Life Sciences Recruitment
Life Sciences Hiring, Built Around Your Site
The right life sciences hire protects batch release, keeps your site inspection-ready and holds project timelines. The wrong hire can cost you time, compliance risk and continuity of supply.
Hartley People partners with pharma, biopharma and medtech sites across Ireland to recruit professionals who fit the role, the product and your regulatory environment.
- Quality Assurance Managers
- Validation Engineers
- Process Engineers
- QC & Microbiology
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists
Recruitment Built Around Your Site
A job title rarely tells the whole story. Before we start searching, we want to understand your site and its regulatory environment.
The Role
- Will the role own batch release, quality systems, validation or production output?
- Days, shifts or 24/7 cover?
- What should they have delivered by month 6 or 12?
The Site
- Drug, biologic or device?
- Development, transfer or commercial?
- Start-up, expansion or established site?
The Market
- Who inspects your site?
- Which systems must they know?
We use that to build the search around the person your site actually needs, not simply someone with a similar job title on their CV.
Life Sciences & GMP Recruitment Expertise
Two roles with the same title can demand very different GMP experience.
Pharma vs. medtech
Releasing biologics batches under EU GMP calls for a different QA background from running an ISO 13485 device quality system.
Start-up vs. established site
A greenfield start-up needs people who have built systems from scratch, not only run them.
Leadership & strategy
A Site Head or Head of Quality is judged on inspection outcomes, supply performance and site culture, not technical depth alone.
We recruit across:
- Quality Assurance Talk to us about Quality Assurance recruitment
- Quality Control & Microbiology Talk to us about Quality Control & Microbiology recruitment
- Validation & CQV Talk to us about Validation & CQV recruitment
- Process Engineering & MS&T Talk to us about Process Engineering & MS&T recruitment
- Automation Engineering Talk to us about Automation Engineering recruitment
- Bioprocessing (USP & DSP) Talk to us about Bioprocessing (USP & DSP) recruitment
- Regulatory Affairs Talk to us about Regulatory Affairs recruitment
- Production & Operations Talk to us about Production & Operations recruitment
- Environmental, Health & Safety Talk to us about Environmental, Health & Safety recruitment
- Supply Chain & Planning Talk to us about Supply Chain & Planning recruitment
- R&D & Product Development Talk to us about R&D & Product Development recruitment
- Site Leadership Talk to us about Site Leadership recruitment
Pharma, biopharma, medtech and diagnostics, from technician to Site Head.
Talk to a Life Sciences Recruitment SpecialistOur Life Sciences Recruitment Team
You're hiring a service delivered by people. Meet the recruiters who could be working your search.
Fergal Hartley
Joint OwnerFergal Hartley
Joint OwnerWith a distinguished career spanning over 25 years, Fergal Hartley is a highly regarded joint owner of prominent recruitment and staffing ventures, including Hartley People Recruitment & Training, Flexiforce, Clannad Care and Burton Sinclair. His entrepreneurial spirit has driven these companies to success, making them leaders in their respective fields. Fergal's comprehensive background in talent acquisition, combined with strategic insight and a commitment to best practices as a Fellow of the National Recruitment Federation, positions him as an invaluable partner for securing top executive talent.
LinkedIn
Pierre Fetat
Head of OperationsPierre Fetat
Head of OperationsPierre is an accomplished B2B International Director who works across functions, with over 15 years of experience across digital marketing, business development, and complex sales. With a strong background in Customer Data Platforms (CDP), Customer Success, and digital transformation initiatives, Pierre brings a wealth of expertise to executive search. His strategic insights, coupled with his commitment to driving innovation and operational excellence, make him a valuable partner for clients seeking visionary executive talent.
LinkedIn
Damien McCleane
Head of Strategic RecruitmentDamien McCleane
Head of Strategic RecruitmentWith nearly 30 years of experience across recruitment, training, business development, and customer relationship management, Damien McCleane is an accomplished professional with a versatile background in executive and managerial roles across diverse sectors. Also serving as Regional Manager at Hartley People, Damien combines his expertise in strategic recruitment, client partnership, and team leadership to drive excellence and innovation within the executive search landscape.
