How to Get a Job in Biotech: A Career Guide for Scientists and Industry Entrants

Even the most knowledgeable and prepared biotech candidates can feel overwhelmed when trying to find a job in the industry, especially when deciding which organizations they want to work for and tailoring their skills accordingly. But most experts say success often starts with relationships, like those forged through networking, internships, mentoring, and conference connections. These relationships can offer advice, encouragement, referrals, and warm introductions that can help build your confidence and help you stand out among the pool of candidates.

“Start networking very young and build what I call a personal board of directors,” said Sheila Guirathi, MD, a biotech entrepreneur, author of The Mirror Effect, and former Co-founder and CEO of Gossamer Bio. “So, if you're really excited about going into biotech, go to biotech conferences and network regionally and locally with biotech organizations, and get to know people. Look for mentors and sponsors and opportunities to do internships. Working with well-known academic professors who have ties to industry is also very helpful.”

From there, you need to find the right experiences. You should be building a firm understanding of the industry, getting relevant experience, and learning market trends and what it takes for biotech companies to be successful. Also, become familiar with advances in the industry like AI drug discovery, gene therapies, and precision medicine and how those things are changing the scope of biotech. Building this type of knowledge base shows potential employers that you not only understand science but that you also have a grasp of strategy, positioning, and emerging trends.

To help you get started with this process, Cure has put together a guide designed to help you find a job in biotech. You’ll learn how to build relevant experience and find roles that fit both your skill set and your goals. You’ll also discover what hiring managers look for and what common pitfalls to avoid. With the right preparation and insight, a career in biotech is not only attainable but can also be highly rewarding.

What the Biotech Job Market Looks Like and What to Expect

Shaped by funding availability, regulatory cycles, and scientific breakthroughs, the biotech job market operates differently than other industries. Instead of a steady flow of job opportunities for postdoctoral researchers and experts transitioning from adjacent industries, the biotech job market is heavily influenced by what is happening in research, the capital available within the ecosystem, and the products in clinical trials or under regulatory review.

Plus, the type of organization you’re pursuing also plays a role in shaping the job market. Early-stage companies and startups may be looking for a candidate with specific scientific experience as well as business and marketing acumen, while more established pharmaceutical companies may look for specialized skill sets that fit into process-driven roles.

The key is knowing which environment you are best suited for and pursuing opportunities that fit within your plan, said Julie MacDonald, VP at Westwood & Wilshire, an executive search partner for venture capital and private equity firms focused on life sciences, medicine, and technology.

“In a startup, you're coming in…and you are going to be expected to hit the ground running with the technical proficiencies that you acquired through your lab, or maybe some internships, and the big difference is the speed in which you have to adapt to biotech,” said MacDonald. “Where I see younger or early-career scientists struggle is that ability to jump in and keep up at the pace in which biotech works because every day is different. The speed in which data is generated is very quick. Decisions are made very fast, and the positions aren't as siloed.”

However, if you go into a larger-stage company or big pharma, MacDonald said these organizations already have processes developed and you have a lot of internal support.

“You're generally going to be hired into a very specific role that has a team to support you, a manager to mentor you, and it's going to look very different. It's often easier, I think, for people to start in big pharma first than it is to jump directly into biotech, just because there are higher expectations in terms of what's going to be needed when you come in.”

The flip side is that getting into biotech early can give you broad experience and build knowledge across many areas, she said.

“You're going to have the opportunity to wear more hats and get more exposure to different functions and areas of drug discovery.”

What Are the Primary Job Functions in Biotech?

Working in biotech is about more than just doing lab research or engaging in science. Instead, it’s an industry where scientific discoveries, regulatory oversight, and commercial strategy all intersect. From early-stage companies to preclinical organizations, people in biotech have to understand the science as well as clinical operations, quality assurance, regulatory expectations, market strategy, and more. Each aspect plays a critical part in moving a product from concept to market.

Understanding how these primary job functions fit together and where your skills align within that ecosystem is the first step toward building a focused and strategic biotech career path, said Guirathi.

“Biotech is really the industry where we're trying to bring novel technologies and ultimately medicine to patients. So, it tends to be more innovative and cutting-edge because we need to get financed by investors.”

People in biotech also need to stay at the forefront of scientific understanding, she said. They should regularly ask: “How do we improve upon the existing therapies to address areas of high unmet medical need using all available technologies and tools to meet that need?”

