Hiring for Good is a podcast exploring the transformative power of leadership and what happens when the right person takes the job. Thank you for tuning in to this episode with Hiring For Good with Leigh Schiffmacher, Director of Operations at CAI.
About CAI: CAI is a professional services firm dedicated to accelerating operational readiness and excellence in critical environments. With a team of experts in engineering, quality, and operations, CAI delivers complex projects on time and within budget by combining top-tier talent with the latest technology. The firm is committed to continuous improvement, building meaningful partnerships, and maintaining the highest industry standards. Through this approach, CAI is helping to lead the industry and shape the future of high-performance operations.
Leigh Schiffmacher’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-schiffmacher-07bb25153/
CAI Website: https://caiready.com/
Hiring For Good Website: https://www.hiringforgood.net/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hiring-for-good-podcast/id1725208602
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/288s2urueV7xjlsFoYW8QN
Acumen Executive Search Website: https://www.acumenexecutivesearch.com/
Tanis Morris: Director of Business Development at Acumen Executive Search Email: ta***@***********************ch.com LinkedIn
Suzanne Hanifin: President at Acumen Executive Search Email: su*****@***********************ch.com LinkedIn
Hiring for Good Transcript
Hello and welcome to Hiring for Good podcast. I am Tanis Morris with Acumen Executive Search and with me as usual is my amazing co-host Suzanne Hanifin.
Good morning Tanis.
Good morning. Suzanne is the founder and president of Acumen Executive Search, which sponsors the Hiring for Good podcast.
Today we are very excited to have with us Leigh Schiffmacher, who’s the director of operations in the Northwest for CI, a large professional services organization in the bioscience industry. Lee brings with her over a decade of experience in validation, compliance, and operational leadership. She earned her master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2013.
Prior to her graduate studies, Lee spent five years as a research assistant at Charles River Laboratories in Nevada. In 2014, she relocated to Portland, Oregon, where she joined CI as a validation engineer. In 2018, Lee’s exceptional leadership skills set her apart, and she was elevated to the position of client manager for Janentech in Hillsboro. Lee continued to expand her impact within CI, becoming the Portland area manager in 2020. In 2024, she assumed her current role as the director of operations for the entire Northwest, where she focuses on strategic growth, client engagement, and operational excellence across the region.
Lee, it’s an honor to have you here today. Thank you for coming to Hiring for Good.
Thank you for having me.
Yeah, we are really excited. And I know we’ve kind of discussed a little bit about some of the topics we’ll be covering, so let’s just jump into it.
That was a pretty nice synopsis of your professional journey, but do you want to give us just a little bit more kind of meat on the bone and tell us where you started out and where you are now—if there’s anything really important or relevant to your journey that I didn’t touch on or that you’d like to delve into at a deeper level?
Yeah. So after I graduated college, I did work for Charles River in research. I was telling Suzanne that if you had told me right out of college in my early 20s that I would be managing people, I would have laughed in your face. I was hardcore—I want to do research, I want to stay in the lab. I loved that hands-on, in-the-lab, lab coat, goggles—the whole nine yards.
And I kind of—my career just—I took lots of leaps, and I was given a lot of opportunities and ended up here, and I feel very, very, very fortunate.
So when you talk about opportunities that were presented to you, it’s kind of scary when you have options that are outside of what your initial vision for yourself was. What opportunities were extended to you, and what process did you go through to decide to take a chance?
Absolutely. So I got very lucky in that I was laid off from a research company here in the Portland area, and I had a friend that worked for CI. My background kind of adjacently fit the need, but they were hiring in Portland. And he came to me and said, “Hey, we have this need. You kind of adjacently fit it. Let’s give this a shot.”
So I felt like I really needed to step up because he was taking a chance on me. I would say I put in a lot of extra effort because I knew he was taking a chance on me—and that ended up paying off. But that was an opportunity that was very scary because it was something that I had never done before.
What was the role?
It was at Genentech, doing qualification and validation.
Okay.
And I had done the research side of pharma, but never the manufacturing side.
Okay. And here you are. Again, we talked about this even before the recording—this journey that we go on. From saying, “This is my career path, I’m going to be in a lab,” to where you are today, a lot of changes and leaps of managing. And today, I think you’re managing 40, 50 people?
Let’s kind of break down some of these formative learnings of going from really that employee to manager to now, as Tanis put it, that strategic leader. What did you learn, and what would you have done differently?
I honestly can’t pinpoint something I would have done differently, because then I may have not ended up here. But I did learn so much. I would say that one thing is—you have to lean on your team. And I have been so incredibly blessed with the people that I have been able to work with. In my opinion, a team will make or break your success. And like I just said, I have been so blessed with the team. The people that report to me now are incredible.
