Scientific, food & FMCG recruitment
We specialise in recruiting high-calibre professionals for your key science roles, allowing you to be at the forefront of scientific advancements.
Start a conversation with one of our specialist scientific recruitment consultants
Send a brief overview of your requirements and we will contact you to find out more about your needs.
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Experts in science recruitment
Our approach
At Reed, we work with some of the most innovative and dynamic companies in the UK, helping them find the best talent for their projects and goals. We also build long-term relationships with candidates, understanding their skills, motivations and aspirations, and matching them with the right opportunities.
As experienced recruiters, we have a deep knowledge of our sector, as well as excellent communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills, as we adapt our solutions in line with market changes. We don’t just recruit, we create solutions – our specialist scientific teams will work with you to create a bespoke recruitment strategy depending on your needs, as opposed to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
What we offer
We specialise in recruiting for a range of areas within life sciences, food and FMCG, such as:
Chemists - inorganic/organic/formulation
Biochemistry
Biotech and biomedical
Microbiology
Laboratory staff technicians and managers
Technical, quality assurance and regulatory affairs
New product development
Research and specifications
Our scientific recruiters specialise in recruitment in this sector and many hold science-related degrees, giving you a unique combination of recruitment expertise and in-depth knowledge of the market, providing you with the reassurance you need to find the right people for your organisation.
Food, drink & FMCG
As an expert food, drink and FMCG recruiter, we possess an in-depth understanding of the unique demands and intricacies of critical areas such as technical, quality assurance, new product development (NPD), and specifications.
Our team of experienced recruiters is well-versed in sourcing top talent for roles such as food scientists, product developers, quality assurance specialists, and technical experts, ensuring that our clients have access to the best candidates who are high performing and will drive value.
Through our comprehensive screening and assessment processes, we are renowned for identifying candidates who have the right technical skills, possess a keen eye for detail, and are committed to upholding the highest quality standards in the food, drink and FMCG industries.
Why use our food, drink & FMCG recruitment services?
Our dedication to personalised service means that we work closely with our clients to understand their specific requirements and objectives. Whether you need a seasoned professional to lead your NPD team or a meticulous quality assurance specialist to maintain compliance with regulations and specifications, we provide tailored solutions to meet your needs.
Our deep industry knowledge and ongoing market research ensures that we stay ahead of emerging trends, enabling us to provide invaluable insights and guidance to our clients as they navigate the ever-evolving landscape in the food, drink and FMCG industries.
What food, drink and FMCG roles do you recruit for?
We are committed to delivering exceptional service, forging long-term partnerships, and helping our clients build high-performing teams that drive innovation, ensure compliance, and deliver exceptional product quality in the following areas:
NPD
Technical
Quality assurance
Specifications
Biotechnology
We have decades of experience in recruiting for roles in biotechnology and life sciences. Our specialists are experts in recruiting across molecular and cell biology, biomedical science, and microbiology. With access to a network of active and passive candidates, on a local and national level, your scientific expert can find you the right professional to fill your biotechnology role.
Whether you need a QA manager, principal scientist, or laboratory technician to join your team, we can work with you to find the professional with the right skill set to help your organisation flourish.
Our specialists in biotechnology recruitment have access to the latest salary and benefits data and insight, ensuring that you are targeting the right professionals with the right packages and stay ahead of the competition by bringing the best talent into your company.
From sourcing the UK’s top professionals, to interviewing and onboarding advice, we will work with you to make the recruitment process as stress free and efficient as possible.
Pharmaceutical
The fast-paced, ever-changing nature of the pharmaceutical industry makes recruitment challenging. Reed’s expert recruiters have over 60 years’ experience tackling these challenges head-on, sourcing high-calibre professionals who are up to date with the latest developments and changes in the sector.
Reed’s pharmaceutical experts recruit for temporary, permanent and interim roles across all stages of drug development and discovery. Our national network of specialists, each with local market knowledge, can find professionals for even the most niche roles. Whether you’re looking to hire a regulatory manager, pharmacologist or formulation scientist, we can help you source the right professionals, saving you time and money.
Your scientific recruitment specialist will support you throughout the recruitment process – from screening initial applicants to make sure they have the correct skills, through to providing interview support and ongoing market insight.
Medical devices
The scientific sector is fast moving, with daily advancements in knowledge and understanding, that’s why Reed’s scientific specialists work alongside you to ensure the roles you are recruiting for are filled by well-informed professionals with the correct skill set and acumen for your company.
Medical devices play a vital role in the safe and effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of illness and disease. We understand the need for the right professionals for the job. Whether you produce syringes and forceps or ventilators and dialysis machines, we can find STEM professionals to cover the whole spectrum of roles within the sector, including quality assurance and quality control, regulation and product development.
If you are looking for a research and development scientist or production manager, your local specialist will use their large candidate database of scientific professionals - and their network of passive candidates - to find the ideal person for the job.
Chemicals/material science
As a leading supplier of scientific staff, Reed’s specialists in chemical and material science work with you to find the dynamic, innovative professionals you need. Our experts work across the complete chemicals and material science landscape, including formulation, scale up chemistry, and materials and chemical testing.
