Associate Business Partner, Life Sciences and Healthcare

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About the Role

This position supports our Directors and Partners across the full search lifecycle, from intake to offer, while contributing meaningfully to the continued growth of our Life Sciences and Healthcare practice. As we deepen our presence in these sectors, we are enhancing both our strategic intelligence – market insight, ecosystem mapping, and innovation trend analysis – and our execution capacity across complex, research-driven mandates.

The ABP will serve as a trusted partner throughout the search process, from developing tailored search strategies to executing comprehensive market research and talent mapping. You will participate in client engagements, lead sourcing initiatives, and contribute to mandates that demand scientific credibility, strong market acumen, and consistently high execution standards. Success in this role requires intellectual rigor, analytical depth, sound business judgment, and the ability to operate with precision in credibility-sensitive environments, along with demonstrated curiosity and comfort engaging with scientific, technical, and commercial contexts.

The ideal candidate is a research-driven search strategist who thrives on uncovering hard-to-find talent and delivering insight-led outcomes. You are motivated by quality, depth, and long-term impact – bringing a high-execution mindset rather than a volume-driven approach – within a collaborative, high-performance environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Directors and Partners to develop tailored search strategies aligned to each mandate
• Conduct in-depth market research and talent mapping to build robust longlists of qualified and diverse candidates
• Support business development by researching potential clients, market trends, and competitive landscapes
• Attend and support client pitch meetings and intake calls; participate in candidate briefings and update meetings
• Conduct custom research and prepare tailored client reports – such as compensation benchmarking, industry landscape analyses, organizational charts, and competitor mappings
• Support the development and completion of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), ensuring accuracy, professionalism, and alignment with client expectations
• Collaborate with team members to craft client-ready materials and presentations that reflect deep market insight and positioning
• Manage communications with both clients and candidates to ensure a seamless and professional experience
• Contribute to candidate outreach, including initial engagement and ongoing follow-up
• Uphold best practices in candidate care and client engagement, with a focus on integrity, confidentiality, and trust
• Continuously build subject matter expertise through research and ongoing learning
• Identify and suggest improvements to internal tools, processes, and workflows that enhance efficiency and quality across the business

Ideal Candidate

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Master of Science (MSc) in Biology, Chemistry, or another scientific discipline providing a strong foundation relevant to translating breakthrough science into drug development, medical devices, diagnostics, or related scientific and clinical modalities
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience post-academics, ideally within industry or services environments, including research-driven, scientific, consulting, analytical, or advisory roles
• Demonstrated expertise in proactive candidate sourcing and market mapping (beyond applicant screening)
• Strong intellectual rigor with the ability to analyze complex information and synthesize insights clearly and effectively
• Strong sense of urgency with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset
• Exceptional organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities with precision and efficiency
• Self-motivated with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Professional presence and sound judgment in all interactions
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

How to Apply

For consideration, please apply via the “apply now” button.

About Pender & Howe

Pender & Howe is a 16-person, independent executive search firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. We are proud to exclusively represent Kestria, the world’s largest retained executive search alliance, across Canada and the United States. We are a digitally driven firm focused primarily on leadership recruitment from the Senior Management level through to the C-Suite; however, we prioritize executive search as a disciplined process rather than defining our work solely by level.

For more information, visit penderhowe.com

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