Carrot Recruitment
Carrot Recruitment is a UK-based specialist life sciences recruitment consultancy founded in 2006, placing contract and permanent talent across pharma, biotech, medtech, and consulting sectors in the UK, Europe, and North America. Since May 2023 it has operated as a subsidiary of Compass Recruitment Solutions Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Carrot Recruitment does
Carrot Recruitment is a privately held specialist recruitment consultancy founded in 2006 by Martin and Debbie Anderson, former pharma, biotech, medtech, and consulting professionals, focused exclusively on the life sciences sector. The company provides contract and permanent placement services spanning the full pharmaceutical product lifecycle across twelve expertise verticals: R&D/Scientific, Clinical Research and Biometrics, Drug Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Procurement, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, Medical Affairs, Market Access/HEOR/RWE, Market Research and Business Intelligence, Medical Communications and Education, Advertising and PR, Sales and Marketing, and HR/Admin and Finance. Its service is free to candidates and fee-based to employer clients, with 65% of 2024 assignments delivered under sole-supplier or partnership arrangements and a claimed 100% success rate in that mode.
The company operates from offices in London, Portsmouth (within the parent group's Compass House headquarters), Manchester, and Raleigh, North Carolina, serving clients across 11 countries in the UK, Europe, and North America. Carrot reports having placed more than 10,000 candidates, supported over 4,000 individuals into new roles, partnered with 1,200+ organizations, and worked with over half of the top 50 global pharma/biotech firms, alongside named enterprise relationships with Merck, Astellas, Reckitt, Chugai, Ipsos, Pharmacosmos, and CellCentric. The platform comprises a candidate job-search portal, a CV submission service, and a client vacancy registration workflow, supported by content marketing including industry guides and case studies.
Carrot has been a subsidiary of Compass Recruitment Solutions Group since May 2023. CRS is a multi-award-winning, independently owned specialist recruitment consultancy operating in the health, care, education, and life sciences markets; under CRS, Carrot has retained its specialist life sciences brand identity, won the 2026 HealthInvestor Awards Recruiter of the Year recognition, and continued to invest in transatlantic capability. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company employs between 11 and 50 staff under a sales-led go-to-market model with consultants operating within their own domain expertise areas.
Carrot Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carrot Recruitment
- Legal name
- Carrot Recruitment
- Website
- https://carrotrecruitment.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Carrot Recruitment is a UK-based specialist life sciences recruitment consultancy founded in 2006, placing contract and permanent talent across pharma, biotech, medtech, and consulting sectors in the UK, Europe, and North America. Since May 2023 it has operated as a subsidiary of Compass Recruitment Solutions Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carrot Recruitment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Clinical Trial Supply, Logistics & Vendor Management FSP (HLAGAOAH)
Keywords
Where Carrot Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Carrot Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Recruitment Fee (Client-side): Carrot Recruitment receives fees from clients (employers) to source and place candidates. The service is free for candidates. The company fills both permanent and contract/interim positions across the pharma, biotech, and medtech sectors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Free service for job candidates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Carrot Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carrot Recruitment is a specialist life sciences recruitment consultancy that sources and places permanent and contract candidates for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and consultancy organizations. Services span the full product lifecycle across twelve expertise areas, from R&D and Clinical Research through Manufacturing, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Market Access, and Commercial functions. The company charges client fees for placements and offers its service free of charge to candidates, supported by a job search platform, CV submission, and vacancy registration portal.
Product overview
Carrot Recruitment operates as a unified recruitment platform offering contract and permanent placement solutions exclusively for the life sciences industry. The core offering consists of a job search portal integrated with CV submission capabilities for candidates, alongside vacancy registration services for employers. The company specializes across twelve distinct expertise verticals spanning the product lifecycle: R&D/Scientific, Clinical Research & Biometrics, Pharmaceutical Drug Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Procurement, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance, Medical Affairs, Market Access/HEOR/RWE, Market Research & Business Intelligence, Medical Communications & Education, Advertising & PR, Sales & Marketing, and HR/Admin & Finance. The platform connects pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and consultancy organizations with qualified talent across North America, UK and Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Permanent & Contract Recruitment Services A range of contract and permanent recruitment solutions spanning the full product lifecycle from concept to commercial, serving pharma, biotech, medtech and consultancy sectors across North America, UK and Europe.
