New Year, New Career: Landing a Top Life Sciences Job in 2026

One of the most important things to understand about 2025 is that it wasn’t a pause or a downturn. It was a clarification year.

Across pharma, biotech, and medtech in the Netherlands, companies continued hiring, but with sharper intent. Roles were approved later, scoped more narrowly, and tied closely to delivery: regulatory timelines, clinical execution, manufacturing readiness, and data integrity. What changed wasn’t opportunity, it was the expectation.

For candidates with two to four years of experience, this shift was particularly noticeable. Many roles sat in the space between “junior” and “senior”, where companies wanted people who could contribute independently, but still grow.

Those who progressed smoothly tended to have one thing in common: they were clear about what they already brought to the table, not just what they hoped to learn next.

Early in the year, priorities are already set. Budgets are live. Delivery plans are active. When roles open, they tend to exist for a reason, not just in case, but because something needs to move.

For candidates, this creates a subtle but important dynamic. Companies aren’t looking for exploration; they’re looking for alignment. That doesn’t mean you need to have everything figured out. But it does mean that how you position yourself matters more than when you apply.

Job searches who enter January prepared, with a clear narrative, focused CV, and realistic sense of fit often experience faster, calmer processes than those who wait until later in the year to “see what’s out there”.

A useful way to think about future demand is to look at what companies struggled to hire for in 2025. Across life sciences, roles linked to execution rather than expansion remained consistently difficult to fill. This included:

• Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
• Validation, CQV, and manufacturing-facing engineering
• Clinical operations, trial support, and data management
• Systems-heavy roles involving LIMS, eQMS, automation, or data platforms

These aren’t always the most visible roles, but they are foundational. Projects slow down without them. Risk increases without them. That’s why they continue to exist even in more selective markets.

If your experience already touches regulated environments, documentation, audits, systems, or cross-functional delivery, you’re closer to these opportunities than you might realise. And if you don't, this can be a good area to develop your skills.

By the time professionals reach their second or third role, hiring decisions are less about raw potential and more about trust. In the past year, the hiring managers we worked with consistently responded well to candidates who could:

• Explain what they owned, not just what they supported
• Describe decisions they’d contributed to, even small ones
• Show awareness of risk, quality, or stakeholder impact
• Articulate why a role made sense as their next step

Interestingly, many capable candidates struggled not because they lacked experience, but because they hadn’t yet translated it into a clear story. In 2026, that translation becomes even more important.

Preparing for a job move isn’t about making everything perfect. It’s about making it intentional.

Before applying, it’s worth pausing to reflect on a few questions:

• What kind of problems do I already know how to solve?
• In which environments do I work best and worst?
• What would make my next role a progression, not just a change?

From there, preparation becomes more practical:

• A CV that highlights regulated exposure, delivery moments, and ownership
• A LinkedIn profile that clearly signals your role focus
• A shortlist of companies and roles that genuinely fit your trajectory
• Early conversations with recruiters who understand your space

This approach often feels slower at first, but it leads to stronger outcomes.

For many professionals at this stage, contract roles still feel like a risk. In reality, by 2025, it became clear that contracts, fixed-term roles, and project-based hiring are often used to support critical work, not to sideline it.

For some candidates, these roles offer:

• Exposure to complex programmes
• Faster responsibility
• Clearer signals of value

For others, permanence and continuity matter more. There’s no universal right answer to what's the best step for your career, but understanding why a role is structured the way it is helps you make a grounded decision, rather than an emotional one.

If there’s one thing worth carrying into 2026, it’s this:

You don’t need to rush, but you do need to be deliberate.

The professionals who move well into their next role aren’t the loudest or most reactive by using AI to apply to loads of open positions. They’re the ones who make sure they understand where they add value, and choose environments that recognise it.

If you’re considering a move in 2026, reviewing active roles can be a useful way to sense what the market is actually asking for. Our job board features current opportunities across pharma, biotech, and medtech across EU.

View our open life sciences roles here → https://www.panda-int.com/jobs/