February is the month of love, which means everyone is searching for "the one." In biotech, that looks like the Regulatory leader who has shepherded approvals, the Clinical physician who has delivered pivotal studies, and the Safety MD who keeps programs on track and risk contained.
The catch? They're not waiting around. February's market is moving quickly, and the strongest matches are getting secured early.
Trends
Here's what we're seeing in the biotech hiring landscape right now
Pipelines in Motion
February may be a shorter month, and M&A headlines have been lighter as a result. Still, the underlying trend remains intact. Large pharma continues to selectively acquire innovative biotechs to strengthen and de-risk their portfolios.
Gilead's Acquisition of Arcellx (~$7.8B USD)
Gives Gilead ownership over a promising next-generation cell therapy program.
Hiring Hotspots
This month, our searches continue to reflect a clear draw toward late-stage regulatory, clinical development, and safety leadership. Companies are prioritizing experience that can carry programs through pivotal milestones, filings, and commercialization readiness. At the same time, we're seeing renewed activity in several functional areas that were significantly reduced over the past two years. As pipelines stabilize and execution becomes the focus, these functions are being rebuilt with intention.
Functional areas with the most openings (and competition):
- Clinical Operations
- Clinical Development
- Regulatory Affairs
- Data Management
- Quality Assurance
- CMC + Manufacturing
- PV and Safety
Trimming Their Trials
Dare we say it, the layoff trend appears to be moderating. Only 6 biotech organizations announced layoffs this month, and half of those were larger, more diversified groups rather than early-stage companies. Here's the list we thought you'd find most useful:
Ultragenyx (Bay Area)
Lays off 130 employees following Phase 3 failure.
Seres Therapeutics (Cambridge)
Reduces force by 30% to focus on early-stage pipeline.
GSK (USA)
Reduced its U.S. R&D workforce by approximately 70 employees as part of ongoing portfolio and cost optimization efforts.
Diving Deeper into February
Trusted Once. Chosen Every Time.
Offer for the month:
Executive Director, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance
- Base Salary: $340,000
- Annual Bonus: 25%
- Equity: 25,000 stock options and 16,000 RSUs
- Sign on: $15,000
- Location: New Jersey
Crowned Candidates
Are you hiring? We have you covered!
Regulatory Pick · Candidate #7420
Executive Director, Regulatory Affairs- Regulatory strategist with extensive experience leading complex submissions in biologics
- 8+ years serving as Global regulatory lead
- Led BLA + received approval
Clinical Pick · Candidate #9449
CMO- Launched 5 IND studies across atopic dermatitis, acne, non-melanoma skin cancer, melasma, seborrheic keratoses, tinea pedis, onychomycosis
- MD, PhD (Board-certified Dermatologist)
Active Searches
Open Roles
Regulatory Affairs
- Senior Vice President/Vice President, Regulatory Affairs – Oncology (San Diego, CA)
- Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs – Oncology (Remote West Coast)
- Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs – Autoimmune (Remote West Coast)
- Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs – Rare Disease (South San Francisco, CA)
- Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs – Rare Disease (South San Francisco, CA)
- Manager, Regulatory Affairs – Rare Disease (South San Francisco, CA)
Clinical Development
- Chief Medical Officer – Oncology (Remote West Coast)
- Chief Medical Officer – Immunology/Inflammatory (Remote USA)
- Chief Medical Officer – Dermatology/Immunology (Boston, MA)
- Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development – Surgery + Transplant (Remote USA)
Pharmacovigilance & Safety
- Vice President, PV & Safety – Rare Disease (Remote West Coast)
R&D
- Senior Associate Scientist – Antibody Engineering (Boulder, CO)
- Scientist – Antibody Engineering (Boulder, CO)
New to Our Tribe
We welcomed two new clients into the Trebla Tribe this month!
Clinical-stage oncology biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies that overcome mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in cancer.
Clinical-stage oncology company focused on targeting PD-1 and VEGF pathways as potential cancer immunotherapies.
T R I B E
Here's what the Trebla team's been doing off the clock
Nat and Dakota managed to escape the Northeast's brutal winter just in time. Nat headed to beautiful Oaxaca, Mexico for a wedding, while Dakota traded snow boots for hiking boots in the mountains of Peru.