- Job Search Platform Online portal enabling candidates to browse and apply for pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech positions across various expertise areas including R&D, Clinical Research, Market Access, and Medical Affairs.
- CV Submission Service Service allowing candidates to submit their CVs for consideration across contract and permanent roles in the life sciences industry, with free service to candidates.
- Vacancy Registration Service Client-facing service enabling employers to register job vacancies and engage Carrot's specialist recruitment consultants for hiring talent in pharma, biotech and medtech sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% success rate when working in sole supplier/partnership mode
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Carrot Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Carrot Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Carrot Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Carrot Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CK Group: CK Group is a UK-based life sciences recruitment consultancy covering scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial roles. Comparable as a specialist, UK-headquartered pharma/biotech recruiter operating across contract and permanent placement.
- Vivid Resourcing: Vivid Resourcing is a specialist recruitment consultancy covering life sciences, technology, and engineering across Europe and the US. Directly comparable in permanent/contract pharma recruitment model and multi-region delivery.
- Adaptive Life Sciences: Adaptive Life Sciences is a specialist life sciences recruitment firm focused on pharma, biotech, and medtech across Europe. Directly comparable in vertical specialisation and permanent/contract placement mix for enterprise clients.
- Skills Alliance: Skills Alliance is a specialist life sciences recruitment firm focused on pharma, biotech, and medical device companies across Europe and the US. Comparable in niche specialisation, direct-hire/contract mix, and senior-level search capability.
- Proclinical: Proclinical is a specialist life sciences recruitment firm focused on pharma, biotech, and medical device hiring across permanent, contract, and FSP models. Directly comparable to Carrot in target customer (enterprise pharma/biotech), vertical specialisation, and global delivery model.
- Barrington James: Barrington James is a global specialist recruitment company operating across pharma, biotech, medical devices, and CRO sectors. Directly comparable to Carrot in niche vertical focus, multi-region delivery, and target customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Real Staffing: Real Staffing is the life sciences arm of SThree plc, providing permanent and contract staffing to pharma, biotech, and CRO clients globally. Comparable as a life sciences recruitment specialist but with the scale, capital base, and broader portfolio of a publicly listed parent.
- Huxley: Huxley is a global recruitment firm (SThree group brand) covering banking, finance, and life sciences verticals. Overlaps with Carrot in life sciences and pharma recruitment but operates across adjacent verticals with a much larger recruiter base.
- Michael Page Life Sciences: Michael Page is a global recruitment group (PageGroup) with a dedicated life sciences practice covering pharma, biotech, and medical devices. Comparable in serving pharma/biotech clients but with a much broader industry footprint and larger recruiter base than Carrot.
Emerging players
- Hyper Recruitment Solutions: Hyper Recruitment Solutions is a UK-based specialist pharma, biotech, and CRO recruitment firm. Comparable niche vertical and contract/permanent mix, though smaller scale and earlier-stage geographic reach than Carrot.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carrot Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceCarrot Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carrot Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Carrot Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carrot Recruitment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carrot Recruitment
What does Carrot Recruitment do?
Carrot Recruitment is a specialist life sciences recruitment consultancy that sources and places permanent and contract candidates for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and consultancy organizations. Services span the full product lifecycle across twelve expertise areas, from R&D and Clinical Research through Manufacturing, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Market Access, and Commercial functions. The company charges client fees for placements and offers its service free of charge to candidates, supported by a job search platform, CV submission, and vacancy registration portal.
Is Carrot Recruitment a public or private company?
Carrot Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Carrot Recruitment founded?
Carrot Recruitment was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carrot Recruitment based?
Carrot Recruitment is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Carrot Recruitment make money?
One revenue line is on record: recruitment Fee (Client-side).
Who are Carrot Recruitment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CK Group, Vivid Resourcing, Adaptive Life Sciences, Skills Alliance, Proclinical and Barrington James. Broad incumbents are Real Staffing, Huxley and Michael Page Life Sciences. Hyper Recruitment Solutions is listed as an emerging player.
Does Carrot Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carrot Recruitment.
What industry is Carrot Recruitment in?
Carrot Recruitment's product category is Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAD, Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire, with a secondary code of HLAGAOAH, Clinical Trial Supply, Logistics & Vendor Management FSP. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.