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Ferring Pharmaceuticals: Scaling Talent Acquisition Across Switzerland and Germany

  • Writer: Serendi
    Serendi
  • 1 day ago
  • 3 min read

Quick Summary


Objective: Build and run a dedicated Talent Acquisition function across two countries to support a major production expansion and new product rollout.


Strategy: Deploy an End-to-End RPO setup with embedded on-site recruiters in Saint-Prex and Kiel, operating under Ferring's brand, with centralized governance, ATS integration, and a white-glove hiring manager experience.


Results: 753 hires delivered across Switzerland and Germany, with a cost-per-hire 65% below the German benchmark and 81% below Switzerland, 94% offer acceptance rate, and 5.2/6 hiring manager satisfaction.



The Context


Ferring Pharmaceuticals was in the middle of a major expansion. A new fertility treatment had just received EU approval and was rolling out across dozens of markets. A €40 million production building was under construction at the Kiel manufacturing site, expanding reproductive medicine capacity. Hiring volumes were climbing across Switzerland and Germany simultaneously.


Ferring needed a dedicated TA infrastructure that could match the pace:

  • Centralized governance from HQ

  • Structured coordination and scheduling

  • ATS integration and measurable performance metrics

  • A hiring manager experience built around the internal complexity of a global pharma organization

  • They partnered with Serendi to build and run it



How the Engagement Was Structured


Serendi deployed an End-to-End RPO setup across both locations. On-site recruiters embedded at the Swiss HQ in Saint-Prex and at the Kiel production site, operating under Ferring's brand, using Ferring's EVP, indistinguishable from an internal team.


The model was built around a white-glove hiring manager experience. Given the number of stakeholders involved in hiring decisions across functions and geographies, the setup included:


  • Dedicated coordination for every role

  • Role-specific interview questionnaires developed per position

  • A single point of accountability for scheduling

  • Parallel ATS management across Avature and Workday, including candidate entry points, data flows, and consent documentation

  • The resourcing model scaled with Ferring's volume. During the construction ramp-up, the team expanded. During a cost freeze triggered by a product recall, it contracted.



Scope: Two Sites, Two Very Different Role Lists


Kiel scope:


• Sterile production and visual inspection operators

• QC and QA specialists at every seniority level

• Qualification engineers, supply chain, and laboratory functions

• Several roles tied directly to the new facility coming online



Saint-Prex scope:


• Global IT, regulatory affairs, bioprocessing, legal, and finance

• Manufacturing technology and senior leadership roles

• Coordination across Saint-Prex, Copenhagen, Paris, and other locations



Results


753 hires delivered across Switzerland and Germany.


Metric

Result

Hiring Manager Satisfaction

5.2 / 6

Offer acceptance rate

94%

Average time to first candidate shortlist

9 workdays

Cost-per-hire vs. benchmark (Germany)

65% lower

Cost-per-hire vs. benchmark (Switzerland)

81% lower


The 9-workday average to first shortlist meant hiring managers had qualified candidates on the table fast. The 107% SLA score means roles closed ahead of the 55-workday target across the full volume. In a manufacturing environment mid-expansion, where a vacant production role has a direct operational cost, speed mattered.


Pharma hiring at the specialist and leadership level is competitive. Qualified Persons, Associate Directors, and senior QA managers are niche talent, and routinely hold multiple offers at the same time. A 94% offer acceptance rate across that kind of role list comes down to two things: sourcing the right candidates and moving fast enough not to lose them.


Cost-per-hire came in 65% below the German benchmark and 81% below Switzerland. The structured RPO model replaced fragmented hiring costs with a consistent, scalable fee that decreased in effective cost as volume increased.


Ferring Building

Katarina Todorovic, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner: "I am proud of the value our team brought as their RPO services provider. As Recruitment Coordinator (my previous position), I helped keep the process running smoothly by scheduling interviews, maintaining constant communication with hiring managers and candidates, and preparing clear documentation and evaluation templates to ensure everything was organized and easy to follow. I was glad to help both the team and candidates have the best experience possible.”



Ready to build a recruitment function that scales?



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