Interim Management in Biotech and Medtech: When It Pays Off

Searches for "Interim Management" in Germany have been noticeably higher for several weeks than they were over the summer. That fits what the industry itself reports. According to the AIMP market study DACH 2026, the interim management market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland reached 3.75 billion euros in 2025, 2.66 billion of it in Germany, with an average day rate of around 1,367 euros in Germany. 61 percent of the companies surveyed consider an increase in demand for independent, project-based executives conceivable or very conceivable.

What the study does not show: in biotech and medtech, the need looks different from the classic restructuring work that has traditionally carried the market. It is rarely about turnarounds and mostly about regulation, quality and time pressure.

Three situations where it clearly fits

A regulatory role has to be filled immediately. The MDR requires a person responsible for regulatory compliance, the PRRC. Micro and small enterprises do not have to employ this person in-house, but must have them permanently and continuously at their disposal (Art. 15(2) MDR, with identical wording in Art. 15(2) IVDR). When that person leaves, it is not a recruiting problem with three months' lead time. It is a gap an auditor will spot immediately.

A QMS has to be in place by a fixed date. Initial ISO 13485 certification, preparing for the first notified body audit, adapting to new requirements: these are projects with a beginning, an end and a clear result. That is exactly where interim management is strong. In a four-person diagnostics startup, I built the QMS from scratch as an embedded team member, and ISO 13485 certification came within the nine-month target.

Before a funding round or transaction. A technical due diligence asks about the QMS, the regulatory strategy and who is responsible for what. Bringing in an experienced person for a few months at this point is an investment in the valuation, not in overhead.

The situation where it only buys time

Interim management does not help if the organisation has no permanent role planned for the function. If nobody is there after the interim mandate to maintain the QMS, handle deviations and prepare the next recertification, you have postponed the problem by a year and paid for the privilege. A good interim mandate therefore ends with a handover to someone, not with a binder on a shelf.

How to recognise a good mandate

There is a measurable result. The mandate is measured against something like "certificate issued" or "PRRC function handed over to an internal successor", not just a number of hours.

The person has real authority. They appear in the org chart and can make decisions, because an auditor will want to know who is responsible, and "our external consultant" is not a good answer.

The plan for afterwards exists from day one. Who takes over, when does onboarding start, which documents and decisions get handed over? If these questions are only asked in the last month, it is too late.

If you are missing a regulatory or quality role right now and want to work out whether an interim mandate or another solution fits, let's talk. No theory for theory's sake.