Senior Scientific Director - Medical Communications

Are you a passionate individual that thrives when building scientific content designed to improve patient outcomes? Do you get excited when reviewing the most current research and can you interpret the science into action? We are proud to say that this is our core purpose.

Are you a team player - eager to partner with clients, editors, and scientific directors to get the job done? Then this dynamic role in medical communications is for you. Our interactive and dedicated team is committed to excellence and success.

At Precision AQ - Medical Communications, we translate the science of medicine into high-level strategy, tactical communication, and flawless execution. With a track record of long-tenured relationships with major pharmaceutical companies and leading biotech firms, we hold a leadership position in the delivery of strategic scientific and medical communication and training solutions for our clients.

Position Summary: The Senior Scientific Director (SrSD) will be a model of the highest standards for content development and leadership in the Content Development Department. The SrSD will consistently ensure that all content developed is evidence-based, is of the highest editorial quality, meets the strategic objectives of our clients, and ultimately translates science into clinical benefit. The SrSD should be able to apply these objectives across multiple therapeutic areas and/or client teams, and he/she should play a significant role in training and mentoring others in the department. The SrSD will continue to serve as the scientific team lead who is responsible for providing scientific and medical expertise, strategies, and perspectives by staying abreast of the most up-to-date research and other changes in the marketplace. The SrSD is expected to partner effectively with Strategic Account Directors (SADs) to translate the strategic, marketing, and educational objectives of our clients into compelling programs. The SrSD will report to the Vice President – Content Development.

Essential functions of the job include but are not limited to:

• Provide strategic and scientific support to the SAD when interacting with the client
• Manage the workload of SDs, Associate SDs, or MWs on multiple client teams
• Focus on the professional development of all direct reports through mentoring and coaching
• Effectively manage and deliver projects within the budgeted hours
• Lead content development by managing all appropriate team members
• Keep current with research in the therapeutic area for each client

Specific responsibilities

Oversee content development on 1-2 client teams and/or multiple therapeutic areas

• Review and provide feedback/direction to others involved in the content development process (eg, SDs, medical writers, editors, art directors) to ensure that the content meets the objectives and strategic needs of the client, and it adheres to established standard operating procedures for Precision AQ - Medical Communications
• Maintain oversight of all content development processes to ensure that all programs are executed effectively and efficiently, and that all team members are adequately trained
• Work with the Content Team and other Team Leads to manage timelines and budgeted hours throughout the content development process
• Attend Financial Review meetings and review newly developed budgets on behalf of the Content Team
• Review content overseen by ASDs and SDs to ensure that they are adequately trained to lead content independently
• Identify and share best practices and novel approaches with other teams

Work collaboratively with Team Leadership and foster communication within the team

• Proactively provide solutions when challenges are identified
• Demonstrate respect for all internal and external team members
• Identify and engage team in team-building activities and opportunities to recognize excellent work and/or dedication
• Identify and implement practices to improve teamwork and to facilitate information-sharing

Provide strong scientific support as the Senior Content Lead at client meetings and in interactions with Key External Experts

• Maintain current knowledge regarding competitor products, drugs in development, treatment, and strategic issues for assigned therapeutic area(s) to ensure delivery of the most up-to-date, accurate, and clinically relevant information/content for assigned products across multiple brands
• Lead and/or support others in discussions of content directly with authors and clients
• Routinely attend client meetings as the lead scientific support to the SAD or in partnership with the SD/ASD/MW
• Oversee and manage the regulatory review process as needed
• Ensure consistency and leverage learnings from the regulatory review and other processes across client teams

Maintain a focus on managing and training content team members

• Manage and mentor direct reports including SDs, ASDs, and MWs
• Oversee development of action plans and end of year evaluations for all direct reports
• Mentor other members of the Content Development Department as appropriate
• Identify opportunities for SDs, ASDs, and MWs to be exposed to clients and other areas of attention for training
• Identify and assist in developing training materials or departmental SOPs
• Provide scientific and strategic background support to all team members as appropriate

Support the Department Lead to ensure that Precision AQ Standards of Excellence are met and initiatives within the department are executed effectively

• Continue to define Precision AQ SOPs and ensure that all content meets these standards (eg, evidence-based, original, appropriately referenced, and adheres to industry and client standards)
• Assist in refining content development processes and procedures to improve efficiency
• Assist in understanding and defining the content personnel and training needed for new technologies
• Assist in tracking availability of department team members to ensure that each client team is adequately resourced

Additional responsibilities

• Participate in new business development presentations and pitches
• Assist with strategic planning for business development
• Assist with identifying new business opportunities for the SAD to pursue

Qualifications:

Minimum Required: Advanced life sciences degree: MD, PhD, or PharmD

Other Required: At least 5-10 years of agency experience and extensive medical writing experience

Skills:

• Impeccable written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to oversee content development on more than one therapeutic area or brand simultaneously
• Excellent working understanding of content needs for both promotional and medical affairs clients
• Strong leadership skills
• Ability to work both independently and within a collaborative team setting 
• Superior time management skills and ability to work efficiently within demanding timelines
• Ability to train and mentor multiple direct reports including scientific directors (SDs) and medical writers (MWs)
• Ability to interact in a professional manner with clients and thought leaders
• Proficiency in Word^®, PowerPoint^®, Excel^®, Adobe Acrobat^®, and reference-management software (EndNote^®)