Building a high-performing QA team in a remote UK location

When a niche pharmaceutical company needed to urgently scale their Quality Assurance function in a remote part of the UK, they turned to R&D Partners. Our embedded recruitment model and strategic sourcing approach enabled them to meet compliance goals and progress toward GMP accreditation.

Key stats

• 24 CVs submitted within three weeks
• 6 interviews conducted
• 10 successful placements

The situation

Following a recent acquisition, the company launched a remediation project to address critical compliance gaps ahead of GMP accreditation. They needed to hire 15 QA consultants with varying levels of experience, fast.

The challenge? The site’s remote location, a 24/7 manufacturing schedule requiring night and weekend shifts, and a paper-based QMS. Despite engaging another agency weeks earlier, only one suitable candidate had been found.

The solution

R&D Partners embedded a dedicated consultant into the client’s project team, attending monthly on-site meetings and aligning closely with hiring managers. We developed a detailed recruitment strategy, including timelines, hiring triggers, and qualification criteria.

We began by activating our existing QA network, conducting in-depth qualification calls to assess technical fit and willingness to work on-site. Once that pool was exhausted, we expanded our reach through headhunting and referrals, gradually widening the search radius to ensure a steady pipeline.

The result

Despite starting weeks behind the competition, we submitted five strong CVs within 24 hours, three of which were hired. Over the next three weeks, we submitted 19 more, resulting in seven additional hires. In total, we placed 10 of the 15 required QA consultants, achieving a CV-to-placement ratio of 2.4:1.

Our proactive, strategic approach enabled the client to close critical skill gaps and keep their remediation project on track.

From remote to ready

Hiring in hard-to-reach locations doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality. Whether you’re scaling a team under pressure or navigating complex compliance goals, R&D Partners delivers the talent you need, where and when you need it. Let’s talk about how we can support your next challenge.