In life sciences, speed and flexibility can be the difference between meeting a critical Phase II trial deadline and falling behind. But building a capable engineering team in a highly regulated environment is rarely fast. Biotech companies often face a dual challenge: finding engineers who understand modern software development and who also know the rules that govern healthcare and patient data.
A US-based biotech recently faced this exact dilemma. Their scientific teams were top-notch, but the digital engineering setup wasn’t ready for the next stage of their data-driven therapeutic program. Waiting for traditional hiring cycles — often 8 to 12 weeks — wasn’t an option. They needed engineers who could immediately work on cloud-native architectures, microservices, DevOps pipelines, and compliance-heavy workflows.
This is where Newpage’s X-Tend Talent Services made the difference. Within three weeks, a full engineering unit was mobilised, embedded, and contributing value. The approach wasn’t just about speed; it was about matching domain-ready talent with precise business outcomes.
Key steps included:
Curated, domain-aware talent — Engineers with experience in regulated digital health environments, fluent in agile methods and modern stacks, were selected to ensure minimal ramp-up time.
Rapid onboarding framework — Instead of standard onboarding, the team completed orientation and domain immersion within one week, and design kick-offs by week three.
*Embedded collaboration *— The engineers worked within the client’s existing squads, adopting the same Jira boards, sprint cadence, and review processes.
*Compliance baked in *— Every engineer understood data privacy, audit trails, and security baselines, reducing downstream remediation risks.
The results were tangible. By week three, the client was reviewing design artefacts and MVP backlog items. By week six, the patient-support platform backend was live in a staging environment, and early user testing had begun. Time-to-team was cut by 60 percent, the platform release accelerated, and regulatory risk was kept under control. Internal leadership could focus on architecture and strategy rather than onboarding and first-level hiring.
For CTOs and tech leaders in life sciences, there are a few key takeaways: define engineering outcomes first, partner with talent providers who understand the domain, embed teams early into existing agile processes, and plan for flexibility to scale up or down without friction.
Talent is more than a resource — it is a growth lever. When life sciences companies combine domain knowledge with engineering excellence, they don’t just hire faster; they build faster, safer, and smarter.
In our latest blog, we walk through how a US biotech used X-Tend Talent Services to scale an engineering team in just three weeks, deliver critical modules, and accelerate its digital ecosystem. We explore the challenges, deployment strategy, and the measurable business impact.
Read the case study here>> https://newpage.io/case-study/microservices-for-healthcare/
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