Pharmaceutical recruitment
Pharma staff who have worked to GMP on the floor, not just read it.
We recruit for pharmaceutical manufacturing, packaging, quality and validation across Ireland and the UK. On this sector the hire either has documentation discipline or they do not, and that is what we test for.
- GMP experience probed properly, by grade of area and by what they personally did
- Documentation and data integrity discipline assessed, because it is the job
- Gowning and cleanroom experience confirmed at the classification claimed
- Sponsorship or permit, visa and the advertising test, start to finish
Who we work for
Employers we work with
Established operators across Ireland and the UK. Transport, automotive, construction, engineering and food service.
What we place
Roles we fill in Pharmaceutical
If what you need is not on the list, ask anyway. We turn down briefs we cannot fill, so a no from us costs you a phone call and nothing else.
- Process Technicians
- Production Operators
- Cleanroom Operatives
- Packaging Operatives
- Quality Control Analysts
- Quality Assurance Officers
- Validation Engineers
- Qualification Engineers
- Maintenance Technicians
- Instrumentation Technicians
- Calibration Technicians
- Automation Technicians
- Warehouse and Materials Handlers
- Documentation Specialists
- EHS Officers
- Production Supervisors
How we fill it
Three routes, and we will tell you which one you need
We look at your local market before we look anywhere else. Overseas deployment is slower and more involved, so we only recommend it when local genuinely cannot deliver.
Ireland and the UK
- About two weeks from brief to a start date
- Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview
- No retainer and no monthly fee
- Thirty day replacement guarantee
International deployment
- Sourced from the Philippines, South Africa, the UAE, Bangladesh, Colombia, India and Nepal
- Permit, visa and Certificate of Sponsorship work handled end to end
- Labour Market Needs Test managed for you
- Flights, accommodation and welfare checks after arrival included
Remote support roles
- Live in one to four weeks, because there is no permit in the way
- Five stage vetting including a proper English assessment
- Employed directly by your company
- Typically 50 to 70% below the cost of a local hire
The work behind the shortlist
What we check before you see a CV
A shortlist is only worth anything if somebody did this first.
GMP in practice
- Asked which grade of area they worked in and what they personally did there
- Gowning and behaviour discipline confirmed, not assumed from a job title
- Deviation, CAPA and change control exposure probed for real involvement
- Audit and inspection experience checked with the employer named on the CV
Documentation
- Batch record completion assessed, because most findings start there
- Data integrity understanding tested, not described
- Written English assessed properly, since the paperwork is the product record
- Attention to detail tested on a set task, not inferred from a personality
Technical
- Validation staff asked what they wrote and what they executed
- Calibration and instrumentation experience checked by equipment type
- Analytical staff assessed on the techniques in your method
- References from named sites with named quality contacts
Recruitment trips
Come and test them yourself
Every month we are in Manila, Johannesburg and Dubai with clients, running in-person trade tests and volume interviews. Based on everything we have seen, it is the most effective way to hire.
- Meet more candidates in a day than you would in a month of video calls
- Get a better read on somebody by watching them work, not just hearing them talk
- Trade test in person, on the tools, to your own standard
- We handle all the logistics. You turn up, we do the rest
Cleanroom experience is not one thing
Somebody who has worked in a Grade D warehouse area and somebody who has worked aseptically are both truthfully describing cleanroom experience, and they are not interchangeable hires.
We ask which grade, what the behaviour requirements were and what they personally did in there, and we pass that on to you in plain language and do not let the phrase do the work.
Lead times
How long it takes, honestly
Government processing times move, and anybody quoting you a single confident number is guessing. Which route applies to your role, and the current wait, we confirm in writing before you commit.
Local hire, Ireland or UK
About 2 weeks
Brief to start date. Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview.
Ireland, employment permit
Department clock
Our preparation takes days. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment publishes its own processing times and they move with demand; we tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
UK, Skilled Worker
UKVI clock
You assign the Certificate of Sponsorship; UK Visas and Immigration publishes decision times. We tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
Remote support role
1 to 4 weeks
Where the job can be done remotely, there is no permit and no queue.
Official processing times: enterprise.gov.ie for Irish employment permits and GOV.UK for the Skilled Worker visa.
Cost and cover
What it costs, and what happens if it goes wrong
Government fees are passed through at cost and the placement fee is staged across the process, none of it up front.
Replacement guarantee on a local hire
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was remote
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was in person
Retainer, startup or candidate fees, at any point
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited, 136 Capel Street, Dublin D01 T2C9. Licensed employment agency EA 5649, Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland. CRO 810220. Local first. Internationally ready when local cannot deliver.
Straight answers
Questions employers ask
How do you verify GMP experience?
By asking what a candidate personally did, not what their site did, by grade of area, and by checking it against the employer named on the CV. GMP on a CV means very little on its own.
Do you place for QA and QC as well as production?
Yes, across production, quality, validation, engineering support and documentation. Tell us the function and the level and we shortlist against it.
Is written English tested?
Yes, and it matters more here than almost anywhere else, because a batch record is a regulated document. We assess written English, not just spoken.
Which permit route applies to a pharma role?
It depends on the role, the salary and the current lists, which change. We confirm the route in writing for your specific vacancy before you commit, instead of what is usually the case.
Can you supply for a validation or shutdown campaign?
Yes, and volume out of a single brief is normal. Give us the campaign dates and the headcount and we build to it.
Tell us the role and the start date. We do the rest.
No retainer, no startup fee, and nothing is ever charged to the candidate. Call us on +353 1 903 8249, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
Looking for work in Pharmaceutical?
You will never pay us. Not once, not for anything.
Not to apply, not to be placed, not for your visa, your documents or your training. Employers pay us. Your wage is yours in full.
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