The CDMO Leader’s Guide to Scaling Your Workforce

As contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) continue to scale, hiring the right people remains a critical challenge due to talent shortages because of specialized skillsets and competition from Big Pharma, pharma and adjacent industries requiring similar skills.

Having the relevant recruitment model can mitigate the challenges involved while scaling your CDMO and can significantly impact cost and effectiveness. However, it is important to consider key drivers:

• Cost: Balancing your budget with the need for speed and expertise.  ‍
• Speed of recruitment delivery: Hiring at a quicker pace but at a higher cost.  ‍
• Expertise of hires: Securing candidates with specialised skills and industry knowledge may take longer and will cost more.

The challenge for CDMO leaders lies in determining which of these factors to prioritise based on the organisation’s immediate needs and long-term goals. This overview explores the various recruitment models available to CDMOs. By understanding the trade-offs and strategic implications of each approach, you can make better informed decisions.

Four primary talent solutions:

Internal Recruitment Teams: Best for Predictable, Steady Hiring Needs

Companies maintain an in-house recruitment team responsible for managing all hiring processes, from sourcing and screening to onboarding. Depending on the size of the organisation this may be a dedicated talent acquisition team or a person who wears several hats across HR and TA.  

Internal recruitment teams understand the business and offers predictability, fixed costs and eliminates the ramp up time.    

Applicability

• CDMOs with stable, ongoing hiring needs.
• Organisations emphasising employer branding and leadership succession.
• Companies requiring gradual talent acquisition rather than large-scale surges.

Challenges

• Limited scalability: Internal teams may struggle with large hiring surges, especially during rapid expansion phases. ‍
• Specialisation gaps: Internal teams may have limited reach into the specialised candidate market. ‍
• Fixed cost structure: Even during hiring slowdowns, internal recruiters remain on payroll, which can drive up costs from salary to benefits. On the other hand, scaling back and laying off employees would eventually lead to reputational and motivational issues.  

Scenario: Developing an Early Career and Apprenticeship Talent Pipeline

A CDMO looking to build a future-ready workforce has identified the need to invest in early career talent through graduate programs, apprenticeships, and internship initiatives. The company aims to establish a pipeline of entry-level talent in key areas such as process development, quality control, and regulatory affairs.  

An internal recruitment team is best suited for long-term workforce planning, allowing the CDMO to develop relationships with universities, establish apprenticeship programmes, and create structured career pathways for young professionals. By embedding these initiatives into the company’s talent strategy, the internal team ensures that the CDMO remains competitive in attracting and retaining emerging talent while building a cost-effective succession plan for future leadership roles.

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Retained Search: Best for Executive and Niche, Hard-to-Find Roles

Retained search firms conduct targeted, confidential executive recruitment by leveraging industry networks to access passive talent pools. Additionally, the confidentiality of certain roles presents a challenge for internal recruitment teams, as they may lack the infrastructure or experience to handle such discreet searches effectively.  

Since most internal teams may encounter the need to fill highly specialised roles once every few years, that makes it impractical to maintain the necessary skills and networks internally. Retained search firms, with their specialised focus and extensive industry connections, are better equipped to manage these rare but critical recruitment scenarios.

Applicability

• Executive leadership placements such as CEOs, CTOs, senior scientists, commercial leaders. ‍
• Specialised technical roles that require deep industry expertise and passive candidate engagement such as VP of R&D, Regulatory Affairs Director.  ‍
• Confidential hiring needs where discretion is required.

Challenges

• High cost structure: Fees typically range between 25-35% of annual salary.  ‍
• Time-Intensive: Executive searches can take 3-6 months. ‍
• Limited Scalability: Best suited for strategic, leadership hires rather than volume recruitment.  

‍Scenario: Hiring a Scientific Leader for a New Drug Modality

A CDMO launching a new mRNA-based drug development division needs to recruit a VP of R&D with extensive experience in nucleic acid therapeutics. The ideal candidate must have deep technical expertise, leadership skills, and experience in regulatory submission processes for mRNA-based therapies.

Since this role is highly specialised and requires a candidate with niche technical knowledge, a retained search firm is engaged to identify and attract the best talent. The executive search process ensures a rigorous assessment of candidates and provides access to industry leaders who are not readily available through job boards or internal recruitment efforts.

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General Recruitment Firms: Best for High-Volume, Low-Specialisation Roles

General staffing agencies leverage their extensive candidate databases to prioritize speed over specialization, enabling rapid placements. Their strong local networks allow them to efficiently fulfill high-volume staffing needs by tapping into established local talent pools and recruitment channels.   

Applicability

• Temporary or contract-based roles
• High-volume hiring in areas such as manufacturing, operations, warehouse or customer service.
• Companies needing speed and flexibility in staffing.  