LinkedIn
Jessica Maher
Recruitment Team LeadJessica Maher
Recruitment Team LeadJess is responsible for recruitment across supply chain, production, engineering and warehousing. Having previously worked in the hospitality industry, she spent four years in Australia furthering her career before returning home to Wexford. A positive and energetic member of the team, Jess is a keen supporter of Wexford hurling and enjoys baking, going to the gym and spending time with friends.
LinkedIn
Darren O'Connor
Recruitment Team LeadDarren O'Connor
Recruitment Team LeadDarren specialises in recruiting for IT, HR, agricultural and commercial sales roles. With previous experience as an Operations Manager and Partner and Client Relations Manager within the waste technology sector, he brings strong operational and people-focused expertise to his role. Based in Waterford with his wife and dog, Loki, Darren enjoys sport, travel and keeping active.
LinkedIn
Danielle Bohill-Walsh
Senior Partner — Finance SpecialistDanielle Bohill-Walsh
Senior Partner — Finance SpecialistAs an experienced Senior Talent Partner, Danielle brings extensive expertise and a genuine passion for connecting people with the right opportunities. She combines a professional and personable approach with a strong understanding of clients and candidates, building lasting relationships and identifying the right talent. Outside of work, Danielle enjoys home and interior design and spending time with her husband and young daughter.
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Padraig Murphy
Senior Partner — Sales SpecialistPadraig Murphy
Senior Partner — Sales SpecialistPadraig is a Senior Recruitment Partner at Hartley People Recruitment, where he leads the Sales desk and focuses on connecting talented individuals with the right businesses. Before moving into recruitment, he spent 10 years working in Business Operations and holds a BA in Business and Human Resource Management. Outside of work, Padraig is an avid Liverpool supporter and keen golfer.
LinkedIn
Brendan White
Marketing Manager
Nigel Kelly
Talent SpecialistNigel Kelly
Talent SpecialistHailing from Carrick-on-Suir, Nigel is responsible for recruitment across IT, research and development, hospitality, trades and service technician roles. With a strong interest in technology, he is often the first point of contact for technical support within the office. Nigel previously worked in radio, presenting sports news and his own weekly show on WLR. He is also an accomplished photographer, keen runner, rugby fan and enthusiastic gardener.
LinkedIn
Eimear Cox
Recruitment SpecialistEimear Cox
Recruitment SpecialistEimear graduated from WIT with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 2018. Following several years in the insurance industry, including a period in Vancouver working with clients such as Michael Bublé and Nelly Furtado, she moved into recruitment to apply her understanding of people and relationships to helping clients and candidates find the right opportunities. A Waterford native, Eimear enjoys reading, board games, Dungeons & Dragons, pub quizzes and jiu jitsu.
LinkedIn
Hannah Sullivan
Recruitment SpecialistHannah Sullivan
Recruitment SpecialistHannah holds a Diploma in International Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Diploma in International Hotel Management from Shannon College of Hotel Management. Beginning her career in hotel management, she developed strong communication and problem-solving skills, along with a genuine interest in working with people. Her move into recruitment brings together her experience in business, hospitality and human resources, with a focus on understanding candidates and making the right connections.
LinkedIn
Tamara Fisher
Recruitment SpecialistTamara Fisher
Recruitment SpecialistTamara brings extensive experience in operations management, customer service and team leadership, having worked in fast-paced, people-focused environments. She also holds a QQI Level 6 qualification in Human Resources and has a genuine passion for building relationships and helping people find the right opportunities. Outside of work, Tamara enjoys travelling, keeping active and spending time with friends, family and her pug, Harry.
