The Life Sciences roles employers will struggle to fill in 2027

Martin Anderson, Founder Director at Carrot Life Sciences explores what will shape Life Sciences recruitment in 2027 in this three-part series.

In Part 1 of this series, I looked at the wider UK and US life sciences hiring market: a recovery that is real but selective, with employers prioritising experienced, cross-functional specialists. In Part 2, I dig deeper into the functions we recruit in every day, and how the picture is changing for each of them heading into 2027.

Hiring in Regulatory Affairs
Frameworks are locked in and hiring is following

I believe that Regulatory Affairs is where the clearest recovery story sits. In the UK, regulatory vacancies fell sharply through 2025, with London hit hardest as global cost-cutting reached UK headquarters first. Early 2026 data points to a turnaround, with regulatory vacancies in the first two months of the year up 6.9% on the same period in 2025. (Cpl UK Regulatory Affairs Industry Analytics Report) The reasons are practical. The MHRA backlog has been easing, the new UK clinical trials regulations took effect in April 2026, and several major pharma companies have recommitted investment to the UK.

Employers can no longer defer hires now that the rules and timelines are known.

Hiring remains tightest for:

• CMC regulatory specialists
• Clinical trial regulatory professionals who understand the new UK framework
• Labelling, lifecycle management and post-approval specialists
• Strategists with early development experience and US submission exposure

In the US, the picture is shaped by an FDA that is operating with fewer people. FDA data shows CDER headcount fell again in the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, from 4,951 to 4,888, and sponsors are responding by investing in regulatory leaders who can get submissions right first time. New initiatives such as national priority vouchers and the planned PreCheck framework to support onshoring of manufacturing are adding further demand for regulatory CMC and quality expertise. Competition remains highest on the East and West coasts, though secondary hubs are growing quickly.

Across both markets, hybrid working is the norm, while fully remote positions remain less common within regulatory teams. This can provide greater geographical flexibility when sourcing candidates, allowing hiring teams to consider talent from a wider range of locations.

What we are seeing with clients

This resilience in regulatory hiring is reflected in our client work. GBUK, a long-standing medical devices client, has worked with us since 2018, and we have placed more than 30 candidates in critical roles across regulatory affairs and quality. Sustained, repeat hiring of this kind suggests that regulatory and quality expertise remains a priority for employers, even as the wider market has been selective.

Hiring in Helathcare Communications
AI fluency becomes a hiring requirement, not a differentiator

Healthcare communications remains one of the more resilient areas of life sciences recruitment, and the conversation has shifted from whether AI will change the discipline to how well candidates use it.

What we expect to see through 2027 is a clear split. Scientific writing, publication planning and scientific accuracy remain fundamental, but the roles that command a premium increasingly require:

• Demonstrable experience of AI-assisted content workflows, with strong quality control
• Strategic thinking around omnichannel and patient-centred engagement
• The ability to interface confidently with medical affairs, market access and commercial teams
• Client-facing maturity, as agencies look to protect margin by leaning on senior talent

In the US, scientific directors, client services leads and writers with niche therapeutic area expertise (oncology, rare disease, immunology and increasingly obesity and metabolic health) remain the most sought-after profiles. In the UK, agencies are cautiously optimistic, with growth likely to be steadier than spectacular.

What we are seeing with clients

In healthcare communications, our recent work includes a Senior Content Producer for P\S\L Group’s new division in Canada, a Public Relations Lead for SomX Health, and a Creative Director for RFA Advertising. These roles show agencies and providers continuing to invest in senior communications talent, even as expectations of the role evolve.

For employers, the distinction is increasingly between strong scientific execution and the ability to guide complex medical communications programmes. Experienced professionals who can shape publication strategy, manage stakeholder expectations and maintain scientific quality across channels are especially valuable, particularly where agency teams need both therapeutic expertise and confident client leadership.

Hiring in Pharma Market Research
From analytics to advice

The shift I described last year has accelerated. As AI-driven data platforms automate more of the analytical heavy lifting, demand is moving decisively towards professionals who can turn insight into commercial strategy.

