Business Details
24 Years
experience
Your Trusted Partner for Life Science Recruitment Solutions
Barrington James stands as a global leader in life science recruitment, dedicated to connecting innovative companies with niche talent critical to advancing medical care. With over 23 years of expertise, we specialise in sourcing rare professionals across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device sectors, leveraging proactive headhunting and industry networking. Our strategic approach combines deep therapeutic knowledge with personalised talent roadmaps, ensuring clients achieve growth through precise staffing solutions. Operating across 10+ global offices, we support clients in 60+ industry conferences annually, maintaining a vast network of passive candidates. Our services span permanent recruitment, contract staffing, and executive search, tailored to meet the unique demands of life science organisations.Backed by a proprietary database of 20,000+ candidates and partnerships with 400+ clients, we deliver placements that enhance productivity and reduce hiring costs. Our commitment to diversity and cutting-edge technology ensures clients access top-tier talent aligned with their cultural and technical requirements. Recognised for our EMEI shareholder scheme and strategic acquisitions like S3 Science, we continue to expand our global footprint. Client testimonials highlight our ability to fill complex roles under tight deadlines, with a 98% satisfaction rate across clinical, commercial, and R&D functions. Through continuous innovation and a client-centric ethos, we remain the trusted partner for life science talent acquisition worldwide.
Services
Staffing Solutions
Permanent Recruitment
Contract Staffing
Executive Search
Talent Mapping
Clinical Operations
Regulatory Affairs
Medical Affairs
AI Recruitment
Board Appointments
Details
- Year established: 2002
Highlights and features
- We have 23 years of dedicated life science recruitment expertise
- Our global network spans 10+ offices and 60+ industry conferences annually
- We specialise in sourcing niche and rare talent others cannot find
- We offer tailored talent roadmaps aligned with business objectives
- Our proactive headhunting secures 20,000+ candidate placements globally
What people say
Exceptional candidate quality
Deep industry knowledge
Proactive communication
Timely delivery
Strategic approach
Services
Permanent Recruitment
We deliver permanent staffing solutions tailored to life science companies' long-term needs. Our consultants specialise in placing professionals across R&D, clinical operations, and commercial functions. With a 95% retention rate, our candidates align with both technical requirements and organisational culture. Our process combines targeted outreach with rigorous vetting to ensure lasting placements.
Contract Staffing
Flexible resourcing solutions for time-sensitive projects in pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. We provide experienced professionals for clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and market access initiatives. Our candidates typically fill roles lasting 6-24 months, with 80% converting to permanent positions post-contract. Rapid deployment within 2 weeks ensures project continuity.
Executive Search
Specialist recruitment for C-suite and board-level roles in life sciences. Our retained search process targets proven leaders in gene therapy, medical devices, and digital health. 70% of our executive placements involve global relocations, supported by comprehensive onboarding. Clients include 40% of top 50 pharmaceutical companies.
Talent Mapping
Strategic workforce intelligence to anticipate future hiring needs in emerging therapeutic areas. We create detailed talent landscapes identifying key professionals in AI drug discovery and cell therapy. Our data-driven approach reduces time-to-hire by 40% through proactive candidate engagement.
Clinical Operations
Specialist recruitment for clinical trial teams across phases I-IV. We place professionals in study management, site monitoring, and data management roles. 60% of our clinical hires have experience with FDA/EMA submissions. Our candidates support trials in oncology, rare diseases, and CNS disorders.
People
Dan Barrington
CEO & Founder
Established Barrington James in 2002 with a vision to transform life science recruitment. Under his leadership, the company expanded to 10+ global offices and acquired S3 Science in 2024. He pioneered the EMEI shareholder scheme to reward team contributions.
Jonathan Jenkins
COO
Joined in 2009 to drive international expansion, establishing offices in Singapore and New York. He oversees global operations and strategic partnerships, ensuring consistent service delivery across all regions.
Alicia Chacksfield
Senior Recruitment Consultant
Specialises in interim clinical safety placements, consistently delivering candidates with rare regulatory expertise. Recognised for her 98% client satisfaction rate in fast-paced biotech environments.
Richard Stevenson
AI Team Director
Leads AI recruitment initiatives, expanding team capacity for clients by 300% within 18 months. Expert in sourcing engineers for machine learning applications in drug discovery.
Suzie Bangle
Senior Team Manager
Award-winning recruiter in medical device commercial roles, building first-time teams for 5 startup companies. Achieved 100% retention rate for orthopedic device client placements.
