Hire biotech leaders who can set direction and stay close to the work. Surf Search recruits scientific, technical and business leaders for biotech employers, including growing teams where a senior hire must operate without a large support structure.
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We start with the decisions the leader will own, the stage of the business and the team they will inherit or build. We then look for relevant experience across company sizes and ask how much of that work the candidate personally led. The aim is a search brief that reflects the job your business needs now.
Agree on the responsibilities, essential experience and hiring priorities.
Define the role and the reasons a candidate would move.
Map relevant teams and approach candidates directly.
Support interviews, references and the offer through to the hire.
A biotech start-up needed rare oncology skills plus large- and small-company experience. Our Bay Area network produced three shortlisted candidates, a placement and further searches with the client.
Read the San Francisco case studyAnnual salary figures from our 2026 guide. Choose a city to see the roles covered for this function.
Boston · 2026 guide
Published annual salary figures; individual offers depend on the role, experience and compensation package. These titles represent different responsibilities and levels.
| City | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $126,000 | $242,000 | $410,000 |
| Austin | $132,000 | $255,000 | $432,000 |
| Baltimore | $135,000 | $261,000 | $442,000 |
| Boston | $185,000 | $358,000 | $605,000 |
| Cambridge | $185,000 | $358,000 | $605,000 |
| Chicago | $136,000 | $263,000 | $444,000 |
| Cincinnati | $113,000 | $218,000 | $369,000 |
| Columbus | $116,000 | $225,000 | $381,000 |
| Dallas | $129,000 | $250,000 | $423,000 |
| Denver | $145,000 | $280,000 | $473,000 |
| Fargo | $125,000 | $242,000 | $409,000 |
| Fort Worth | $123,000 | $236,000 | $400,000 |
| Houston | $114,000 | $222,000 | $374,000 |
| Indianapolis | $120,000 | $231,000 | $391,000 |
| Irvine | $170,000 | $329,000 | $555,000 |
| Jacksonville | $121,000 | $234,000 | $395,000 |
| Los Angeles | $175,000 | $337,000 | $570,000 |
| Miami | $139,000 | $269,000 | $457,000 |
| Milwaukee | $122,000 | $235,000 | $397,000 |
| Minneapolis | $137,000 | $265,000 | $448,000 |
| New Haven | $145,000 | $280,000 | $474,000 |
| New York | $214,000 | $414,000 | $700,000 |
| Orlando | $126,000 | $243,000 | $412,000 |
| Philadelphia | $138,000 | $267,000 | $452,000 |
| Pittsburgh | $118,000 | $227,000 | $384,000 |
| Raleigh | $130,000 | $253,000 | $426,000 |
| Rochester | $134,000 | $259,000 | $438,000 |
| Salt Lake City | $130,000 | $251,000 | $424,000 |
| San Antonio | $111,000 | $215,000 | $364,000 |
| San Diego | $182,000 | $352,000 | $595,000 |
| San Francisco | $226,000 | $436,000 | $737,000 |
| San Jose | $215,000 | $416,000 | $703,000 |
| Seattle | $165,000 | $319,000 | $540,000 |
| Syracuse | $125,000 | $241,000 | $408,000 |
What to know before starting a search.
We recruit scientific, technical and commercial leadership roles, including CSOs, department heads, directors and VP-level hires. We define the search around the business stage and the responsibilities the leader will own.
We discuss both strategic and hands-on requirements at intake. Experience in a large organization may be relevant, but we also look at whether the candidate has worked with the resources and pace of a smaller team.
We map relevant organizations, use our candidate and client relationships, and approach people directly. Conversations focus on the assignment and the reasons it may be worth a move.
The linked case involved a Principal Scientist, rather than a C-suite hire. It shows our approach to rare scientific experience and large- and small-company fit; it does not represent an executive placement.
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