Navigating Remote and Hybrid Roles in Life Sciences: What Candidates Need to Know

Remote and hybrid work has moved from a global experiment during the pandemic to an expectation, reshaping how life sciences professionals build their careers across the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium. What began as a crisis response has become a cultural reset. Whether you’re a regulatory affairs specialist, a data scientist, or a clinical project lead, flexibility is now a defining feature of how the industry operates.

For candidates, this means greater freedom to shape your work around life as well as more competition from professionals doing the same across borders. For employers, it means adapting to attract and retain talent who value autonomy as much as salary.

Data from the last two years confirms that hybrid work is cemented as the new normal in life sciences. Rather than a full retreat back to the old ways, the life sciences industry in these countries is settling into a balanced middle ground. Historically centred around labs, clinics, and manufacturing sites, this represents a significant transformation. Scientists and technicians may still need to be at the bench or on the production floor regularly, but roles in regulatory affairs, clinical research, data science, and others have proven they can thrive remotely. The result is that flexible work has permeated even this traditionally hands-on sector, and it’s here to stay.

• In the Netherlands, more than half of workers (52%) work from home at least part of the week , the highest rate in the EU (CBS).
  
  
• In Switzerland, around 39% of employees now work from home either usually or occasionally (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).
  
  
• In Belgium, one in three employees (33.9%) teleworked at least once a week in 2023 , double pre-pandemic levels (Statbel).
  

Life sciences isn’t the first industry people associate with remote work, but the transformation has been surprisingly deep. Digital lab platforms, virtual clinical-trial monitoring, and cloud-based data systems mean that roles once tied to a physical site can now operate across countries. A regulatory consultant in Rotterdam might manage submissions for a medtech trial in Leuven, while a data scientist in Ghent supports a clinical program run from Zurich.

For employers, hybrid models are about more than flexibility; they’re about access to talent. As Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan put it, “hybrid should mean access to new talent pools” (UNLEASH). And companies are acting on that:

• Novartis (Switzerland): The Swiss pharma leader rolled out its “Choice with Responsibility” policy early, empowering staff to decide how, where, and when to work. By 2023, Novartis reports providing “a flexible, hybrid work environment that allows employees to balance their professional and personal responsibilities. The company explicitly frames hybrid work as a means to enhance wellbeing and collaboration, while recognising that not all roles are the same. Clear guidance is given for which activities suit home (e.g. data analysis or writing) and which require site presence (e.g. lab experiments or manufacturing)

• Johnson & Johnson (Belgium/Netherlands): J&J, which has large R&D and manufacturing operations in Belgium (e.g. Janssen Pharmaceutica) and the Netherlands, has adopted a global hybrid work model as part of its employee well-being strategy. The company explicitly links flexible work to emotional health, stating that “we nurture employees’ emotional well-being with a flexible hybrid work model” alongside other care initiatives.

• UCB (Belgium): Belgian biopharma company UCB has built hybrid work into its operating DNA, instituting a 60/40 hybrid schedule (with employees expected in-office around 40% of the time). Leadership even reconfigured office space planning around this new reality: “Our offices have been designed for variable and lower occupancy, estimated at around 70% of staff,” notes Laurent Simonart of UCB, since many employees now “only come in for teamwork.”

Even smaller biotech and medtech firms are following suit, hiring distributed teams in bioinformatics, data science, and regulatory functions. For many, it’s the only way to compete for rare expertise in a tight market.

For life sciences professionals, this shift creates exciting new opportunities along with new expectations. On the opportunity side, geography is becoming less of a barrier in one’s career. Skilled candidates can live where they prefer and still work for a top lab or pharmaceutical company, whether that’s a Belgian vaccine pioneer or a Dutch medical device firm. A pharmacovigilance specialist in Zürich might now join a Brussels-based team without uprooting her family; a Dutch bioinformatician could consult for a Swiss biotech remotely. This expanded access is especially meaningful in a sector where very specific expertise (e.g. an oncology regulatory affairs expert, a rare disease gene therapy researcher) might be hard to find locally.

And professionals are voting with their feet. Surveys show that flexibility ranks among the top three priorities for life sciences talent, alongside purpose and career development (PwC Workforce Hopes & Fears 2024). For many, when and where they work matters as much as what they do.

That’s why hybrid readiness has become a skill in itself. Employers now look for candidates who can:

• Work independently and stay accountable without daily supervision.

• Communicate clearly and confidently across digital platforms.

• Collaborate across time zones and cultures while maintaining trust and alignment.

• Manage boundaries and wellbeing, ensuring performance without burnout.

If you can show that you thrive in hybrid environments, not just tolerate them, you’ll stand out. Share examples in interviews: how you ran virtual meetings, delivered a complex project remotely, or maintained team cohesion from another country.

Hybrid success is a two-way street. Candidates want autonomy; companies want reliability and visibility. The best workplaces strike that balance intentionally, not by accident.

Forward-thinking life sciences companies design flexibility by role, not by trend. They clarify which activities belong on site (lab experiments, manufacturing oversight) and which can flourish remotely (data analysis, regulatory writing, coding).

As a candidate, ask these questions during your process:

• “How often are team members expected in person?”

• “What tools and routines do you use to stay connected remotely?”

• “How do managers support work–life balance in hybrid setups?”
  
  

Good employers will have structured answers, not vague statements about “flexibility.” If they don’t, that’s your signal to probe further.

For hiring managers, flexibility has become a recruitment differentiator. Belgian HR experts note that “without remote working, an employer risks becoming unattractive” in competitive talent markets (Le Soir). In other words, if it’s not part of the offer, candidates will simply go elsewhere.

Landing a remote or hybrid role is just the beginning. The key to long-term growth lies in visibility, learning, and connection:

• Stay visible: Send short updates to your team, share milestones, and make your work easy to find.

• Keep learning: Digital collaboration and project management are now core life sciences skills , invest in mastering them.

• Expand your network: Attend virtual conferences and join online professional communities across the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium.

• Seek mentors: Even virtual mentorship can accelerate your growth and help you navigate hybrid dynamics.

When flexibility is used well, it’s not just about comfort; it’s about unlocking potential.

This new world of work holds tremendous promise for candidates seeking fulfilling careers on their own terms, and for employers seeking engaged, dynamic teams poised to discover the next big breakthrough. The journey is ongoing, but one thing is clear: flexibility has transformed from an experiment into a competitive advantage in the life sciences, and there’s no going back. It’s a change that’s empowering people and companies alike, and that’s a formula for success that everyone can celebrate.

Looking for your next remote or hybrid opportunity in life sciences?
Panda International partners with leading biotech, medtech, and pharmaceutical companies across the region. Speak to our team today to explore flexible roles that align with your ambitions.