Your next defining hire.
Find the scientific expertise and leadership your next stage demands. Start with the mission. Build around the people.
Discover our approach
Life sciences · Executive search
THE PEOPLEBEHINDWHAT’S NEXT.
Life sciences. Exceptional talent.
People / Science / Possibility
Human progress needs
remarkable people.
Where ambition meets abilityBehind every breakthrough,
Behind every breakthrough,
there is a person.
A scientist asking a better question. A leader seeing the path forward. A team ready to make it happen. Proxima Vita connects life sciences organizations with the people who move them forward.
Your work. Greater possibility.
Consider your next move through the lens of the science, the team, and the difference you want to make.
Explore your next chapterExecutive leadershipResearch & discoveryClinical developmentRegulatory affairsQuality assuranceMedical affairsBiometrics & dataTechnical operationsCommercializationDevice & diagnosticsExecutive leadershipResearch & discoveryClinical developmentRegulatory affairsQuality assuranceMedical affairsBiometrics & dataTechnical operationsCommercializationDevice & diagnostics
A considered approachPrecision in search.
Precision in search.
Human in approach.
The right appointment starts with understanding what matters: the science, the stage of the business, and the people already in the room.
- 01
Understand the mission
Define the challenge and what success needs to look like.
- 02
Find the alignment
Consider expertise, judgment, motivation and team context.
- 03
Build the next chapter
Make the decision with clarity on both sides.
Stage-aware searchEvery stage asks for
Every stage asks for
different people.
A molecule's journey from first question to first patient runs through eight chapters. Each one changes who you need in the room. We search with the next chapter in mind.
Discovery
Is there something here?
The hires that move it
- Head of Discovery Biology
- Medicinal Chemistry Lead
- Computational Biology Lead
- Platform Scientist
IND-enabling
Can we take it into people?
The hires that move it
- Head of Translational Science
- Nonclinical & Toxicology Lead
- Regulatory Strategy Lead
- CMC & Process Development Lead
First in human
Is it safe, and what is it doing?
The hires that move it
- Chief Medical Officer
- Clinical Operations Lead
- Clinical Scientist
- Biostatistics Lead
Proof of concept
Does it work for the patients who need it?
The hires that move it
- VP Clinical Development
- Biomarker Strategy Lead
- Head of Medical Affairs
- Clinical Data Management Lead
Pivotal
Can we prove it at scale?
The hires that move it
- Chief Development Officer
- VP Clinical Operations
- VP Quality
- Head of Biometrics
Filing & approval
Are we ready to file, and to be inspected?
The hires that move it
- VP Regulatory Affairs
- Head of Pharmacovigilance
- Labeling Strategy Lead
- Inspection Readiness Lead
Launch
Can patients actually get it?
The hires that move it
- Chief Commercial Officer
- VP Market Access & Pricing
- MSL Director
- Head of Supply Chain
Growth
What comes next?
The hires that move it
- Head of Business Development
- Lifecycle Management Lead
- Head of Real-World Evidence
- Independent Board Director
Proxima Vita · The next life
Out of the dark.
Toward what comes next.
Every critical hire and every career move is a step toward the light. We help leaders take it with clarity, on both sides of the table.
Our focusAcross the journey
Across the journey
from science to impact.
Specialist talent and leadership for the ten disciplines that bring life sciences forward.
01Executive leadershipLeadership for consequential decisions and the next stage of the organization.02Research & discoveryScientific talent for the questions at the beginning of a breakthrough.03Clinical developmentPeople who move scientific potential into rigorous clinical evaluation.04Regulatory affairsExpertise that brings clarity, rigor and judgment to the path ahead.05Quality assuranceThe leaders who make quality a culture, not a department.06Medical affairsPeople who connect scientific value with the clinicians and patients it needs to reach.07Biometrics & dataThe analysts who turn trial data into decisions.08Technical operationsThe specialists who connect a promising product with reliable supply.09CommercializationThe people who turn approval into access.10Device & diagnosticsEngineering, clinical and regulatory talent for products patients can hold.
How we partnerFive ways to build
Five ways to build
the team ahead.
From a single defining appointment to an entire function, each engagement is led by people who know the science and the market.
01
Executive Search
A dedicated partner, a full market map and a rigorous assessment for the appointments that shape the company.
Retained · C-suite, VP & boardExplore 02Hybrid Search
The commitment of a retained search with the speed and economics of contingency. Built for critical director-level hires.
Committed · Director & senior specialistExplore 03Contract & Interim
Experienced interim leaders and contract specialists, ready when a filing, readout or gap cannot wait.
Flexible · Interim leaders & specialistsExplore 04Team Build
A dedicated search program for building an entire function, from the first hire ahead of an IND to a full launch team.
Programmatic · Multiple hiresExplore 05Leadership Advisory
Assessment, succession, organization design and compensation insight for boards and leadership teams.
Advisory · Boards & leadership teamsExploreOur standardsPromises we keep,
Promises we keep,
on every search.
We would rather be measured by what we commit to than by what we claim.
24hours
A partner responds to every new brief within one business day.
10days
To a calibrated shortlist on Hybrid Search mandates.
100%
Of candidates we speak with hear back from us. Nobody is left wondering.
12months
Replacement commitment on every Executive Search appointment.
Roles we recruitOpportunities
Opportunities
worth a conversation.
Profiles of the leadership and specialist roles we recruit, from first scientific hire to the C-suite. When a search opens, registered candidates hear first.
Coming early 2027
The Life Sciences Leadership Compensation Report.
Base, bonus and equity for leadership roles across discovery, development, technical operations and commercial functions, segmented by stage and region. Register now and receive it first.
InsightsPerspective for the
Perspective for the
people building biotech.
The First Chief Medical Officer: What You Need, and When You Need It
Hire too early and you spend runway on a title; hire too late and clinical strategy drifts, so the timing deserves as much thought as the profile.
Reading an Equity Offer at a Private Biotech: Questions to Ask Before You Sign
A number of options means little on its own; these are the questions that turn a grant into something you can actually evaluate.
Before the IND: Sequencing Your First Ten Clinical Hires
The order in which you build a clinical team matters as much as who you hire, and the right sequence starts from the IND critical path.
What comes next
starts with people.
A critical hire. A new direction. A conversation worth having.