Client Overview

Alvotech is a global biopharmaceutical company specialising in biologics and biosimilars. In Reykjavik, Iceland, the company established a state-of-the-art biologics production facility, featuring advanced Fill & Finish technology, automation, intelligent planning systems, and 26,000 square meters of GMP-compliant manufacturing and laboratory space.

The fully vertically integrated facility operates under FDA and EMA standards, supports multiproduct flexibility, and includes aseptic lines for vials and prefilled syringes. Situated in a patent-free zone, the Reykjavik site positions Alvotech for rapid global market entry, enabling accelerated innovation, scalable production, and leadership in the biosimilars sector.

The Challenge

As Alvotech prepared to launch this advanced facility, the company faced the urgent task of building a world-class technical workforce under tight timelines. They needed to attract senior-level experts across manufacturing, engineering, quality, regulatory, and R&D functions from leading biologics and pharmaceutical organisations worldwide.

The challenge was twofold: sourcing highly specialised talent willing to relocate to Iceland, and doing so quickly enough to meet ambitious production and innovation goals. Alvotech required a recruitment partner capable of navigating a competitive global talent market, handling relocation logistics, and ensuring candidates were aligned with the company’s high standards, operational goals, and growth vision.

Our Approach

As the lead talent partner, Impel Talent was engaged to deliver a large-scale, multi-discipline hiring project under tight timelines and at an optimal cost-to-hire ratio.

To achieve this, we:

• Built a specialist delivery team dedicated exclusively to Alvotech’s hiring needs — ensuring rapid, coordinated delivery across multiple disciplines.

• Mapped global talent pools across Europe, the US, Canada, South America, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, and Singapore — unlocking access to the best biotech expertise worldwide.

• Targeted top biologics manufacturing facilities worldwide, focusing on senior and expert-level biotechnologists for Drug Substance manufacturing and Senior/Expert Aseptic Technologists for Drug Product.

• Delivered end-to-end employer branding support, including custom relocation guides and marketing collateral to showcase both the facility and the lifestyle benefits of living in Iceland.

• Executed LinkedIn marketing campaigns, job slot allocation, and access to global job boards — reaching both passive and active talent at scale.

The Impact

Over a 12-month period, Impel Talent partnered with Alvotech to deliver a large-scale, multi-discipline hiring program, successfully securing 50+ key hires across critical business areas. Key placements included:

• Senior & Expert Biotechnologists – Drug Substance Manufacturing

• Senior & Expert Aseptic Technologists – Drug Product

• R&D Senior Scientist

• Regulatory Affairs Manager

• MSAT Scientist

• Master Production Planner

By combining global talent mapping, targeted sourcing, and specialised candidate engagement, we outperformed all other recruitment channels, delivering the highest volume of successful placements at a highly competitive cost-to-hire.

Relocation support and tailored employer branding initiatives were critical in attracting top-tier talent from around the world, ensuring that new hires were not only highly skilled but also able to integrate seamlessly into Alvotech’s Reykjavik operations.

Project Highlights

• 📍 50+ key hires in 12 months

• 🌍 Talent sourced from 8 global regions

• 🎯 Specialised delivery team dedicated to Alvotech project

• 💡 Highest volume of successful placements vs all other suppliers

Our Expertise in Action

This project showcased Impel Talent’s ability to deliver complex, high-volume international recruitment campaigns for cutting-edge life sciences companies. Our strengths include:

• Global Talent Mapping & Sourcing: Identifying niche skill sets across multiple continents, including Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

• Employer Branding for Hard-to-Reach Geographies: Crafting relocation guides and marketing collateral to make Iceland an attractive destination for top-tier talent.

• Specialised Delivery Teams: Dedicated teams aligned exclusively to client needs, ensuring speed, consistency, and quality throughout the hiring process.

• Cross-Border Recruitment & Relocation Support: Managing international hiring logistics to guarantee seamless integration of new hires.

Through this approach, Alvotech was able to rapidly build a world-class senior technical team, capable of operating one of the most advanced biologics manufacturing facilities in the world and driving innovation in the biosimilars sector.