Biotech companies are looking for strong researchers who know how to do translational research, Guirathi said. They also want strong drug developers to run early clinical trials as well as people with commercial backgrounds who can help guide researchers and scientists to make sure they have the right target product profile and the right trial design.

“Depending on how early stage a company is, or even if it has a preclinical asset, you're going to have more opportunities for those cross-functional roles,” added MacDonald. “You're not going to see a lot of entry-level jobs at those stages, because with smaller companies these roles are often senior leadership and very hands-on. The more junior roles that you're going to find in these early-stage biotech companies are really those earlier-stage scientists working across drug discovery.”

How to Break Into the Biotech Job Market

If you want to break into the biotech job market, you’re going to need more than a strong science background. In addition to relevant experience and an understanding of the business of biotech, you also need to understand strategic positioning, learn how to translate technical knowledge into real-world impact, and have experience being a team player who is willing to collaborate with others. Many times, these skills can be gained through internships, contract roles, and hands-on laboratory experience.

“If you’re a PhD, try to do a postdoc in a lab that has developed something that industry is interested in, whether it's a technology, a target, or anywhere along the line,” said Michael Cane, Managing Director at Westwood & Wilshire. “There are a lot of great professors out there who run labs, and those labs tend to produce scientists. So go to the alumni section for the lab and see where people are. If those people are going into industry, that's probably a pretty good lab for you.”

“If you’re not a PhD, internships are great, especially in pharma, to get in there and see how these companies work. Pharma companies are always hiring interns.”

Also, big pharma spends millions of dollars trying to recruit people every year, Cane added. At almost every large conference, companies send human resources representatives alongside their scientists.

“So don't sleep on conferences. Companies usually have booths and they love to hear from people who are interested in working in the industry.”

Meanwhile, MacDonald suggested building relationships with principal investigators (PIs) too. They are sometimes willing to help people grow in their careers or mentor those who are passionate about the science they’re working on.

“It is so important for everybody to utilize networking. Ask those PIs who they know in industry and who they can open the door for, because those warm introductions mean everything.”

What Hiring Managers Really Look For

When it comes to hiring someone, biotech hiring managers are looking at far more than academic credentials. Their goal is to find someone who can function effectively in a regulated, fast-paced, and highly collaborative environment.

“As someone who has founded multiple companies and run multiple biotech startups, what I look for when I'm hiring is someone who has relevant experience,” Guirathi said.

“In general, we are pretty small teams. We tend to be very fiscally disciplined and operate in really small, experienced teams. We can sometimes take a chance on someone, but from my experience we're looking for people who have kind of been there, done that, to join the team, just because we have to hit the ground running. We're usually building the plane while we're flying it.”

Consequently, hiring managers might want to see if you have helped file an IND or have experience with that process, she added. They also want to see your technical skills and what specific programs you have been involved in.

“But beyond the technical aspects, are you a good communicator? Can you be a great team player? Are you collaborative? Because everything we do in biotech is done in teams. It's not like an individual sport. It's really a lot of team-based program management and pride in projects.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Biotech is competitive and fast-moving, but that doesn’t mean you should rush through the job search process. Making decisions too quickly could result in taking a job that isn’t a good fit or that keeps you stalled. For this reason, it’s important to avoid some of the most common pitfalls while searching for a job in biotech.

Guirathi said one of the biggest mistakes candidates make is joining a company that doesn’t have the right resources or enough funding.

“So, you're kind of spinning your wheels and maybe not able to do the work you need to do. Or they may have a runway, but it's just not enough for them to be able to get to that next financing round. It’s still a valuable experience if it's your first role, but it may not be the best use of your time.”

She also said it’s a mistake to work for people who don’t have good values or don’t treat their employees well.

“These people have real cultures of fear, and this can definitely be an issue for women and other underrepresented groups. If they go into that kind of toxic culture, it’s not only not a good use of their time, but it could be damaging for their sense of self-worth.”

Guirathi suggested taking on a role where people are happy and where the environment feels psychologically safe.

“You want to be thriving, especially when you're starting out because you won't necessarily have that confidence, which is understandable. You want to know there’s a place where you can speak up, ask questions, and learn as much as possible.”

Cane offered a simpler rule of thumb.

“Do it for the love of science, not for the financial play. Yes, it could be a big win 10 to 20 years from now, but you should love science. Also, don't put too much emphasis on the title. Titles are different from company to company. Go for the responsibility. If they want to call you an associate but you're getting more experience in the job than a manager title, go for the experience.”