Associate Scientific Director - Medical Communications

Avalere Health Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contribution up to 7%

Private medical insurance

Flexible hybrid working

Annual leave 25 days + well-being days

Global mobility opportunities

Job summary

Avalere Health is seeking an Associate Scientific Director to lead medical scientific services across publications and med affairs projects. You will oversee scientific accuracy, provide strategic direction, and manage key client relationships within large workstreams.

You will mentor junior writers, shape team development, and contribute to growth initiatives, with potential line management of staff as needed.

Qualifications

• Degree in a scientific or related field is required (advanced degree preferred).
• Minimum 6 years of experience in medical or scientific writing.
• Oncology experience is highly advantageous.
• Proven ability to manage diverse scientific content and ensure strategic alignment.
• Strong client relationship management and account oversight.

Responsibilities

• Drive scientific leadership across publications and medical affairs deliverables.
• Provide advanced scientific review and strategic input to align content with client objectives.
• Lead client relationships within assigned accounts and ensure clear communication.
• Mentor and empower junior writers, fostering professional growth and scientific expertise.
• Contribute to business development and organic growth through scientific insights.

Skills

Client relationship management

Mentoring

Communication skills

Collaborative leadership

Education

Degree in a scientific field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

About Avalere Health

United by one profound purpose: to reach EVERY PATIENT POSSIBLE. At Avalere Health, we ensure every patient is identified, treated, supported, and cared for. Equally. Our Advisory, Medical, and Marketing teams come together – powerfully and intentionally – to forge unconventional connections, building a future where healthcare is not a barrier and no patient is left behind.

About Avalere Health

United by one profound purpose: to reach EVERY PATIENT POSSIBLE. At Avalere Health, we ensure every patient is identified, treated, supported, and cared for. Equally. Our Advisory, Medical, and Marketing teams come together – powerfully and intentionally – to forge unconventional connections, building a future where healthcare is not a barrier and no patient is left behind. Achieving our mission starts with providing enriching, purpose-driven careers for our team that empower them to make a tangible impact on patient lives. We are committed to creating a culture where our employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work and tap into the power of diverse backgrounds and skillsets to play a part in making a difference for every patient, everywhere. Our flexible approach to working allows our global teams to decide where they want to work, whether in-office or at home based on team and client need. Major city hubs in London, Manchester, Washington, D.C., and New York, and smaller offices globally, serve as collaboration hubs allowing our teams to come together when it matters. Homeworkers are equally supported, with dedicated social opportunities and resources. Our inclusive culture is at the heart of everything we do. We proudly support our employees in bringing their whole selves to work with our six Employee Network Groups – Diverse Ability, Family, Gender, LGBTQ+, Mental Health, and Race/Ethnicity. These groups provide opportunities to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and to connect, learn, and socialise through regular meetings and programs of activity. We are an accredited Fertility Friendly employer with our Fertility Policy, enhanced parental leave, and culture of flexibility ensuring every employee feels supported across their family planning journey and can work in a way that suits their family’s needs. We are deeply invested in supporting professional growth for our employees through day-to-day career experiences, access to thousands of on-demand training sessions, regular career conversations, and the opportunity for global, cross-capability career moves. We take pride in being part of the Disability Confident Scheme. This helps make sure you can be interviewed fairly if you have a disability, long term health condition, or are neurodiverse. If you'd like to apply and need adjustments made, you can let us know in your application.

About The Role

We’re looking for an Associate Scientific Director to join our Medical Scientific Services team. In this role, you’ll provide advanced scientific leadership across a range of publications and med affairs focused projects, taking responsibility for scientific accuracy, strategic oversight, and client relationship management within large workstreams or accounts.

You’ll combine content development with high-level reviewing, while mentoring and onboarding junior writers to deepen their scientific expertise. As a key leader, you’ll play an active role in team development and resourcing, contribute to business growth and strategic initiatives, and may also line manage junior writers.

This is an ideal next step for an Associate Principal Medical Writer, Principal Medical Writer, or equivalent looking to progress towards a Scientific Director role and broaden their impact across publications and medical affairs.

What You'll Do

• Drive scientific leadership across publications and medical affairs deliverables, including advisory boards, congress materials, manuscripts, abstracts, posters, plain language summaries, digital enhancers (podcasts, videos, etc.)
• Provide advanced scientific review and strategic input to align content with client objectives.
• Lead client relationships within assigned accounts, ensuring clear communication and trusted delivery.
• Lead, mentor and empower junior writers, fostering professional growth and scientific expertise.
• Contribute to business development and organic growth through scientific insights.

About You

• Degree in a scientific or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Minimum 6 years’ experience in medical or scientific writing.
• Oncology experience is highly advantageous.
• Proven ability to manage diverse scientific content and ensure strategic alignment.
• Skilled in client relationship management and account oversight.
• Collaborative leader with a passion for mentoring and team development.
• Excellent communication skills and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.

What We Can Offer

• You’ll receive up to a 7% pension contribution, life insurance, income protection, and private medical insurance for peace of mind.
• Enjoy flexible working arrangements, including flexible hybrid working, along with the option to work from anywhere across the globe two weeks each year.
• We provide 25 days of annual leave plus two personal well-being days, along with gifted end-of-year holidays and an early Summer Friday finish in June, July, and August.
• Access free counselling through our employee assistance program, as well as personalized health support.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, family leave, and fertility policies provide support across every stage of your family-planning journey, as well as on-demand support from our partner Peppy.
• You can also benefit from continuous opportunities to professionally develop with on-demand training, support, and global mobility opportunities across the business.

We encourage all applicants to read our candidate privacy notice before applying to Avalere Health.

We may use AI tools to support elements of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing CV/resumes, assessing responses, or transcribing interviews. These tools assist our Talent team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please review our candidate privacy policy.