites, ESG is no longer optional, it’s a strategic advantage. And as expectations rise, it’s becoming a critical factor in how companies attract, hire, and retain top talent.

At SEDA Talent, we work with life-sciences employers to identify, attract, and retain talent that drives innovation and sustainability.

Whether you’re hiring ESG specialists or building an organisation that lives those values at every level, we can help.

Ready to connect purpose with performance? Let’s talk.

The post The Rise of ESG Hiring in Pharma & Food Science appeared first on SEDA Talent.

In today’s fast-paced life-sciences landscape, agility isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. And nowhere is that more true than in Biotech, where funding cycles, product timelines, and regulatory shifts can change your workforce needs overnight.

To stay competitive and compliant, biotech companies need to build hiring pipelines that support project delivery now and workforce growth later.

Here’s how to design a strategic, scalable pipeline using a mix of permanent, contract, and temporary workers.

Why Biotech hiring needs flexibility

Unlike more traditional pharma structures, Biotech organisations often experience:

• Rapid team expansion during funding rounds or clinical phases
• Lean teams stretched across R&D, manufacturing, and compliance
• Project-based hiring tied to trial sites, product launches, or facility builds

A rigid, one-size-fits-all workforce model can’t support that.

Start with the core: permanent hires for continuity

Your permanent team is more than just headcount, it’s the backbone of your culture, the keepers of your product knowledge, and the champions of compliance.

Get it right, and everything else builds stronger.

These roles often include:

• Quality Managers and Heads of Regulatory
• Site Leads and Project Managers
• Principal Scientists and long-term R&D leads
• HR, Finance, and Operations support functions

Pro tip: Anchor your permanent hires around leadership, long-term vision, and retaining critical knowledge, because that’s what drives lasting impact.

Add contractors to drive speed, expertise, and flexibility

When deadlines are tight, budgets are stretched, or specialist skills are scarce, contractors aren’t just helpful, they’re mission-critical.

Common contractor roles:

• Validation Engineers
• QA/QC Associates (especially during audits or launches)
• Regulatory Consultants
• Process Engineers for scale-up or tech transfer
• Clinical Operations or CRA contractors

Pro Tip: Build relationships with known freelance consultants and partner with a recruiter who can manage compliance and availability tracking.

Use temporary workers to bridge operational gaps

Whether you’re ramping up production, shifting packaging lines, or boosting lab support, temporary staff help you stay agile, minimise downtime, and keep compliance on track.

Key temp use cases:

• Cleanroom technicians and production operatives
• Warehouse and logistics roles
• Short-term admin and document control
• COVID testing support, sample prep, or lab runners

Pro Tip: Pre-screen a pool of vetted temps who are ready to deploy, and integrate them into SOPs to reduce training lags.

How to structure your biotech hiring pipeline

1. Map your pipeline by phase:
   Align talent needs to clinical or commercial milestones
2. Forecast short, mid and long-term needs:
   Where will gaps appear, and what roles are hardest to fill?
3. Build your external network early:
   Don’t wait until the vacancy exists. Work with recruiters who specialise in biotech talent.
4. Define internal vs external hiring boundaries:
   What will your internal team own? When will you outsource?
5. Establish onboarding and compliance processes:
   Make sure you can onboard temps and contractors quickly and safely.

Ready to build a biotech team that scales?

Whether you’re gearing up for a big funding milestone, launching breakthrough products, or juggling compliance across multiple sites, your workforce needs to be both agile and rock-solid.

At SEDA Talent, we help biotech leaders build smart, scalable hiring pipelines that fuel growth, without ever sacrificing quality.

Ready to start building your pipeline? Let’s make it happen.

The post Building a Hiring Pipeline: Permanent, Contract & Temp Workers in Biotech appeared first on SEDA Talent.

In sectors where compliance is critical, and competition for talent is high, unclear recruitment workflows can lead to missed opportunities.

At SEDA Talent, we work with HR teams, internal recruiters, and department leads to audit their processes, and improve them.

Here’s how to do the same for your organisation:

Step 1: Map your current process, end to end

Begin by ensuring full visibility, track and document every stage a candidate goes through, from creating the job specification to their onboarding process.

Common stages include:

• Job spec creation
• Internal approvals
• Advertising or agency brief
• CV screening and shortlisting
• Interview stage(s)
• Offer process
• Onboarding and compliance

Don’t just note what’s supposed to happen, capture what actually happens.

Step 2: Identify delays, drop-offs, and confusion points

Once you’ve mapped the process, ask:

• Where do we lose candidates? (e.g., between first and second interviews)
• Where are the longest delays? (e.g., internal sign-off, feedback loops)
• Where are candidates unclear or unengaged? (e.g., vague job specs, no timeline)

In your life-sciences hiring process, even minor delays can result in losing top candidates, who are also often juggling multiple opportunities simultaneously.

Step 3: Audit your job descriptions and briefs

This is often the first point of failure.

Ask:

• Are job specs tailored to the specific project or site?
• Do they clearly outline systems, regulatory frameworks, and daily responsibilities?
• Are you being honest about expectations (e.g., shift work, contract length, salary bands)?

Vague or generic job specifications fail to attract the high-Caliber candidates you need, especially for specialized roles in regulatory, QA, or R&D.

Step 4: Evaluate your interview process

Hiring in Pharma, MedTech, or biotech demands not just strict compliance, but also the agility and precision to move fast and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Consider:

• Do your hiring managers ask consistent, role-relevant questions?
• Are there clear rubrics or criteria for decision-making?
• Is feedback returned quickly and clearly?
• Do candidates leave interviews informed and motivated, or confused?

It’s not about adding more interview rounds, it’s about making every stage count and being worthy of the candidate’s time.

Step 5: Review how you work with recruitment partners

Working with an agency like SEDA means your hiring process goes beyond the CV, it’s the start of finding the perfect fit.

Ask:

• Are briefs clear and well-communicated?
• Are you getting the right candidates, not just the most available ones?
• Are you giving timely feedback, so your recruiter can adjust search criteria?

A strong agency partnership can speed up, sharpen, and boost your hiring edge.

But only when you’re truly aligned.

Step 6: Review onboarding and compliance holistically

Life-sciences roles require strict compliance, but onboarding can still be smooth, streamlined, and hassle-free.

Make sure:

• Documents, background checks, and start dates are well-coordinated
• Line managers are prepared for day one
• Candidates are fully briefed and supported throughout

First impressions count, and onboarding is your chance to make a lasting one.

Want help auditing your hiring process?

At SEDA Talent, we don’t just fill roles, we transform how biotech, MedTech, and pharma companies across the UK and Ireland find and hire top talent.

Whether it’s streamlining your interviews, sharpening your job specs, or defining exactly what ‘success’ looks like, we tailor our approach to fit your unique needs.

With our deep sector expertise and proven strategies, we help you attract the right people faster, so you can focus on what matters most: driving innovation and growth.

Partner with SEDA and experience recruitment done smarter, faster, and with real impact.

Get in touch, let’s talk!

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