I have a direct group that I work with every single day, and I would be absolutely lost without them.
So when you go through this process—and I’m going to ask you to get a little bit more specific about formative experience—but you started out kind of stepping into a bigger role or a different, a tangential role to what you’d done before and you knew you needed to level up. At that time you were managing a relationship with a client, and that was a new skill to develop, right? At what point did you move into managing people, and what support were you given or how did you kind of learn to develop those skills?
So something that was said to me by my manager—because when I was asked to take on the client manager role, I was like, “Oh crap, that’s sales.” Because there’s a huge sales component to it, and I was like, “I am not good at sales.” Like, “Oh god.”
But something that he said to me that just really, really resonated was: it’s not sales—it’s relationship building. And in that relationship building, you’re able to kind of plant those seeds and say, “Okay, when the client is thinking, oh we have this need—oh, you know what? CI can fill that need.” And so by creating those relationships, you’re also planting those seeds and you’re continuing to allow the client to think about you.
And so now that I have those established relationships, I don’t have to do a lot of work. And even though—as I’ve moved into this director role, I’m still working on filling that—kind of backfilling—that client manager role. And I’ve kind of set myself up for success because I don’t have to do a lot of business building there. The client is coming to me and saying, “We have this need, and we know that you can fill it.” And that’s all because of the relationships that I’ve created.
But to come back to your question—part of that client manager role inherently was managing the people that were on the client site, and that was just part of the role. So it was just kind of what had to happen, and I just kind of liked it.
Okay, so that was my next question. A lot of times—you know, you said it yourself—if anyone had told you you’d be managing people, you would have been like, “There’s no way.” So it sounds like you were able to kind of parlay your skill set into success with sales or business development through just the understanding that it’s just building strong relationships, which is totally true—and we absolutely believe that and know that to be true as well.
So you’re like, yep, it’s just relationship building. How did you then—you liked managing people—but that’s still a little different than… I guess you’re managing people working at the facility, for your—you know, they have objectives and you’re making sure that those are done. But, did you do any personal work or did you seek outside sources to help you kind of develop your skill set as a leader or as a manager?
Yeah, absolutely. So I was really lucky in that I had a really great mentor—and still have a great mentor. I think you know who that is. And so he was very influential, and I was able to really lean on him. And I’ve kind of followed in his footsteps. He was a client manager, I was a client manager, and I kind of resonated with how he managed.
And it’s not micromanage-y. It’s very like—Suzanne and I were talking about this—it’s establishing trust. And I resonated with that, and I aspired to create that kind of for myself as well.
So in this client manager role, and then in the area manager, it’s just kind of building on the skills that you already have.
Even with that, I think whether you’re a manager, leader, what have you—you have these inherent values that you show up and bring to the table. What are some of those key values that you bring to the table as a manager? And does that align with who you hire?
Yeah, that’s a good segue. So my key values are trust and integrity. And absolutely—one of the ways CI works in our hiring process is the interviews: we do a technical interview to make sure you even have the skills to join the team, and then we move on to a behavioral.
In this role—so in my previous roles, I would have done a technical interview—and in this role I’m able to focus more on the behavioral, which is good for me because I’m a people person. I prefer to have those more easy-flowing conversations.
But one thing that I always will ask the interviewee is: “Tell me about a time where your integrity was tested.” Because in the pharmaceutical industry, patient safety is paramount. We always have to be considerate of patient safety, especially when we get to the manufacturing side—which is where CI does the majority of our work.
Especially in the Portland area—which is where I’m local to—my region spans a lot of the West Coast, but in the Portland area we do a lot on the manufacturing side. And so, if there’s something that makes it to the production, that could absolutely affect the patient safety—because the next step is into the patient.
Wow.
So you want to make sure that the person’s integrity is spot-on. We also do a lot of remote work, so you need to make sure That—like, we’re not having people who are fudging time cards or doing anything like that. So integrity is absolutely paramount in hiring.
Absolutely. And again, that’s a—so maybe you can share with us a specific example of a great hire and a not-so-great hire, and what made that not-so-great hire not so great, and what did you learn from that?
Yes. So a not-so-great hire—we had a young man who was very smart, absolutely very smart. He was a computer system validation engineer, which… lots of fancy words for computer system validation. And he was working down in the Bend area, supporting a client down there, and he was fudging his time cards.
And the reason I found out was because he took a meeting from the ski slopes.
Oh my gosh.