Challenges

• Limited strategic impact: Agencies address immediate needs but lack long-term workforce planning.  
• Lower industry expertise: General staffing agencies may lack the technical understanding of CDMO roles.  

Scenario: Temporary Hiring for a Regulatory Filing Surge

A CDMO preparing for multiple NDA and BLA submissions anticipates a temporary increase in regulatory workload over the next six months. Rather than permanently expanding the team, the company opts for a short-term staffing solution to hire regulatory affairs associates and submission specialists on a contract basis.  

A general recruitment firm provides contract talent to manage the surge, ensuring regulatory deadlines are met without increasing long-term overhead costs. Once the regulatory workload stabilises, the temporary workforce can be scaled down efficiently.

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Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Best for Scalable, Cost-Effective Growth Hiring

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) providers function as an extension of the company’s internal talent acquisition team, handling end-to-end recruitment or specific hiring functions. RPOs integrate with the company’s processes, employer brand, and recruitment technologies.  

Adaptability

• Mid-sized and growing CDMOs with fluctuating hiring demands.  
• Organisations hiring multiple roles in a defined timeframe, where economies of scale make RPO a more efficient choice.
• CDMOs seeking specialised talent, such as regulatory affairs experts, process engineers, and biopharmaceutical scientists.

Challenges

• Ramp-up time required for RPO provider to integrate with internal processes and culture to ensure seamless and effective delivery.  
• Customisation and flexibility of solution for the specific needs of the company requires a skilled partner that can adapt and support unique organisation’s needs.  

‍Scenario: Scaling a CDMO’s Global Workforce

A mid-sized CDMO specialising in biologics and advanced therapeutics is experiencing rapid growth due to new client contracts. Over the next 12 months, the company needs to hire 150+ employees across multiple functions, including process development, quality, regulatory, and supply chain.

Rather than overburdening its internal team or engaging multiple agencies, the CDMO partners with a RPO provider to handle end-to-end recruitment for specialised roles. The RPO solution reduces cost-per-hire, provides scalable recruitment support, and ensures that qualified, industry-specific talent is sourced efficiently. Additionally, the RPO model integrates with the company’s existing HR systems and enhances employer branding through consistent messaging.

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Hybrid Recruitment and Evolving CDMO Hiring Trends

CDMOs are increasingly moving into hybrid hiring solutions that provide flexibility. An internal plus agency leverages internal teams for evergreen and core roles while leveraging agencies for ramp-ups or temporary needs. An internal plus RPO approach combines scalability with internal control for specialised and surge hiring.  

Here are some questions that can help you identify the best approach for your organisation. The Vector team can help you get the best outcome for your short-term and long-term goals. Reach out to us for a chat about your talent needs and get ahead of competition.

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Questions for Identifying the Best Recruitment Approach

Headcount & Cost Considerations

• What is your budget for recruitment?
• Are you looking to optimize for cost savings or are you willing to invest more for specialized talent or speed?
• How do you handle headcount fluctuations? I.e. seasonality, project-based needs.

Flexibility & Scalability

• How often do your recruitment needs change?
• How quickly do you need to adjust your workforce in response to changing project timelines or business needs?
• Do you require a workforce that can quickly scale up or down based on short-term projects?

Recruitment  

• Do you prefer to handle recruitment internally or would you consider outsourcing part or all of the process?
• How much control would you like to maintain over the recruitment process?

Talent Specialization

• How specialized are the roles you are hiring for?
• Are you looking for candidates with specific industry experience or do you prioritize functional expertise over industry background?

Speed of Hiring

• What is the typical timeline for your hiring process, and how urgent are your recruitment needs?
• How fast do you need to fill positions, and what is the impact of delays in recruitment on your business operations
• Would you be willing to pay a premium for faster recruitment or more immediate access to qualified candidates?

Scalability & Flexibility Challenges

• What challenges do you face in scaling your workforce, and how do you manage fluctuating staffing levels?
• How do you manage talent when scaling operations to new locations or markets?
• Are you planning any business expansions, product launches, or new projects that may require additional talent in the next 3-6 months?

Model Preferences‍

• Would you prefer to have full-time, part-time, temporary, or contract staff for your recruitment needs?
• How important is it for your recruitment model to adapt to changing workforce requirements over time?
• Are you looking for a long-term partnership with a recruitment agency or a more project-based approach?

Key Priorities (Cost, Speed, Specialism)

• What is your top priority when hiring: reducing costs, speeding up the hiring process, or securing specialised talent? 
• Do you need specialised recruitment solutions to align with industry trends or specific skills within the pharmaceutical sector, or are you looking for more functional generalists?

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