Irving Knight Group is an expert in CDMO & CRO executive search and selection.

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Looking to hire Early Phase talent?

We're true experts at Early Phase recruitment. We create an experience like no other for both client and candidate alike, and always find that needle in the haystack.

Website Review Photo

Pierre D'Amours

VP Sales

I had a great experience working with Irving Knight, and especially with Lily Newton. From start to finish, Lily was ...

Website Review Photo

Tim Mitchell

Division Plant Manager

Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity

Website Review Photo

Julian Arroyo David

Engineer - USA

Sam went above and beyond throughout the entire process. He did not just help find the right fit, he was genuinely he...

Website Review Photo

Jane Scates

Packaging Engineer, US

Henry was a true professional, perfect attention to detail at every step of the process. Would definitely recommend!

Website Review Photo

Keith P

Director - USA

The attention to detail and follow up were amazing. The truly distinguishing part was the complete transparency &hone...

Website Review Photo

Georg Springl

Head TrenoLux - Austria

We had a great experience working with Grace Smith to recruit a Sales Account Manager for the French market. The enti...

Website Review Photo

Peter Veal

Commercial Lead - UK

I dealt with Sebastian Nilsson at Irving Knight over an 8 month period. He was communicative, pragmatic and polite. F...

Website Review Photo

Kaitlin Lammers

Account Manager

Oliver made the hiring process smooth from start to finish. He was consistently responsive, understanding, and suppor...

Website Review Photo

Moacyr Pedro

Senior Manager - Brazil

First contact I received from Henry Sears was 6 month ago and since the very beginning he seems to be a very trustful...

Website Review Photo

Kay Witte

Global Director Performance Excellence

Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...

Website Review Photo

Michal Sochor

Sales Director - USA

Keva was fantastic to work with throughout the recruiting process. She was professional, responsive, and genuinely he...

Website Review Photo

Sandeep Kulshrestha

Formulation Director, US

Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...

Website Review Photo

Jon Steele

CFO, US

Grace taught an old dog some new tricks! I had been in my previous position for 30 years. I loved my job for most of...

Website Review Photo

Matt Engelbrecht

VP Industrial Ops, US

Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...

Website Review Photo

Kyle Corrigan

Technical Account Manager

It was a pleasure working with Joseph when searching for the next chapter in my career. Proactive, energetic and prof...

Website Review Photo

Kerry Maye

Regional Sales Manager

Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....

Website Review Photo

Valeria Pozzi

Procurement Category Manager, Italy

Working with Oliver has been a real pleasure!His highly professionalism and transparency made me comfortable to consi...

Website Review Photo

Andrew Coutts

Director Global Strategy, US

First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...

Website Review Photo

Ricardo Jesus

Commercial Manager - USA

Working with Garin was the best experience. He helped me a lot to find this position . Highly recommended

Website Review Photo

Tim Staniels

Territory Sales Manager, US

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...

Website Review Photo

Pierre D'Amours

VP Sales

I had a great experience working with Irving Knight, and especially with Lily Newton. From start to finish, Lily was ...

Website Review Photo

Tim Mitchell

Division Plant Manager

Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity

Website Review Photo

Julian Arroyo David

Engineer - USA

Sam went above and beyond throughout the entire process. He did not just help find the right fit, he was genuinely he...

Website Review Photo

Jane Scates

Packaging Engineer, US

Henry was a true professional, perfect attention to detail at every step of the process. Would definitely recommend!

Website Review Photo

Keith P

Director - USA

The attention to detail and follow up were amazing. The truly distinguishing part was the complete transparency &hone...

Website Review Photo

Georg Springl

Head TrenoLux - Austria

We had a great experience working with Grace Smith to recruit a Sales Account Manager for the French market. The enti...

Website Review Photo

Peter Veal

Commercial Lead - UK

I dealt with Sebastian Nilsson at Irving Knight over an 8 month period. He was communicative, pragmatic and polite. F...

Website Review Photo

Kaitlin Lammers

Account Manager

Oliver made the hiring process smooth from start to finish. He was consistently responsive, understanding, and suppor...

Website Review Photo

Moacyr Pedro

Senior Manager - Brazil

First contact I received from Henry Sears was 6 month ago and since the very beginning he seems to be a very trustful...

Website Review Photo

Kay Witte

Global Director Performance Excellence

Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...

Website Review Photo

Michal Sochor

Sales Director - USA

Keva was fantastic to work with throughout the recruiting process. She was professional, responsive, and genuinely he...

Website Review Photo

Sandeep Kulshrestha

Formulation Director, US

Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...

Website Review Photo

Jon Steele

CFO, US

Grace taught an old dog some new tricks! I had been in my previous position for 30 years. I loved my job for most of...

Website Review Photo

Matt Engelbrecht

VP Industrial Ops, US

Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...

Website Review Photo

Kyle Corrigan

Technical Account Manager

It was a pleasure working with Joseph when searching for the next chapter in my career. Proactive, energetic and prof...

Website Review Photo

Kerry Maye

Regional Sales Manager

Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....

Website Review Photo

Valeria Pozzi

Procurement Category Manager, Italy

Working with Oliver has been a real pleasure!His highly professionalism and transparency made me comfortable to consi...

Website Review Photo

Andrew Coutts

Director Global Strategy, US

First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...

Website Review Photo

Ricardo Jesus

Commercial Manager - USA

Working with Garin was the best experience. He helped me a lot to find this position . Highly recommended

Website Review Photo

Tim Staniels

Territory Sales Manager, US

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...

Did you know?

Hiring the wrong candidate costs more than just time—it can waste salary, training resources, and opportunities. The Department of Labour estimates a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the role’s first-year earnings.

We hire right

Organisations are often reluctant to use external recruiters due the percieved cost. Think about it like this - what financial benefit could a top candidate bring to your business unit? You could make a 100x return on your investment.

  • 97% Placement Rate 1
  • 1.78:1 CVs Sent to Interviews 2
  • Avg. 32 Day Engagement to Placement 3

1. Based on all roles engaged on by a client on an exclusive basis from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

2. All CVs Sent from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

3. From Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

Navigating a Candidate-Driven Market

This is a candidate-driven market — and it has been since the pandemic.

Top talent has options. They’re selective, informed, and expect more than just competitive salary. Securing them requires market insight, credibility, speed, and the ability to position opportunities properly.

We act as your market partner — managing candidate expectations, advising on strategy, and ensuring you don’t lose the people you actually want.

Cost of a Bad Hire Candidate Driven Market

Understanding the problem

We work in committed partnerships, applying logical and well-planned searches, executed to the highest standard, and considering every factor of recruitment.

Personal Brand

Does your organisation lack a personal brand? Do you struggle to attract candidates over competitors?

Challenging Location

Is the role based in a challenging location? Does the local talent pool lack the skills you're searching for?

Trends & Benchmarking

Are you up to date with market trends and salary benchmarking? Is something missing?

Progression

Are you offering the right progression opportunties? Is the candidate able to progress and develop?

Time Constraints

Do you have time constraints on making a placement? Did you need the candidate yesterday?

Job Criteria

Is the job criteria unrealistic? Is the person you're looking to hire simply non-existent?

Irving Knight Culture & Values

Specialisms We Cover