The brief
Having failed to appoint to this role themselves previously, the Norwich Research Park retained Veredus to assist with the appointment of a Director of NRP Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) and Chair of the NBI Graduate School.
The NRP, an international centre of excellence for bioscience, operates a substantial DTP on behalf of the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. This DTP uniquely unites the resources of five research institutions—University of East Anglia, Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, Sainsbury Laboratory, and Quadram Institute Bioscience —on a single site at the Norwich Research Park.
Veredus were briefed by several senior stakeholders including the current post-holder and Institute Directors. We collaborated closely with senior stakeholders at NRP, including directors of the partner institutions and the HR team, to develop a comprehensive recruitment strategy that would attract a strong and diverse field of candidates. We also designed a multi-channel attraction strategy to reach a broad audience via academic job boards, social media, and professional networks.
The process
We added particular value through our tailored executive search strategy which was aimed at targeting both active and passive candidates with an outstanding academic tack record in biosciences and related disciplines, and experience of strategic leadership, PhD supervision and Postgraduate and/or Doctoral Training Programmes as well as major research funding bids. We undertook a detailed market mapping exercise to identify the relevant universities, research centres and DTPs and suitable senior candidates within them. As a result, we approached circa 250 individuals as sources and targets during this search.
Diversity and inclusion were at the forefront of our attraction strategy, and we actively sought to engage candidates from underrepresented groups and ensured that the recruitment process was inclusive and unbiased.
The recruitment process generated 10 applications for the role. Veredus evaluated all applications against the person specification criteria met with the selection panel to agree on the shortlist. Four candidates were progressed to the final selection process which included formal interviews with the client panel and informal discussions with senior leaders and staff at NBI. Veredus provided ongoing support throughout this stage, including feedback to all candidates, and making all the arrangements and communicating them to the candidates.
The results
Two appointable candidates were identified, and the preferred candidate was offered the position. Unfortunately, the preferred candidate decided not to take up the post because of family circumstances which meant that ultimately, they were not able to relocate. However, we had an appointable runner-up candidate and Veredus re-engaged with her to offer her the role, which she accepted. Veredus took up telephone references before the offer was finalised.
The successful appointment of the Director of NRP Biosciences DTP and Chair of the NBI Graduate School demonstrates our ability to deliver high-quality, inclusive recruitment processes that align with the strategic goals of our clients. This case highlights our commitment to supporting the development of future bio scientists by recruiting leaders who can drive world-class doctoral training in a vibrant and diverse research community. The seamless transition of leadership, from the retiring Director to the new appointee, was crucial in ensuring the continued success and growth of the NRP DTP.