Like, we’re going to take meetings from the ski slopes? But it was one of those moments where you’re just like—at that point, you’ve just given up. I mean, there were a number of other things that were major red flags, but it was just kind of like…
Yeah. So that was not the expectation of the organization?
It was the expectation, absolutely. And I’m sure if there was an understanding that he could work from wherever, as long as—you know, a remote employee—there’s some wiggle room, right? Like, get your work done, but attend meetings… maybe from the comfort of your own home.
Yeah.
Okay. But then we have—I have so many examples of great hires on my team. I am so, so absolutely lucky, and I’ve said that many times and I know that it sounds kind of cliché and silly, but—
Well, before you go there, I kind of want to go backwards and dive in. So in that interview process, what could you have done differently?
On that example of taking a meeting from the…
Yeah. So I think really emphasizing the integrity part of it. And like I mentioned, the trust side. You have to be able to trust that your employees are professional. You have to be able to trust that if they are working from home, they’re actually at home, they’re sitting in front of their computers. There’s an expectation that—remote employee or not—you do have a certain amount of flexibility, but there’s also an expectation that during work hours, you’re available.
And, you know, if you’re going to go skiing, take the day off.
So, or you know, whatever the example is.
Yeah. So we’re kind of adding to the conversation a little bit with this question of asking our guests to tell us about successful or maybe less-than-optimal experiences with adding to the team. And the reason why is because we have so many stories.
Yeah.
So on that level—the challenge was that you had clearly set expectations, and a certain level of integrity and trust is inherent to whoever the person is, meeting up to… adhering to the expectations. And when we’ve struggled with integrity—like, I can think off the top of my head, generally we’re placing for like C-suite leaders, right?
So there have been times that we’ve had candidates who maybe weren’t honest on their… you know, about everything that they’d done. And how do we handle that? Like, that’s a major—that’s an integrity thing that is very challenging.
So, you know, for Acumen, how have we navigated it when we’ve found those?
I mean, you know, I think our process is interesting. And then I’ll ask you what you did—you obviously let the gentleman go—but I’m… you know…
Yeah. You know, I think it’s interesting. Especially with AI, you can find anything about someone’s background. And so it is about being really honest and direct. And that’s always been our kind of motto. We’ll say it how it is.
And sometimes people push back, but to say, “We can’t represent you because of this,” or, “During this process, we learned that, and you did not disclose it.” And in today’s world, you have to disclose. You have to be transparent. Because again, if you don’t, there’s always that question of trust, isn’t it?
Like, if that gentleman came back and said, “That was my first time,” every meeting you’re going to be like, “Where is he? What’s going on?” And that really then shows to your team—boy, you’re kind of… you’re willing to look the other way.
Yeah. Yeah, you can’t have a double standard like that. If you’re asking everyone else…
Everybody has to—yep.
Yeah. Then tell us about a great hire.
So I can think of one gentleman right now who has absolutely shocked our organization. So he’s a very quiet man. And he again kind of was an adjacent-skills hire—so, fit the bill, but fit it loosely. And, you know, even so—I placed him on a project a while ago. This was probably pre-COVID. And, like I said, really quiet, shy, had some bumps early on in the project, and even the client was like, “Oooh, I don’t know that this is going to work out.”
Here we are, you know—it’s a number of years later, but he has become…
So he’s a computer system validation Engineer, and he came from an IT background, which, without getting too far into the weeds again, is kind of an adjacent skill. So he’s currently working on a manufacturing execution system, which is the software that’s used to control the machines on the manufacturing line.
He has taken it upon himself to go from simply validating the recipes that that software is using to creating them. He learned those skills on his own, and he has taken his value within the company and absolutely made himself completely invaluable. He is one of three people in a 700-person company that has this skill.
That’s amazing.
And he took that upon himself.
Wow.
To go from the client being like, “I don’t know that this is going to work out,” to literally—I have to submit a competitive offer because the client is trying to poach him.
Wow.
Like, I’m—yeah, that’s—that is like, talk about a good hire. And I just—I’m getting chills talking about it because it’s—you just, you never… People just can surprise you so much. And it’s similar to—like, I would have laughed in your face if you had told me I was going to be a people manager. Not that I would have laughed because I think people will always surprise you, but if you had told me that this man would have been capable of this back when he joined this project, I would have been very skeptical.
And he has just really surprised all of us.
And I want to kind of stay on this topic because I think it’s really interesting. So the way that we work, companies go, “I need somebody with ABC background and XYZ personality,” and sometimes we say, somebody outside of your industry can bring such a different perspective and different viewpoint that you would never have had.
And this is one example of that. You took a chance on him. You supported him when the client wasn’t sure. And now he’s bringing this extra value.
