Scientific Director - Medical Communications

Avalere Health Group; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Avalere Health is seeking a Scientific Director to act as a scientific expert for projects, clients and new business efforts. You will review projects for strategic alignment and scientific accuracy, and may serve as medical writer for complex tasks.

You will manage client relationships, provide scientific and strategic input for pitches, and support junior colleagues while collaborating with medical writers, account teams and project managers.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years+ experience in a medical communications agency environment with medical writing and editorial management.
• Oncology experience strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences; PharmD or PhD highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the scientific development of projects across teams.
• Develop scientifically complex materials and drive projects to completion.
• Apply deep scientific knowledge with commercial awareness to inform deliverables and planning.
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, ensuring high service standards.
• Participate in business development, pitches and proposals.
• Provide leadership to develop junior team members.

Skills

Scientific leadership

Scientific writing

Editorial management

Client relationship

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree life sciences

PharmD or PhD preferred

Tools

MS Office

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

About Avalere Health

United by one profound purpose: to reachEVERY 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

As a Scientific Director you will be a scientific expert, providing insights and knowledge to projects, clients and new business efforts. You will review projects for strategic alignment and scientific accuracy, and when needed, act as the medical writer for more scientifically complex projects.

Acting as a client relationship manager, you will build scientific credibility and partnerships, ensuring a high level of service with each client. You will provide scientific and strategic expertise to new business development activities, researching and developing content for pitches, as well as being part of the presentation team. Building a support network for junior members of the team, you will work closely with medical writers, account teams, client services and project management.

What You'll Do

• Work closely with teams, leading the scientific development of projects
• Lead the development of scientifically complex materials as appropriate, proactively driving projects through to completion
• Combine in-depth scientific understanding of the product/therapy area with strong commercial awareness to inform all deliverables and communication planning recommendations
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, ensuring the highest level of service
• Participate in business development activities, such as pitching and proposals
• Provide leadership to ensure that teams are exceeding performance standards and developing professionally

About You

• Ideally 5-10 years'+ experience in a medical communications agency environment, including medical writing experience and editorial management experience
• Experience working in Oncology is strongly preferred
• Bachelors degree in the life sciences; PharmD or PhD highly preferred
• Proficiency in the use of MS office, PowerPoint and Excel

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.