Questions
What life science sectors do you specialise in?
We focus on pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, CRO, and digital health sectors with sub-specialisms in gene therapy and AI drug discovery.
How do you source niche candidates?
Through proactive headhunting at 60+ annual conferences, proprietary databases, and referrals from our existing network of 20,000+ professionals.
Can you support global hiring needs?
Yes, with 10+ offices across three continents and experience managing multi-jurisdictional hires including visa sponsorship and relocation.
What is your placement success rate?
We maintain a 95% success rate with 80% of contract roles converting to permanent positions and 70% of executives staying beyond 2 years.
How quickly can you fill urgent roles?
Our rapid deployment process delivers qualified candidates within 2 weeks for 85% of urgent positions through pre-vetted talent pools.
Do you offer post-placement support?
Yes, we provide 90-day onboarding support and regular check-ins to ensure successful integration and long-term retention.
Reviews (7)
Atul Shendrikar
Sep 07, 2021
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A total fraud of a recruitment firm. If you ask 100 CRAs what they thought of this fraud you would the same exact reply by all 100 of them.
Jasmine Smith
Aug 10, 2020
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I started working at Barrington James 1 year ago, I initially joined the Contracts Academy Team to develop my recruitment skills, particularly within Business Development. I previously worked as an internal recruiter elsewhere and was dubious about Recruitment Agencies, however, Barrington James has changed my view entirely. Since starting, I have seen my sales skills go from strength to strength and I am still continuing to develop these skills.
I now work within a team of skilled recruiters and am currently above my yearly target. I know that I can put this down to the training I have received, the morning energisers and the support of everyone at Barrington James - including C-Level employees. Not only is Barrington James a great place to work regarding career development but it also has incredible incentives which I am always proud to tell others about! By no means is it an easy job, however if you are ambitious, driven and enjoy being part of a great office culture then I would recommend Barrington James 100%.
I now work within a team of skilled recruiters and am currently above my yearly target. I know that I can put this down to the training I have received, the morning energisers and the support of everyone at Barrington James - including C-Level employees. Not only is Barrington James a great place to work regarding career development but it also has incredible incentives which I am always proud to tell others about! By no means is it an easy job, however if you are ambitious, driven and enjoy being part of a great office culture then I would recommend Barrington James 100%.
Katy Rossiter
Mar 20, 2020
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Had a very bizarre experience with this company. Received a call this morning and the caller didn't explain what they wanted very well; it took me a while to realise it was a recruiter. She then didn't explain what the role was she wanted to discuss despite my asking a few times, I was then promised an email with the details and a follow up call. Email comes in addressed to Grace which I thought maybe had just been sent to the wrong person but apparently it WAS for me, she just got my name wrong which isn't very professional.
I mentioned this expert to a few friends who also had either weird or not very positive past experiences, so I checked out Glassdoor and was appalled by some of the comments about the culture here and also some.of the responses effectively washing their hands of responsibility. Have cancelled my follow up call and will not touch this company with a barge pole for anything in future; they come across unprofessional, unorganized and unethical!
I mentioned this expert to a few friends who also had either weird or not very positive past experiences, so I checked out Glassdoor and was appalled by some of the comments about the culture here and also some.of the responses effectively washing their hands of responsibility. Have cancelled my follow up call and will not touch this company with a barge pole for anything in future; they come across unprofessional, unorganized and unethical!
Andy Bowley
Apr 29, 2019
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Driven company that sometimes focus more on profits than principles, Most of the positive comments here are written by current company employees not customers
Claire Stapley
Jun 13, 2018
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I've worked as an Internal Recruiter at BJ for 10 months now, and I can honestly say I haven't worked at a better company. You are given huge opportunities very early on in your career, things that you would have to wait years for at another business. The managers, directors, CEO + COO are very invested in staff and I've never felt like a number here or that my ideas would be ignored. Huge shout out to Dean and Josh for their management and support in my rec career so far. Couldn't have done it without you guys.
Lauren Tait
Jun 09, 2018
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Great company to both work for, and to work with. Consultants are professional, highly knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, and only provide the best service.
Lucy Cova
Oct 21, 2017
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I worked for Barrington James as an Internal Recruiter for my placement year from university. I could not have asked for a better experience! I learnt and developed multiple new skills whilst working within a fantastic team. I hope to return to the company once I have completed my final year of my Business degree. I would recommend this company to any ambitious graduates who want to work for a global company. Major shout out to Dean Govier (an Associate Director) for his constant help and support!