LinkedIn
Tricia Quinn
Commercial and Operations ManagerTricia Quinn
Commercial and Operations ManagerTricia brings energy and warmth to Flexiforce as Commercial and Operations Manager, Hartley People’s temporary recruitment division. A natural people-person, she ensures every interaction is positive and productive, and helps organise team events that keep morale high. With over 15 years as a trainer on FÁS-funded courses, she placed students into permanent roles before moving into operations with charities including Cycle Against Suicide and Make-A-Wish Ireland. Tricia joined Hartley People in 2021. Outside work, she is an avid sea swimmer along the Copper Coast and a proud Ironman finisher (Barcelona, 2019).
LinkedIn
Ashling Durand
Senior Team Lead & Talent SpecialistAshling Durand
Senior Team Lead & Talent SpecialistAshling started in reception at Flexiforce, quickly becoming the office’s go-to person for all things operational—a role she still holds alongside her work as Senior Team Lead and Talent Specialist. She has grown steadily through the business, gaining experience across multiple functions. Ashling enjoys supporting colleagues and clients, solving problems and providing guidance wherever needed. She takes pride in being a reliable point of contact for both the team and the wider business. Beyond work, she loves spending time outdoors with her young family, with a particular fondness for discovering new beaches.
LinkedIn
Kelley Rothwell
Senior Talent Specialist & Compliance CoordinatorKelley Rothwell
Senior Talent Specialist & Compliance CoordinatorKelley works as Senior Talent Specialist and Compliance Coordinator at Flexiforce. With a diverse background spanning talent management, education, hospitality and the creative sector, she brings strong communication, leadership and relationship-building skills to her role. After eight years in hospitality—including managerial positions in Cork and Waterford—Kelley moved into education, holding a Professional Master of Education in Art from UCC following earlier studies in Fine Art at Crawford College of Art & Design. In her current role, she focuses on candidate engagement, recruitment coordination and compliance, taking a proactive, people-centred approach to connecting talent with opportunity.
LinkedIn
Sean Whelan
Talent Specialist & HR AdministratorSean Whelan
Talent Specialist & HR AdministratorSean supports the Flexiforce Agency Staffing Solutions team as Talent Specialist and HR Administrator. He holds a Master’s degree in HR and is an Associate Member of the CIPD. Sean combines his academic background with a genuine interest in recruitment and HR, bringing both knowledge and enthusiasm to his role. Outside the office, he is a keen soccer fan and reigning champion of the company Fantasy Football League.
LinkedIn
Maureen Flynn
Talent SpecialistMaureen Flynn
Talent SpecialistMaureen is a Waterford native and Talent Specialist with Flexiforce. Before joining the team, she managed the Pandora store in Waterford city and later completed a Diploma in Interior Design. Maureen combines her retail and design experience with a natural ability to connect with people, making her a valued member of the recruitment team. Outside work, she enjoys beach walks, sea swimming and spending time outdoors with her two children. She is also known locally as the lead singer of the band No Hot Ashes.
LinkedIn
Jessica Murphy
Talent SpecialistRecruiting for Quality and Compliance Teams
Quality, validation and regulatory roles are among the hardest to fill on Irish sites, and each one sits on the critical path to batch release and inspection readiness. We understand the work behind the titles — CAPA, deviations and change control, data integrity and ALCOA+, Annex 1, EU MDR and IVDR, and HPRA and FDA inspections.
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QA Specialists & Managers
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QC Analysts & Microbiologists
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Qualified Persons (QPs)
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Validation & CSV Specialists
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Regulatory Affairs Specialists
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Compliance & Data Integrity Leads
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Heads of Quality / Quality Directors
Our 3E Approach
Three principles shape every life sciences search we run, from QC Analyst through to Site Head.
Experience
Hartley People has recruited for Irish businesses for over 25 years. That history helps us read regulated environments, site structures and what separates a resilient team from a fragile one.
Expertise
Our 50+ professionals work with 2 dedicated Strategic Sourcing Specialists and an advanced sourcing technology suite to map where GMP experience sits across Irish sites.
