Jessica McDaniel
Talent Advisor
- Based in
- Tampa, Florida
- At FloodGate since
- 2022
- Years in MedTech
- 20
I love connecting people with opportunities that can change their careers while helping companies grow. It keeps me close to healthcare and lets me play a small part in advancing the people and innovations that improve patient care.
I think a long-standing client would call me kind, smart and genuinely invested in their success. I am persistent, I enjoy the hunt, and I do not give up easily when I know the right person is out there.
“Jessica helped me find my dream job. When I first took the call, I could tell she was looking for the right match and not just a resume to pass along. She was straightforward with the information she gave and knew the company culture and mission well enough to pique my interest. She made sure the process moved at my pace. When the day came and I was offered the job, she was the first to congratulate me. I have sent several of my former colleagues her info so they too can find their dream jobs.”
“The partnership Jessica and I have been able to create is pretty special and appreciated. She understands what I am looking for, she adapts and adjusts based on what I need for each market, and she does a great job filtering candidates to only put high potential people in front of me.”
The path here
Coverage. Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South and West Coast.
My career began as a speech-language pathologist, where I spent more than a decade in healthcare and educational settings and built a foundation in communication, assessment, relationship building and problem solving. I later moved into leadership and business roles, first helping expand an educational services company in the Tampa market, then coordinating programs and volunteer recruitment for a nonprofit. In 2022 I joined FloodGate Medical and moved into MedTech recruiting, where the clinical background and relationship-focused approach translated naturally. Today I manage full-cycle recruiting for medical technology companies across the country, partner with sales, marketing and operations leaders on talent strategy, develop client relationships and new business, and provide market intelligence to clients and candidates.
Arguing for a second interview, and being right
One of the experiences I am proudest of involved a candidate I was supporting for a sales role in urology who had been exceptional throughout the interview process. Nerves got the better of her in the final interview with senior leadership, and she did not represent herself or her capabilities as well as I knew she could. Because I had got to know both the candidate and the organization so well, I felt strongly that one difficult interview should not define her candidacy. I worked with the hiring team to understand their concerns, shared what I had consistently seen from her, and advocated for a second opportunity. At the same time I worked with the candidate to rebuild her confidence, address what had gone wrong and prepare her to speak about her experience more authentically. Senior leadership agreed to see her again, and she delivered.
Jessica’s corner of MedTech.
- Why the best candidate is not always the best interviewer
- Hiring for attitude, and what a resume cannot tell you
- Recruiting as a partnership rather than a transaction
- From speech-language pathologist to talent advisor: the transferable skills I did not expect
Trained, and certified for it.
- Degree
Bachelor of Arts
University of Maryland, College Park
- Degree
Master of Science
University of South Florida
- Trained
PRECISE Selling
- Trained
Hiring for Attitude
What most people get wrong
The belief
There is an endless pool of candidates who check every box and want the role.
The reality
People are not widgets. The best candidate may not meet every criterion, so successful hiring means knowing where you can be flexible. Great hires often come from candidates who lacked one specific requirement but had the right attitude, transferable skills and ability to learn.
The questions that come up every week
Put any of these to Jessica directly and you'll get a straight answer.
How can I break into MedTech?
How can I attract top talent?
What should I be paid, or paying my team?
Clients who come back
- A regenerative medicine company focused on biologic solutions for interventional pain management has used me for six searches.
- A large regenerative medicine company with a national commercial organization used me to scale their marketing, clinical and sales teams over three years.
- An orthopedic device company focused on minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical technologies used me for three searches in one year.
Away from work
Fitness and family play a big role. A certified Pilates instructor with three children who has also been a foster parent, experiences that taught her a lot about patience, resilience and meeting people where they are.
Last reviewed by Jessica McDaniel on .
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