recruitment agency and headhunters for qualified persons
your next qualified person, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, permanent or interim.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
they hire their regulatory profiles with muzzo
how do you hire a qualified person with a recruitment agency?
The qualified person is accountable for the quality and batch release of a pharmaceutical establishment. Muzzo entrusts your search, permanent or interim, to the headhunters who hire the most for this mandate at manufacturers, contract manufacturers, operators and wholesale distributors. Fee of 5 to 30%, paid on hire. Departure within 3 months: search relaunched at no cost.
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
With the form above: the type of establishment, the mandate, permanent or interim. The rest is scoped in the first exchange with the Muzzo team.
02
our data picks the headhunters
The AI selects those who have hired the most qualified persons, among more than 2,500 vetted headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by healthcare industry expert headhunters. You choose who you see.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If the new hire leaves within 3 months, we relaunch the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your hire
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed costs. A permanent mandate at a large manufacturer and a few months' interim at a contract manufacturer do not call for the same search. The fee follows this difficulty, and the Muzzo team helps you set it.
You have a double guarantee. If the new hire leaves within 3 months, for instance because the real scope of sites differs from the brief, we relaunch the search at no cost. With no replacement found within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fee. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
healthcare regulatory headhunters are ready to start
a hire signed in under 26 days, paid only on hire.
the issue
a qualified person puts their signature on the line, not just their CV
a personal mandate, not a role like any other
They answer to the health authority for what the company manufactures or distributes. A sector headhunter knows who already carries this kind of responsibility.
the role stays vacant, pharmaceutical activity stops
Without a qualified person in post or interim, a pharmaceutical establishment can no longer manufacture or distribute. The headhunter shortens the vacancy, interim included.
a hiring mistake exposes the company, not just the role
A profile who has never genuinely handled batch release puts the operating licence at risk. The headhunter checks the batches and inspections actually followed before presenting anyone to you.
the roles
the qualified person mandates our headhunters will find for you
From manufacturer to wholesale distributor, every search starts with a headhunter who already knows this type of establishment.
permanent qualified person
They carry the mandate continuously for the company, before the health authority. The most demanding role in the profession.
interim qualified person
They cover a vacancy during a recruitment process, without interrupting the company's pharmaceutical activity.
deputy qualified person
They support the qualified person on a site, an activity or in their absence, depending on the establishment's organisation.
interim deputy qualified person
They provide this cover until the permanent role is filled.
qualified person at a contract manufacturer
They are accountable for the quality of production carried out on behalf of a third party, a common model in pharmaceutical subcontracting.
qualified person at an operator or wholesale distributor
They commit the company on the marketing or distribution of the medicine, without being the manufacturer.
the method
a headhunter who knows the mandate, not a generalist agency
The qualified person commits the company. The method therefore starts from the type of establishment to cover.
we define the mandate to cover
Permanent or interim, manufacturer, contract manufacturer, operator or distributor: the brief starts from the type of establishment, not just from the job title.
a headhunter who hires qualified persons
Among more than 2,500 vetted headhunters, your role goes to those who hire the most for this mandate.
batches and inspections checked before the interview
The headhunter asks the profile to describe batches genuinely released and inspections followed, then cross-checks this experience with references.
the numbers
the qualified person in numbers
4,032
pharmacists registered in section B (industry) of the Ordre national des pharmaciens, 5.4% of all pharmacists in France, down 1.1% year on year1
17.5%
growth over 10 years in the headcount of section B (industry), the youngest section of the Ordre national des pharmaciens, with an average age of 421
65k€
median salary of pharmacy and medical biology executives in the pharmaceutical industry (80% between €42k and €112k)2
56k€
median salary of pharmacy and medical biology executives with line management responsibility (80% between €35k and €82k), against €47k without management duties2
hiring a qualified person: what you need to know
The qualified person personally commits their signature to the quality and batch release of a pharmaceutical establishment. The best profiles are already in post, following sites and inspections, and do not reply to job ads.
A sector headhunter knows how to approach them and ask the right questions: what type of establishment, what scope of sites, what organisation alongside a deputy qualified person. The mandate commits the company, so recruitment cannot be left to chance.
A permanent role sits within the long term and carries the mandate continuously. An interim qualified person covers a vacancy, for instance between a departure and a hire, without interrupting the company's pharmaceutical activity.
Interim requires a faster start and a profile already autonomous on this mandate. Specify the expected duration and level of urgency in the brief: it changes the profile to look for.
The French public health code (art. L5124-2 and R5124-34 et seq.) requires a qualified person at pharmaceutical establishments: manufacturers, contract manufacturers, operators and wholesale distributors of medicines. This page covers the mandate itself; for an overview of the sector, see our pharma page.
According to the Ordre national des pharmaciens, 4,032 pharmacists were registered in section B (industry) as of 1 January 2025, 5.4% of all pharmacists in France. It is the section whose headcount is growing fastest, up 17.5% over 10 years.
The qualified person is accountable for the quality and batch release of a pharmaceutical establishment, a personal and demanding mandate. The regulatory affairs profile builds and files the dossiers that authorise a medicine, a medical device or a cosmetic.
The two functions work together but are hired differently: for marketing authorisation and CE marking files, see our regulatory affairs page.
The qualification and registration with the Ordre are a prerequisite, not an assessment. The interview should show something else: the ability to defend a batch release decision, or to handle a deviation found during an inspection.
Ask for a real example: a blocked batch, the cause found, the decision taken. Our headhunters do this first screening before presenting anyone to you, and verify with references the sites and inspections actually followed.
your questions on hiring a qualified person
According to Apec, pharmacy and medical biology executives earn a median gross salary of €65k a year in the pharmaceutical industry, against €47k in commerce (2025 edition). With line management responsibility, the median rises to €56k, against €47k without management duties.
According to the Ordre national des pharmaciens, 4,032 pharmacists were registered in section B (industry) as of 1 January 2025, 5.4% of the total. It is the youngest section of the Ordre, with an average age of 42, and its headcount has grown 17.5% over 10 years.
The qualified person alone carries the mandate before the health authority. The deputy qualified person supports them, on a site, an activity or in their absence, depending on the organisation the company chooses. The same candidate can hold either role depending on the position.
Yes, it's common while a permanent role is being filled, without interrupting the company's pharmaceutical activity. Our headhunters hire for both types of mandate and advise you based on the real urgency of your situation.
by Antoine Gigomas, CEO and co-founder of Muzzo ·
