Adapting in Uncertain Times: Biopharma Professionals Turn To Fractional Roles

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1 in 5 respondents either have had or do have a fractional role, according to a recent BioSpace poll, and over half are considering it. Two recruitment experts, a fractional worker and an aspiring fractional worker share their insights.

Fractional roles have caught the eye of many biopharma professionals, with some taking on that type of work and others giving it serious thought, based on BioSpace findings.

A July LinkedIn poll found that 22% of respondents have had or do have fractional roles, which involve working part time or on a project basis for companies. In addition, 54% of those who don’t have this type of position are considering it.

Biopharma professionals are more willing to do fractional work now than a year ago, in part due to challenges finding full-time employment, two recruitment experts told BioSpace.

Jim Rudman, CEO and founder of Ashton Tweed, an interim talent and executive search firm specializing in life sciences, said via email that it can take at least six months to find a new position. Julie Heneghan, president and founder of The Steely Group, a national life sciences staffing firm that just launched a fractional service after doing some placements in that area, also highlighted the tough job market. She noted that some biopharma professionals have multiple fractional roles because full-time positions aren’t available.

Heneghan and Rudman agreed that those who take on this type of work usually view it as a short-term solution until they find permanent employment. Still, Heneghan said, “You have people that may be a little more seasoned, farther along in their career, and they don’t want to do 40 hours anymore, but they want to stay busy. They want to stay current. They’re happy to take something 10 to 20 hours a week.”

Demand Increasing for Fractional Workers

Demand for fractional biopharma workers, typically senior-level professionals, has picked up since this time last year, according to Heneghan and Rudman. A key reason, they noted, is that some companies aren’t hiring full-time employees now due to factors including layoffs, the uncertain regulatory environment, looming pharma tariffs and a lack of venture capital funding.

Regarding Ashton Tweed’s clients, who range from startups to companies with a couple billion in revenue, Rudman said, “These companies (particularly the clinical stage companies) are stretched thin financially and are hard pressed to bring people on ‘permanently’ without a clear cash runway.”

Heneghan and Rudman said biopharmas of all sizes want fractional workers. Heneghan noted that companies are typically looking for heads of departments, such as medical directors and chief medical officers, but are also interested in medical writing and senior-level regulatory professionals. Rudman shared that for Ashton Tweed’s early-stage companies, his firm has placed many fractional chief financial officers, chief commercial officers and chief medical officers as well as vice president–level workers in commercial-oriented roles.

Looking ahead, Heneghan said she’s seeing signs that fractional work could be here to stay, as it allows companies to get needed expertise in the door. For example, she said, if a biotech needs a medical director but can’t get a full-time employee approved due to budget restraints, it could get someone to work 10 hours a week instead. Once companies have high-quality fractional workers on board, she added, they can see that they don’t have to hire full-time employees to get the type of talent they need.

From the Trenches: 2 Biopharma Pros Share Their Perspectives

Matt Feldman and Alicia Volmar are at different stages in their fractional journeys. As founder of LIT Discoveries, Volmar is consulting as a scientist but wants to add fractional work to the mix. As a scientific communications consultant and CEO at InTheDistance Media, Feldman started doing fractional work last year.

Recognizing industry challenges, scientist explores fractional work

In May, two weeks after Prime Medicine laid her off from her scientist II role when it cut 25% of its staff, Volmar started her business. While she does consulting work, she also wants to be a fractional scientist in the Boston area. Volmar told BioSpace she started considering fractional roles at the start of this year after noting the state of the industry.

“Having a full-time position is ideal, but I’m just trying to adapt to how things are and may be for a while,” she said. “I thought that this could be an idea to help me move forward in science in a time where a lot of people are just waiting for a job or just applying.”

Having a full-time position is ideal, but I’m just trying to adapt to how things are and may be for a while

Alicia Volmar, founder, LIT Discoveries

Whether Volmar does fractional roles long term depends on how those roles go. She said she likes the idea of having flexibility in who she works with and what she works on. However, if there’s a shift in the industry, and getting a full-time job looks like the best option, she’d probably go that route.

For now, Volmar is working on securing fractional roles by contacting companies directly and working with recruiters. She said she’s been targeting small biotechs that recently got Series B funding. Those businesses, Volmar explained, are likely expanding and therefore may be occupying new lab spaces, training new scientists and trying to build cross-functional teams. She feels her experience in lab moves—helping set up labs and connect with vendors to evaluate what equipment to get, for example—would make her a good fractional fit.

Whether she’s doing consulting, fractional or full-time work, the bottom line for Volmar is being able to stay in science. She shared that she enjoys working on something bigger than herself that helps patients.

“Even just reading about other science that I’m not in, it’s always exciting to me,” Volmar said.

Scientific communicator enjoys the adventure of fractional work

When Novavax cut 25% of its global workforce in 2023, affecting his role as senior director of R&D communications, Feldman started his biomedical consulting firm. However, he told BioSpace, he soon realized some companies that aren’t large enough to hire full-time employees want sustained engagement that goes beyond a consultancy. Feldman therefore added fractional scientific communications work to his services, taking on his first such role in 2024. He has one fractional client now—a startup company—and hopes to land another significant piece of business with a different startup later this year.

In his current fractional role, Feldman handles communications work as needs arise versus working for a set number of hours per week or on a project basis. So, for example, he joins monthly meetings and hops on calls when needed but also helps when something pops up in the news that the client wants to leverage.

Feldman said he enjoys the variety fractional work offers, as he can move between different therapeutic areas and responsibilities, allowing him to be curious and creative.

“I’m not someone who wants to keep doing that same thing, turning the wheel of the widget machine every day,” he said. “So, the variety—the challenge and change—that’s a feature, not a bug.”

I’m not someone who wants to keep doing that same thing, turning the wheel of the widget machine every day. So, the variety—the challenge and change—that’s a feature, not a bug.

Matt Feldman, scientific communications consultant and CEO, InTheDistance Media

Moving forward, Feldman is open to doing fractional work long term or working full time again at a company.

“I don’t feel pressure, necessarily, to go one way or another, because I really do like this model,” he said. “It’s just, can I make it work? Can I make the economics work?”

For example, Feldman noted, saving for retirement can be challenging given he doesn’t have full-time employment.

Whatever might happen in the future, Feldman is enjoying where he is right now with fractional work.

“I think this is an exciting way to do what I do,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the forever way, but I think it’s a fun time to be doing this. I look at it as a little bit of an adventure.”

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Angela Gabriel is content manager at BioSpace. She covers the biopharma job market, job trends and career advice, and produces client content. You can reach her at angela.gabriel@biospace.com and follow her on LinkedIn.
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