Do you feel that having that direct line industry I—is as equally important as fit? Or where do you feel that that lies on the importance of hiring people?
So here in the Portland area specifically, there’s been rumors that a certain IT company is going to be laying off big numbers. And that does raise the question: are we willing to hire kind of those adjacent skills because of this individual? Like, doesn’t exactly fit our needs, but they have the capability and they have the adjacent knowledge. So absolutely, yeah.
And it also—you know, I was thinking of another example that I just interviewed—a young man who, and I realize that all of these examples are about men, but we do have some wonderful women in my company.
Today it’s okay.
But I did, and I’m having him interview with the client because he’s very junior, but he’s probably one of the smartest people that I’ve ever interviewed. And again, although his résumé may not completely fit the bill, I want the client to talk to him because I was just absolutely astounded at the way that he interviewed.
Yeah. And so it sounds like, you know, the integrity—critical. Trust—critical. You’re not a micromanager—that you have to trust. But I think to add a third one, it’s definitely that—and I don’t know if I want to say curiosity or the potential?
Potential.
Yeah. Of people and seeing what—it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Especially looking back at that one example of—here’s this gentleman, one of three in your company.
I think part of it, too, is that there were so many chances taken on me and so many chances given to me. And I think that I feel like I need to extend that to people as well—to at least give them the opportunity to prove themselves as well. Because like I said, if you look at my degree, my background, I shouldn’t be here. I mean, truly. Like, I should be sitting in a lab working with pipettes. But here I am managing a team in an operational role.
Yes. And I would say, own your power. You’ve earned it.
Thank you. Thank you very much. But that’s just exactly what Suzanne was talking about. Just because your degree and your background is one thing doesn’t mean you won’t be able to fill a position and do a great job.
Totally.
In fact, it’s really interesting how many very senior-level leaders we place—and also that we’ve interviewed here on this podcast—who’ve had major pivots and they’re in an industry they never imagined they would be in. And they’re in the C-suite or they’re the executive director. So it’s pretty interesting.
Actually, I think that for us sometimes, our willingness—or actually, I think our encouragement—of leaders to look outside of their primary industry at other tangential industries that could lend themselves to success, sometimes I’ve initially found myself kind of apologizing for that. Or, “Well, you know, we definitely can do from the industry, but we encourage…”—almost like a sorry.
And now I look at it as a superpower.
Because it’s helping. You know, a lot of times people in the line of work that they’re doing kind of have like head down and there’s one way to do things and that’s how you do it, and you bring in some other viewpoints and magic happens.
That’s what I was going to say—is it gives such a different perspective as well.
Yeah. And so from that, looking back, what advice would you give your 20-year-old self on this whole… you know, on your journey?
Yeah, um… what’s her name who wrote Lean In?
Oh yeah, um, the Facebook…
Sheryl—
Yeah.
Yeah—Sandberg?
Sandberg.
“Sit at the table” or take a—
A seat at the table.
Yeah, same idea, right?
Yeah, thank you. I mean, she nailed it. Lean in. Like, take these opportunities. And I would say the same thing to—actually there was that young woman at the Oregon Bio event and she was asking kind of similar career-type advice, and she’s doing a—she was doing a career pivot and going back to school, and I gave her the same sort of advice: just lean in. Like, if you are going to do this, do it 100%. Don’t doubt yourself. Like… yeah, take a seat at the table. Fully. Just invest.
I love that.
I love that too. Thank you.
Our final question that we ask our guests is: What does Hiring for Good mean to you?
Hiring for Good means to me exactly that—like, hire for the good. And so in pharma, to me it means hiring for the good of the patients. Because ultimately, that’s what the goal is—to get good quality products out to the patients. So you’ve got to hire good people to get that.
I think you’re like displaying your magnanimous nature, because you’re like, “It means exactly that—it’s for the good of the patients.” I’m like, well actually, it means—you know, there’s a lot of different ways people have interpreted it, and I always find it interesting to hear someone’s spin on it. I love that you so directly went to helping others and making the world healthier and safer or whatever.
Yeah.
That’s lovely. Well, thank you so much for your time, Leigh. It’s just been such a pleasure. Congratulations. We look forward to seeing where you go on this amazing journey you are on. I have no doubt you will continue doing that.
Absolutely. Thank you, Lee.
Thank you. Thanks for joining us today at Hiring for Good. If you were inspired by our conversation, don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want to learn more about our executive search services, check us out at www.hiringforgood.net or our company website, Acumen Executive Search. Thanks so much, and don’t forget to join us next time for another in-depth conversation about transformational leadership. Til then, have fun!