At Reed we pride ourselves in providing impeccable service, so we work in partnership with you to find the right solutions to your recruitment needs. Whether that’s hiring a team of inorganic chemists or a regulative affairs officer, your designated expert has access to a large database of active and passive candidates who fit the bill.
Your local specialist will work alongside you and other stakeholders to identify the skills you need for the role, create a detailed job specification, provide you with a shortlist, arrange interviews and offer interview advice – the whole process couldn’t be more efficient, meaning you can continue to steer the ship while we worry about those coming on board.
Tailored solutions to common issues
Our focus is to create a working partnership with you. This means your local scientific specialist will meet with you and your stakeholders to fully understand the job brief, and where necessary create a job brief collaboratively. Our experts will identify the key skills and experience required for the role and, where necessary, talk through areas of flexibility.
With an in-depth knowledge of the local market and wider sector, your consultant will guide you through the process – offering the best advice and insight to ensure you get the result you need. Your expert will communicate with you regularly, as well as provide you with feedback and support when needed.
Working with our scientific recruiters will give you national and international exposure for your role. Your vacancy will be advertised on multiple platforms including Reed.co.uk – the UK’s number one digital recruitment service – to attract the best professionals for your role.
Our experts will then screen all applications on your behalf, and only those professionals matching your requirements will be sent to you for consideration. Through regular networking, our scientific recruiters will also target the passive candidate market, ensuring that we focus searches on candidates who we know have the right skills and experience, but may not be actively looking for a new job.
To make sure you have access to the cream of the crop when it comes to scientific professionals, we screen all our candidates. We give you the opportunity to be fully involved in the process, allowing you to submit a unique set of questions to give insight for your vacancy.
As experts in the field, we are there to support you throughout the recruitment process and can suggest the best interviewing techniques, testing and questions to help filter out the best individuals for your role. If your vacancy is temporary, we provide a two-day working guarantee, so if things don’t work out we will replace temporary employees at no additional cost.
Part of managing your whole recruitment journey includes remaining in constant communication with candidates we have shortlisted for your role. Therefore, unlike when you arrange interviews and recruit in-house, your specialist scientific recruiter will keep abreast of each candidates’ circumstances, managing any concerns they may have and other roles they are applying for.
Our process is thorough and includes preparing each candidate for their interview with you at least 24 hours beforehand, so there will be no last-minute cancellations or no-shows. We also provide you with any advice and guidance you may need prior to the interview.
We understand that when working alone, talent in the scientific sector can be hard to find. The industry is often candidate driven, and many in-demand professionals will have several offers at any one time. In this environment, most candidates will receive a counteroffer from their existing employer to try to retain them.
Our specialist scientific recruitment consultants are well-versed in dealing with such occurrences and, by guiding you from the off on the correct salary and benefits package for your role, we can help avoid this situation – professionals are looking to leave for a reason and a good package will reinforce this fact.
Roles we've recently filled
Technical officer
Healthcare company
Bristol
Laboratory assistant
Contract research company
Cambridge
Chemist
Speciality chemicals company
Oxford
Lead scientist
Health technology company
Oxford
Product development manager
Animal health organisation
Blackpool
Laboratory technician
Forensics company
Tamworth
Our scientific expertise
Matt Pope
Stuart Nunn
Dominic Watts
Send a brief overview of your requirements and we will contact you to find out more about your needs.
Scientific, food & FMCG FAQs
Specialist scientific recruitment agencies can help you save time and effort in your search for the best candidates to fill your roles. Reed has professional scientific recruiters who understand the needs of companies in the industry and have years of recruitment experience in the sector. They know where to look for the right candidates and can support you throughout the recruitment process from screening initial applicants to providing interview support, and ongoing market insight.
As a leading recruitment agency in scientific recruitment, we work with organisations across all areas of the industry, as well as having specialists who are devoted to supporting the hiring of technical and scientific roles.
Yes, we have recruiting solutions that can ensure diversity in your scientific workforce. We can help you adopt a structured and rigorous recruitment process to help you diversify your team and hire the best talent.
Get in touch with the team today to find out more.
The timelines for filling scientific vacancies can vary depending on a number of factors. Traditionally, temporary roles are filled quicker due to urgency of the position that needs to be filled, while factors including location, seniority of the role, the number of positions needed filling, and the state of the jobs market can impact hiring timescales.
Our experts screen all applications on your behalf, and only those professionals matching your requirements will be sent to you for consideration. Through regular networking, our scientific recruiters ensure that we focus searches on candidates who we know have the right skills and experience for your business.
Scientific recruiting is a process which involves finding prospective candidates for the job and approaching them to apply for it. On the other hand, scientific staffing refers to a process concerned with acquiring, employing, developing, compensating and retaining people of an organisation.
Start a conversation with one of our specialist scientific recruiters today.
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Our national coverage allows us to offer a recruitment service tailored to your needs, with accurate local market intelligence on salaries, competitors and the best professionals who can help your business thrive.