Ethics
We describe the shift pattern, site stage, project duration and package as they are, and we check what candidates actually did in GMP environments, so both sides commit on the facts.
Experienced GMP Professionals Rarely Reach Job Boards
Experienced GMP professionals are usually committed to live sites, batch schedules and projects, so few of them are scanning job boards. Advertising alone will not reach them. Our search can combine:
- Direct candidate sourcing
- Passive candidate engagement
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- Advanced sourcing technology
- Market mapping
- Referral networks
- Targeted advertising & leading job boards
Our two Strategic Sourcing Specialists work with our recruiters to map where relevant GMP experience sits across Ireland and open routes to people who are not on the market.
We Look Beyond the CV
A GMP CV can hide as much as it shows. Before we put anyone forward, we want to understand:
What have they made?
Who inspected them?
Have they owned CAPAs and deviations?
What validation or tech transfer work have they led?
Which systems do they use?
Cleanroom or aseptic experience?
What did they deliver?
How do they lead and work across functions?
Have they worked on a start-up?
Why move now, and does your shift suit them?
Your hiring managers and QA leads then interview only people whose GMP experience genuinely matches the role.
Talk to a Life Sciences Recruitment SpecialistNo Two Life Sciences Searches Are Alike
You might need someone to:
We don’t open with a standard brief. We start with what the hire must achieve on your site — and build the search around it.
Your Life Sciences Team, Supported by Ours
From Dublin and Waterford, we recruit for pharma, biopharma and medtech sites nationwide, from Cork and Galway to the South East.
- Dublin
- Waterford
You know your process, your products and your inspection history. Our job is to find the people who will protect all three, and to check that they can before they start.
Life Sciences Hiring Questions, Answered
Straight answers to what site leads, quality heads and HR teams ask us most about life sciences hiring in Ireland.
What life sciences roles does Hartley People recruit for?
We recruit across quality, operations, engineering and regulatory functions — from QC Analysts, Manufacturing Technicians and Validation Engineers through to QA Managers, Qualified Persons, Production Managers and Site Heads. We also cover bioprocessing, technical transfer, automation, EHS, supply chain and medtech product development roles.
Can you recruit for sites in Cork, Galway and the South East?
Yes. From Dublin and Waterford we recruit nationwide: Cork, the Galway medtech cluster, Limerick, the South East, the Midlands and the North West.
How do you reach GMP professionals who aren't actively looking?
Most experienced GMP professionals are committed to a live site or project, so job ads alone won't reach them. We combine direct sourcing, market mapping, LinkedIn Recruiter and our 150,000+ candidate network, led by our two Strategic Sourcing Specialists, to engage people whose experience matches your site.
How do you assess GMP and regulatory experience beyond the CV?
We ask what they actually owned: the modalities and products, the inspections they faced, the CAPAs, deviations and change controls they closed, the systems they used and the results they delivered. We also check shift preferences and whether a permanent move is right for them.
Can you help us hire QA, QC, QP and regulatory specialists?
Yes. We recruit QA Specialists and Managers, QC Analysts and Microbiologists, Qualified Persons, Validation and CSV Specialists, Regulatory Affairs Specialists and Heads of Quality — people who understand CAPA, data integrity, Annex 1, EU MDR and HPRA and FDA inspection readiness.
How long does a typical life sciences search take?
It depends on seniority, how scarce the experience is and notice periods, which can be long for senior quality roles. A QC Analyst search moves faster than a QP or Site Head search. Working to a start-up or inspection deadline? Tell us early and we'll give you a realistic timeline.
How much does life sciences recruitment with Hartley People cost?
Pricing reflects the seniority and complexity of the role. Talk to us about your requirement and we'll explain pricing clearly — no obligation.
Who Does Your Site Need Next?
Tell us about the role, your site and what the hire needs to deliver. We'll give you a straight view of the market, the search and how we can support your team.
- Recruiting for Irish employers for over 25 years
- A 150,000+ network, including people not on the market
- A search built around your site, products and compliance
Request More Information
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