TriNet Pharma
Driving Excellence in Clinical and Regulatory Recruitment

Bridging the gap between research and business, clinical and regulatory staff are an essential resource for life science companies. Playing a vital role in delivering a new drug to the market, these professionals are a crucial link in saving lives.

Addressing this need is TriNet Pharma, a talent acquisition strategist specializing in recruiting for the life science industry, specifically in medical affairs, regulatory, and clinical roles. Operating on a contingent fee structure, it provides an outcome-based retainer-type recruitment service and is proficient in creating an employee value proposition that brings in the perfect candidate for a role.

“We realize this isn’t just one hiring decision, but about advancing a drug for all of humanity, and we’re passionate about ensuring our clients get the right candidate to help make that happen,” says Kaitlyn Kasten, director of business development at TriNet Pharma.

The TriNet Methodology

Finding a culture fit is of utmost importance for TriNet Pharma, and in its quest to find the best possible fit, it strives to know each candidate beyond just their resume. It looks for key highlighters such as soft skills and adaptability, vital qualities that are highly valued in the life sciences and medical affairs space.

Client onboarding typically starts with an intake call. TriNet Pharma brings in a full team to sit in on an intake meeting, where it develops a deep understanding of the client’s goals, challenges, existing hiring practices, and more. Each client is assigned a client account manager to oversee the entire partnership and continually work with them to ensure their needs are met. A representative from the recruiting team brings in the job market expertise, sharing what candidates are looking for, the expected compensation, and benefits.

A representative from the research team trained in the life science industry sourcing is also assigned to the client, who highlights the areas of the job market to target and bring in ideal candidates for a client’s particular needs. TriNet Pharma got its start 13 years ago, focusing on Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) and medical affairs professionals. They built close relationships with numerous MSLs and helped many senior MSLs today get their first job. Finding an MSLs that fits into a company culture and works effectively with different KOIs is a nuanced process and requires a special level of attention to detail. Consequently, they’ve built a network of connections in the industry, allowing them to expand their services to clinical and regulatory affairs professionals. Their commitment to focusing on relationships has led to an expansive proprietary database that they can leverage quickly to find prospects and even reach out to passive candidates in the job market.

Finally, a marketing representative also works with the client to design a new job description that will go out into the job market.

“This is at the core of creating a value proposition for potential candidates and the reason why the marketing team plays a crucial role in our hiring process,” says Elaine Peng, senior vice president of TriNet Pharma.

This value proposition talks about the possible career advancements through the role and the medical and commercial significance of the client’s work and product. With the new job description in hand, TriNet initiates marketing using specific language to attract potential candidates. The marketing department has extensive experience showcasing the most lucrative facets of a job to attract prospective candidates.

Along with permanent postings, TriNet provides contract roles for clients looking to hire individuals on a part-time or specific duration for a particular project. Through its contract arm, it hires candidates under its payroll, offering them benefits and helping them with the initial onboarding and training.

Overcoming the Challenges of International Hiring

TriNet Pharma also offers international placements for clients with branches in multiple countries. In addition to sourcing and identifying talent prospects abroad, it has a backend operations team that supports clients and advises them about labor laws, different currencies and payments, and inflation issues that would influence a candidate’s pay or tenure.

Highlighting TriNet Pharma’s prowess in international hiring is an instance when it helped a client find the right candidate for an overseas project. They wanted to build a team in South America and multiple locations across Europe but were unsure about how to proceed. The client did not know if the positions should be contract or permanent and were facing significant hurdles as they did not have any presence in both countries.

TriNet assigned a recruiter who was well-versed in domestic and international recruitment and could guide the client to understand what their options were. This was a project in rare diseases, and while the number of people who work in this therapeutic area is very small, TriNet identified a candidate in the location the client was aiming for.

Despite the currency and inflation-related issues that cropped up, the account manager worked with the client to overcome their hurdles until the end. Though the entire process lasted about 60 days, the recruiter guided the client through the entire hiring and onboarding process to ensure the candidate did not lose confidence in working with them and delivered a successful hire.

A Legacy of Recruiting for the Life Science Industry

TriNet Pharma credits its successful methodology to its late founder Brian Vaughn, whose wife, Mara Vaughn, currently runs the company. A talent for recruiting and an even bigger passion for the industry drove Vaughn to create the company. His strategies and best practices for identifying life science candidates in the job market continue to guide the TriNet approach to recruiting.

Empowered by a deep understanding of the life science industry and a laser-focused marketing prowess, TriNet Pharma establishes itself as a pillar in the recruitment industry and a proficient hiring partner for clinical and regulatory personnel.