Life-science executive search · 25+ years
Behind every approved therapy is a team someone had to build.
SLC Associates connects biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with the specialized scientific talent that carries programs from early discovery through regulatory approval.
Coverage
Every stage of the pipeline. One search partner.
Drug development is a relay, and a dropped handoff at any stage costs years. We recruit the people who carry the molecule, from first synthesis to final submission.
Discovery
Medicinal chemistry, biology leads, target validation teams.
Preclinical
Toxicology, DMPK, pharmacology and translational scientists.
CMC & Formulation
Process development, analytical development, bioprocess engineering.
Clinical
Clinical development physicians, clinical operations, program leadership.
Regulatory
Regulatory affairs and submission strategists who know the agency.
Approval
Executive leadership, CSO and CMO searches that take you across the line.
Specialties
Deep benches in the disciplines that decide outcomes.
Generalist recruiters skim titles. We have spent 25 years inside these functions, so we know what a strong candidate actually looks like, and where they are working right now.
Executive Leadership
CSO and CMO searches for companies at inflection points.
Clinical Development
Physician-scientists and development leaders who design winning trials.
Clinical Operations
The operators who keep studies enrolled, clean and on time.
Regulatory Affairs
Strategists who turn data packages into approvals.
Program Management
Cross-functional leaders who hold the timeline together.
Formulation & CMC
From candidate selection to commercial-ready process.
Medicinal Chemistry
The chemists who turn hits into clinical candidates.
Toxicology
Safety scientists who de-risk programs before the clinic.
Analytical Development
Methods, specifications and the data integrity behind every filing.
Bioprocess Engineering
Upstream, downstream and scale-up expertise for biologics.
Preclinical Development
The translational bridge between bench science and first-in-human.
Looking for professionals who are qualified and interested?
Posting a role attracts applicants. Filling a critical role requires reaching the people who are not looking, and knowing which of them can actually do the job.
- Tailored searches built around your science, stage and team, not a keyword match.
- Direct access to a cultivated network of 75,000+ life-science professionals.
- Candid hiring consultation: title, level, compensation and market reality.
- Candidates presented only when they are both qualified and genuinely interested.
Your next role should maximize your impact.
The best opportunities in drug development rarely reach a job board. A confidential conversation with a specialist recruiter puts you in front of them first.
- Confidential representation: your search stays private until you say otherwise.
- Honest career guidance from someone who knows your function's market.
- Remote, on-site and local opportunities across the country.
- Placement where your expertise moves a real program forward.
How we work
A search process refined over 25 years.
Define
A deep intake on the science, the team and the gap. We learn the program before we pitch a person.
Search
We work our network of 75,000+ professionals and 6,000+ companies, not a resume database.
Present
A short list of vetted candidates who are qualified, available and genuinely interested.
Place
Offer guidance, close coordination and follow-through past the start date.
U.S. Air Force Veteran
About the firm
Built by a recruiter who never left the science.
Steve Collins founded SLC Associates more than 25 years ago with a single conviction: life-science companies do not struggle to find resumes, they struggle to find professionals capable of carrying broad technical and management responsibility in programs where the stakes are measured in patients, not quarters.
"Our work is the bridge connecting visionary biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with the specialized talent required to develop new therapies and reach approval."
That focus has never widened and never wavered. The result is a quarter century of placements across discovery, development, CMC, clinical and regulatory functions, and a network built one trusted relationship at a time, from top-ten pharma to first-time biotech founders.
Contact
Let's build the team your program deserves.
One conversation is usually enough to know whether we can help. Call, email, or send a message and Steve will follow up with you directly.