Principal Medical Writer

ICON; Reading; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare intelligence organization in the UK is looking for a Principal Medical Writer. This role involves overseeing the development of clinical documents, managing a team, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Ideal candidates should have over 9 years of experience in medical writing and strong leadership skills. This position offers a competitive salary and a variety of benefits focusing on well-being and work-life balance.

Benefits

Annual leave entitlement

Health insurance offerings

Competitive retirement planning

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible optional benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum of 9 years of experience in medical writing within the pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor technical staff.
• Strong understanding of ICH/GCP guidelines and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation and review of complex clinical documents.
• Provide oversight and mentorship to the medical writing team.
• Manage writing workloads and project schedules.

Skills

Medical writing

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Organization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or related field

Job description

Principal Medical Writer - UK

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

We are currently seeking a Principal Medical Writer to join our diverse and dynamic team. As a Principal Medical Writer at ICON, you will play a key leadership role in overseeing the development of high-quality, scientifically accurate clinical and regulatory documents that support our global clinical research programs. You will lead and mentor a team of medical writers, ensuring excellence, compliance, and efficiency across all deliverables.

What You Will Be Doing

• Leading the preparation and review of complex clinical and regulatory documents, including clinical study reports, protocols, investigator brochures, narratives, and regulatory submissions.
• Providing oversight, mentorship, and guidance to the medical writing team to ensure consistency, scientific accuracy, and adherence to timelines.
• Managing medical writing workloads, assigning appropriately experienced writers to projects, and maintaining project schedules and resource plans.
• Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams including Clinical Operations, Data Management, Biostatistics, Regulatory Affairs, and Quality Assurance to align on deliverables and project requirements.
• Liaising with sponsors, project managers, and business development teams to ensure timely and high‑quality document delivery and support new business opportunities.
• Reviewing and ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and compliance of all documents with applicable regulatory guidelines and internal quality standards.
• Tracking project progress and proactively identifying and resolving potential issues affecting quality or timelines.
• Providing training, performance feedback, and ongoing development opportunities to the medical writing team.
• Supporting the preparation of cost estimates and contributing to business development activities related to medical writing projects.
• Driving continuous improvement in writing processes, templates, and best practices across the department.

Your Profile

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in life sciences, health sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 9 years of experience in medical writing within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or clinical research industry
• Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor technical staff, fostering growth and maintaining high performance standards.
• Strong understanding of ICH/GCP guidelines, regulatory requirements, and clinical trial processes.
• Proven experience overseeing the preparation of regulatory and clinical documentation in support of submissions and publications.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills with the ability to convey complex scientific information clearly and accurately.
• Strong organizational, problem‑solving, and leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliverables.
• Detail‑oriented, proactive, and adaptable, with a commitment to maintaining the highest standards in medical writing.

At ICON, we recognise that growth can come from many paths. If you have strong medical writing experience and leadership potential but are currently operating just below Principal level, we still encourage you to apply. We value drive, capability, and the desire to grow into the next stage of your career.

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What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well‑being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24‑hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well‑being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country‑specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidised travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply