Role Overview We are seeking an accomplished Talent Acquisition Specialist with 3–5 years of dedicated recruitment experience exclusively within the Pharma, CRDMO, CDMO and/or CRO sectors. The incumbent will manage the complete recruitment lifecycle for CXO, leadership and mid-management positions—from understanding business requirements and developing search strategies to candidate identification, assessment, offer negotiation and successful onboarding. The role requires excellent communication skills, strong research capabilities and the ability to engage effectively with senior stakeholders and candidates.

Key Responsibilities
Requirement Gathering and Search Planning
• Partner with hiring managers and business leaders to understand role requirements, organizational context, business priorities and candidate assessment criteria.
• Develop and refine

job description
s, candidate specifications and comprehensive search briefs.
• Formulate tailored search strategies covering target companies, relevant functions, position titles, skills, talent pools and sourcing channels.
• Align stakeholders on search priorities, deliverables and hiring timelines. Talent Research Mapping and Sourcing
• Conduct talent mapping, market mapping and competitor research to identify relevant professionals and build qualified candidate pipelines.
• Execute research-led searches for CXO, leadership, specialist and mid-management positions.
• Identify and engage active and passive candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, recruitment databases, professional networks, referrals and direct headhunting.
• Develop Boolean search strings and apply advanced search techniques to identify niche talent.
• Maintain structured longlists, shortlists and talent pools for current and anticipated hiring requirements. Candidate Engagement and Assessment
• Draft personalized outreach messages and communicate opportunities professionally and persuasively.
• Assess candidates against agreed criteria, including relevant experience, functional capabilities, career motivations, communication skills and role alignment.
• Evaluate compensation expectations,



notice periods, mobility and potential joining constraints early in the process.
• Prepare concise candidate summaries with clear recommendations and supporting rationale.
• Manage interview scheduling, stakeholder feedback and candidate communication throughout the selection process. Offer Management and Recruitment Closure
• Manage salary discussions and negotiations within approved compensation frameworks.
• Coordinate compensation recommendations, internal approvals, offer preparation and release.
• Secure offer acceptance and maintain regular engagement throughout the notice period.
• Coordinate candidate documentation, reference checks and background verification with relevant teams and service providers.
• Partner with HR and business stakeholders to facilitate onboarding and ensure successful joining and final closure. Stakeholder Management and Recruitment Reporting
• Provide regular search updates, market insights and recommendations to hiring managers and HR leadership.
• Identify hiring bottlenecks and recommend timely corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate candidate records, interview feedback and recruitment status in the ATS or recruitment CRM.
• Monitor recruitment metrics, including time to fill, pipeline conversion, source effectiveness, offer acceptance and joining outcomes.
• Ensure a professional candidate experience and maintain confidentiality throughout the hiring process. Essential Requirements
• 3–5 years of recruitment experience exclusively within Pharma, CRDMO, CDMO and/or CRO, with a strong understanding of relevant functions and talent markets.
• Demonstrated experience in CXO/leadership and mid-management searches.
• Proven ownership of end-to-end recruitment,



from requirement gathering and search strategy development through offer negotiation, background verification and onboarding.
• Hands-on experience in search strategy formulation, talent mapping, market mapping and direct headhunting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including candidate outreach, assessment summaries and senior stakeholder interactions.
• Robust stakeholder management, negotiation, organization and follow-through.
• Ability to manage multiple searches while maintaining research quality, responsiveness and timely closure.
• MBA from a reputed institute, preferably specializing in Human Resources. Tools and Digital Proficiency
• LinkedIn Recruiter: Boolean searches, advanced filters, candidate projects, pipeline management and personalized InMail outreach.
• Recruitment Databases: Hands-on familiarity with Naukri Resdex and other relevant sourcing platforms.
• ATS and Recruitment CRM: Candidate tracking, search documentation, interview feedback, workflow management and reporting.
• Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint: Talent-mapping databases, recruitment dashboards and stakeholder presentations.
• Familiarity with talent intelligence platforms and AI-assisted recruitment tools, with appropriate validation of research outputs and responsible handling of candidate information. Preferred Experience
• Experience with an executive search firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences or Pharma practice.
• Exposure to retained or research-led executive search assignments, including search calibration, longlist development and shortlist presentation.
• Experience recruiting across functions such as R&D;, manufacturing, MSAT, quality, project management and corporate functions within the specified sectors. Key Success Measures
• Quality and relevance of candidate shortlists.
• Timely delivery and closure of assigned searches.
• Offer acceptance and successful joining outcomes.
• Hiring manager satisfaction and candidate experience.
• Accuracy of talent intelligence, recruitment records and reporting.

📌 Talent Acquisition Specialist (Hyderabad)
🏢 Sai Life Sciences
📍 Hyderabad