Companies increasingly need:

• Consultants who can apply human interpretation to automated outputs
• Specialists who understand payer behaviour and competitive intelligence in a world of shifting pricing models
• Researchers who can integrate qualitative, quantitative and real-world data

In 2027, the biggest hiring gap will remain candidates who are comfortable with advanced analytics tools without being data scientists, and who can tell a compelling story to senior stakeholders.

That creates a particular opportunity for healthcare insights professionals who can move beyond reporting results to explaining what they mean for brand strategy, patient engagement and market access. Employers benefit from researchers who can challenge assumptions, combine different evidence sources and present a clear recommendation to senior pharmaceutical stakeholders.

What we’re seeing with clients

Our work with insights and analytics teams shows the same move towards advice rather than reporting. Signify Research partnered with us to support a new Research Operations function, Purdie Pascoe approached us on an exclusive basis for a Senior Research Executive in London, and Teoxane’s specialist commercial analytics appointment was completed in just 22 days. Each of these illustrates employers investing in people who can turn data into commercial insight, and moving quickly when they find the right profile.

Market Access, RWE & HEOR
A reformed UK, and a pricing puzzle that crosses the Atlantic

The UK–US pharmaceutical agreement announced in December 2025, with full details published in April 2026, includes the first increase to NICE’s baseline cost-effectiveness threshold in more than two decades, from £20,000–£30,000 to £25,000–£35,000 per QALY. It also caps VPAG repayments at 15% for 2026 to 2028, commits the government to raise spending on new medicines from 0.3% to 0.6% of GDP over the next decade, and secures zero tariffs on UK pharmaceutical exports to the US for at least three years.

For recruitment, the consequence is a sharper need for:

• HTA specialists who can build submissions for a more favourable, but still demanding, NICE environment
• Pricing & reimbursement strategists who understand how a UK price now feeds into global and U.S reference pricing
• Global value dossier (GVD) and payer evidence experts
• Launch sequencing and global access leads

There is a genuine tension here that makes these roles harder to fill. US “Most Favoured Nation” pricing means companies must think carefully about where, when and at what price they launch, and UK pricing decisions now carry global implications. Candidates who can navigate that trade-off are rare, and the UK talent pool has long been short of people with direct payer engagement experience.

In the US, we are seeing demand remaining sharp for individuals who can navigate MFN pressure, the Inflation Reduction Act, CMS pricing changes and complex formulary negotiations. Hiring needs are highest for:

• HEOR specialists
• Access strategists with real-world evidence backgrounds
• Field access professionals

What we’re seeing with clients

The demand described above is already visible in our own briefs. Adelphi Values partnered with us to fill two Senior Value Consultant roles in London and Manchester amid rapid growth, Broadstreet HEOR sought HEOR specialists who could deliver immediate value, and Wickenstones appointed three strategically important leadership hires in market access, HEOR and RWE. The transatlantic pull is just as clear. KJT Group, for example, looked to appoint a Senior Vice President to support its US expansion in real-world evidence, which is consistent with the senior US hiring momentum we expect to continue into 2027.

Into 2027, I expect the US to keep outpacing the UK in senior market access hiring, while the UK closes the gap in HTA and pricing roles as the new framework beds in.

US Executive Leadership Team Build at AOP Health  

Senior Vice President at KJT Group

Two critical Senior Value Consultant positions at Adelphi Values

Associate Director at Broadstreet HEOR

All Case Studies

Coming next in Part 3: My advice for hiring managers heading into 2027.

Carrot Life Sciences partners with life sciences organisations across the UK and US on permanent and contract hiring, salary benchmarking, advisory support and market insight. Our founders come directly from careers in Pharma, Biotech, MedTech and Consultancy, which keeps us closely attuned to the shifts shaping how organisations attract and retain talent.

Looking for your next role in Life Sciences? 

Martin Anderson

Founding Director