05/27/2026
These are the strategic conversations and market analysis that I love the most!
In today’s medical device landscape, Regulatory Affairs Leadership talent can be extremely challenging, depending on the market and if the requirement is onsite or hybrid.
I recently had the opportunity to share data for a Senior Director of RA position for a partner whose position has been open for 5 months. Understanding the market, the relevant talent pool, and picking the right talent management strategy are vitally important.
This VP of RA shared that he wasn't seeing relevant candidates. After a review of the job responsibilities, the market, and doing some due diligence, I was able to share some vital information with the executive team.
Based on the skills they desired, there were roughly 77 RA professionals with relevant RA leadership experience — and far fewer who also bring the hands‑on depth experience they wanted across compliance systems, labeling, quality support, and the ability to be on-site three days a week.
Here’s how the talent pool looked:
VP / Consultant: 33
Associate Director–Sr. Director: 23
Manager–Sr. Manager: 21
Principal / Staff: 15
A targeted LinkedIn Recruiter search across RA leadership titles yields only ~29 candidates in that geographical area. The company was using multiple recruiting firms in a contingent shotgun approach, and most relevant candidates had already been approached multiple times. Four candidates in current director-level roles had applied and been auto-rejected by their internal systems.
Even candidates with highly relevant backgrounds — including one who previously performed this exact role and another with strong VP‑level endorsements — ultimately did not progress past their internal HR screening process to interview with the VP.
I shared the data, the conversations I had with candidates in the marketplace, and that at this stage, the challenge wasn't sourcing more names. It was achieving alignment with the recruitment team on what “right” truly looks like within a highly saturated, repeatedly tapped, and geographically constrained market.
I love the opportunity to talk with leaders about what matters to the company's success versus simply "filling a role"!
Hiring the right talent is so important, but knowing why you are filling the role, how the role can evolve, and ensuring the recruitment strategy aligns with the talent in the market are critical. Otherwise, a company can waste time and resources and hurt its image as well.