Scalable recruitment support for a growing Swedish start-up
Client situation
The client was a small but rapidly growing Swedish life science company that expected to recruit several important functions over a period of a few years. The company needed to scale up its organisation but had limited financing and wanted to avoid building fixed internal HR and recruitment capacity before there was a full-time need.
Client challenge
The client needed access to professional recruitment support across several functions, while maintaining cost control and flexibility. Employing a full-time HR or Recruitment Manager would have created a fixed cost that was difficult to justify at the company’s stage of growth. At the same time, the client needed faster recruitment processes, better forward planning and access to specialist knowledge about the Nordic life science talent market.
PharmaRelations’ solution
PharmaRelations proposed a three-year recruitment service with one dedicated resource responsible for understanding the client’s needs, coordinating recruitment activities and planning upcoming hires well in advance. This long-term model enabled faster start-up of each recruitment process and gave the client continuous access to recruitment expertise without the cost of a full internal function.
In addition, PharmaRelations proposed interim solutions for selected functions to increase agility and reduce hiring risk. As the relationship developed, the dedicated contact also introduced the client to broader PharmaRelations expertise, including access to specialist resources in Denmark and potential support within Market Access and other business areas.
Implementation approach
The collaboration was built around regular forward-looking discussions between the client and the dedicated PharmaRelations contact. Rather than starting each recruitment from zero, PharmaRelations continuously monitored future needs, market availability and relevant competence profiles. This enabled the client to plan recruitment earlier, accelerate processes when needed and use interim expertise as a flexible bridge where appropriate.
Outcome for the client
The client avoided the cost of employing a full-time recruitment manager while still gaining access to structured, professional recruitment support. PharmaRelations’ fees represented approximately half the cost of an internal manager, while the flexible model increased the pace of growth and improved the client’s understanding of available expertise in the Nordic market. The long-term agreement also saved time for both parties and created a more efficient recruitment process over time.
- Cost reduction
- Faster recruitment
- Increased flexibility
- Access to specialist talent insight
Key success factors
- A long-term recruitment agreement that created continuity and speed.
- One dedicated contact responsible for coordination and planning.
- Cost-efficient access to recruitment expertise without building a fixed internal HR function.
- Flexible use of interim expertise to support growth and reduce risk.
- Access to specialist competence across Nordic markets and PharmaRelations business areas.
What this case demonstrates
This case demonstrates how PharmaRelations can support growth companies with scalable, cost-efficient and long-term recruitment solutions. By combining dedicated account management, recruitment expertise, interim flexibility and access to broader Nordic specialist capabilities, PharmaRelations helped the client grow faster while maintaining financial control and organizational agility.
“PharmaRelations gave us the recruitment expertise we needed without having to build a full internal function. Having a dedicated partner who understands our business and plans ahead has made our recruitment faster, more flexible and better aligned with our growth.”