Endovascular robotics company at commercial launch · Peripheral Vascular and Endovascular
Hiring the first sales leader for a robotics launch
A company bringing an endovascular robotics platform to market needed someone to build the commercial side from nothing: no reps, no infrastructure, no market adoption to inherit. The hire came out of a Talent Director's own network and was in post within five weeks.
- 35
- days to accepted offer
- 49
- candidates in the pipeline
- 4
- reached interview
The role was created to establish sales infrastructure and lead a commercial launch, which meant the person hired would arrive to no team, no commercial process and no installed base. Candidates who can do that are a narrow group: they need leadership experience in disposable or disruptive endovascular technology, and the temperament to build rather than to run something already built.
Non-negotiables
- 5+ years of leadership in disposable or disruptive endovascular technology, with neurovascular or coronary experience also valued
- A track record in early-stage or high-growth MedTech, building and scaling sales teams from the ground up
- Based in the Eastern or Central time zone
- 01
The network did what sourcing could not
The candidate came directly out of the Talent Director's own network rather than through standard channels, because the Director already knew the skill set the role needed, knew who had it, and knew that this person was open to a move.
- 02
Moved at the speed the situation allowed
Introduced the same day, met in person the next. When a launch is waiting on a hire, the cost of a slow process is paid in market share, not in recruiting hours.
- 03
A pipeline built anyway
Forty-nine candidates were worked in parallel, so the quick introduction was tested against the market rather than taken as the only option.
49 candidates in the pipeline
48 sourced directly, one inbound application.
4 advanced to interview
Screened down to the candidates who had genuinely built from zero before.
35 days from sourcing to hire
For a first commercial leadership hire with no infrastructure in place.
Promoted to VP of U.S. Sales
The person placed went on to lead sales nationally, which is the real measure of whether the hire was right.
The client came back
The company returned to FloodGate for a related search afterward.
The cost of a bad talent decision is almost always greater than the cost of the hire itself.
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