Account Director (Medical Communications)

Ogilvy UK; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare communication agency in the UK is seeking an experienced Account Director to lead and manage strategic medical communications projects. The role offers the opportunity to provide expert direction to clients and internal teams, ensuring successful project delivery. Candidates should have robust experience in medical communications and a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. This position offers a flexible working model and numerous benefits, including enhanced parental leave and a comprehensive health scheme.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus your birthday off

Enhanced parental leave

Generous pension scheme

Private Medical Cover or Dental cover

Employee Assistance Programme

Free online coaching

Comprehensive Learning & Development programme

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience within medical communications.
• In-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven account direction and programme management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and delivery of medical communications projects.
• Serve as key client contact providing expert counsel.
• Oversee and direct internal project teams.

Skills

Medical communications experience

Pharmaceutical industry knowledge

Account direction expertise

Financial management skills

Client counsel experience

Job description

Due to significant growth and a rapid resurgence of activity on a high-priority, strategic account, we are seeking an experienced and dynamic Account Director to join our team. This is a pivotal role within a fast paced environment, offering the chance to lead and shape key workstreams on an account with substantial future potential. If you're ready to make a significant impact and drive continued success, this is the perfect opportunity for you. What You'll Do As an Account Director, you will be instrumental in guiding and growing this crucial account. You will lead the delivery of diverse medical communications projects, provide expert strategic direction to our clients, and inspire your internal teams. This role demands a proactive leader who can manage multiple workstreams, contribute to business development, and ensure financial oversight and long-term client success.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic planning and delivery of a broad range of medical communications projects.
• Serve as a key client contact, providing expert counsel and direction.
• Oversee and direct internal project teams, fostering collaboration and excellence.
• Drive forward planning and ensure seamless execution across workstreams.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve account objectives.
• Contribute to ongoing business development initiatives, identifying opportunities for growth and partnership.
• Maintain full financial oversight of projects, including budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, and client invoicing.
• Ensure the continued long-term success and growth of this busy, priority account.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience within medical communications.
• An in-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and the drug development process across pre- and post-launch environments.
• Proven experience in account direction, programme management, and providing client counsel within highly regulated pharmaceutical settings.
• A track record of delivering strategically effective projects that consistently meet pharmaceutical company clients' objectives, budgets, and timelines.
• Experience across a broad range of medical communications project types.
• In-depth experience liaising with top-tier global clinicians and other healthcare professionals, always within permitted guidelines.
• Expertise in collaborating with various specialties within pharmaceutical clients (e.g., Medical Affairs, Marketing, Research and Development, Legal/Regulatory, Procurement).
• Working knowledge of and strict compliance with key industry guidelines (e.g., ABPI, Sunshine Act).
• In-depth knowledge of the content development process and pharmaceutical company approval systems (Medical, Legal, Regulatory).
• Demonstrated ability to oversee the financial management of projects, including budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, and client management.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy was founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy. David created a culture that deeply respects and cares about its people and clients. Our mission is to inspire people and brands to make an impact and we are committed to attracting, growing, and retaining the best talent in the industry.

Ogilvy Health UK is made up of healthcare communication specialists across the disciplines of medical education and communications; brain sciences; brand promotion; digital and social; strategic planning; public relations and creative/design. We believe we are like no other: we blaze new trails; we encourage a culture of creativity and innovation; we challenge, and we change; and we recognise and reward our team. In medical education, our approach is founded on expertise that combines biomedical science, learning theory and behaviour change to create impactful medical and professional education.

Ogilvy celebrates its people. Fully. Enthusiastically. Unhesitatingly. We'll empower you with the tools you'll need to succeed. We'll give you the autonomy to seek out new paths and better ways of doing things. We'll support you with colleagues who are experts in their disciplines, drawn from across the Ogilvy network. And we'll provide opportunities for you to do work of which you'll be proud, with people you'll be proud to call your teammates.

Culture & Benefits

Join a friendly, non-hierarchical, and eclectic team united by a shared commitment to doing the best work of our lives (it's one of our values!). Beyond client work, you'll have opportunities to engage with our vibrant culture and social teams, and contribute to our fantastic DEI initiatives, championing diversity across our agency and industry.

We offer a flexible working hybrid model: 2 days in the office (all-agency anchor days for collaboration and socialising) and 3 days working remotely from wherever you work best.

• 25 days holiday + your birthday off and a paid volunteering day - after 2 years service you can purchase up to an additional 5 days per year
• Enhanced parental leave
• A generous pension scheme - you pay in 4% we pay 6%, following probation contributions are matched up to 10.5% (17.5% in total)
• Choose from either Private Medical Cover (Bupa from day one) OR Dental cover OR a monthly leisure allowance of £45 to spend on your health & wellbeing
• A fantastic Employee Assistance Programme provided by Telus which offers brilliant support, expert advice and specialist counselling
• Help at Hand - quick free access to a remote GP, mental health support, physio or a medical 2nd opinion
• Free 1-2-1 Coaching - online coaching for your professional or personal growth provided by Thrive Partners
• A comprehensive Learning & Development programme

Our Ambition

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they're here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.