Scientific Writing Team Lead

Kornferry; Hyderabad; Hybrid; INR 2,400,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Kornferry in Hyderabad seeks a hands-on Team Lead in Scientific Publications and Medical Communications, to guide publication development, mentor writers and partner with Medical Affairs. You will translate complex clinical data into manuscripts, abstracts, posters and congress materials with scientific rigor.

Candidates should have 9+ years of experience in scientific writing within pharma/biotech, strong data interpretation skills and a track record of publication planning and stakeholder

Qualifications

• 9+ years of Scientific/Medical Writing experience in Pharma/Biopharma/Medical Communications/CROs
• Hands‑on experience in Scientific Publications / Publication Writing
• Experience developing and reviewing manuscripts
• Experience with scientific abstracts and posters
• Experience supporting congress publications/materials
• Strong scientific acumen and data interpretation skills
• Ability to translate clinical/scientific evidence into compelling narratives
• Excellent literature review and referencing capabilities
• Strong editing and content review skills
• Knowledge of publication standards (GPP, ICMJE) and stakeholder collaboration

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and review of scientific publications and medical communications materials.
• Develop manuscripts, abstracts, scientific posters, congress materials and scientific presentations.
• Interpret complex clinical data and translate into clear scientific narratives.
• Support development of HCP-focused scientific content.
• Ensure publications demonstrate accuracy, data integrity and proper referencing.
• Review work of other writers and provide scientific/editorial guidance.
• Collaborate with Medical Affairs, scientific teams and authors.
• Support publication planning and execution across manuscripts and posters.
• Ensure compliance with publication standards and journal/congress requirements.
• Mentor and coach scientific writers and senior writers.

Skills

Scientific Writing

Publication Development

Manuscripts

Abstracts

Posters

Congress Publications

Scientific Data Interpretation

Medical Communications

Stakeholder Collaboration

Mentoring Writers

Education

PhD / PharmD / MSc / MBBS

Tools

EndNote

iEnvision

Veeva PromoMats

Job description

Team Lead Scientific Publications & Medical Communications

Location: Hyderabad (Hybrid)
Experience: 9+ Years
Function: Scientific Publications / Medical Communications / Medical Affairs
Industry: Pharmaceutical / Biopharmaceutical / Healthcare / Medical Communications / Life Sciences / CRO

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Team Lead Scientific Publications & Medical Communications with strong expertise in scientific writing, publication development, scientific data interpretation and medical communications.

The role requires a strong scientific mindset and the ability to interpret complex clinical and scientific evidence and translate it into high-quality manuscripts, abstracts, posters, congress materials, scientific presentations and HCP-focused scientific content.

This is a hands‑on scientific leadership role. The individual will be expected to contribute directly to scientific content while also reviewing deliverables, mentoring writers, managing publication projects and partnering with Medical Affairs and other scientific stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and review of high-quality scientific publications and medical communication materials.
• Develop and/or review manuscripts, abstracts, scientific posters, congress materials and scientific presentations.
• Interpret complex clinical study results, scientific literature and medical data and translate them into clear scientific narratives.
• Support the development of HCP-focused scientific and educational content.
• Ensure publications demonstrate strong scientific accuracy, data integrity, appropriate referencing and consistency with source evidence.
• Perform scientific, editorial and structural review of content developed by other writers.
• Work closely with Medical Affairs, Scientific/Medical teams, publication stakeholders, authors and subject‑matter experts.
• Support publication planning and execution across manuscripts, abstracts, posters and congress deliverables.
• Ensure publication activities follow applicable GPP, ICMJE, journal and congress requirements.
• Review scientific literature and identify relevant evidence to support publication and scientific communication activities.
• Manage multiple publication/content projects while maintaining quality and delivery timelines.
• Coach and mentor Scientific Writers, Senior Writers and other team members.
• Provide scientific guidance and constructive feedback to improve the quality of scientific storytelling and interpretation.
• Contribute to scientific‑writing standards, publication best practices, style guides and continuous improvement.
• Stay updated on new scientific evidence, publication practices, journals, congresses and developments within relevant therapeutic areas.

Mandatory Skills :

• 9+ years of Scientific/Medical Writing experience, preferably within Pharma, Biopharma, Medical Communications, Publications or CRO environments.
• Strong hands‑on experience in Scientific Publications / Publication Writing.
• Strong experience developing and reviewing manuscripts.
• Experience with scientific abstracts and posters.
• Experience supporting congress publications/materials.
• Strong scientific acumen and scientific data interpretation skills.
• Ability to interpret clinical/scientific evidence and convert it into accurate and compelling scientific narratives.
• Strong scientific literature review and referencing capabilities.
• Strong scientific writing, editing and content‑review skills.
• Understanding of publication standards and best practices, including GPP, ICMJE and journal/congress requirements.
• Experience working with Medical Affairs and scientific stakeholders.
• Strong individual contribution to scientific writing/content development not only project or people management.
• Experience reviewing the work of other writers and providing scientific/editorial guidance.
• Experience mentoring, coaching or leading scientific/medical writers.
• Strong stakeholder and project‑management skills.

Publication Experience We Are Looking For

Candidates should ideally have hands‑on exposure to several of the following:

Scientific Manuscripts | Journal Publications | Abstracts | Scientific Posters | Congress Publications | Publication Planning | Scientific Literature Review | Scientific Presentations | HCP Scientific Content | Medical Education Content | Scientific Slide Decks | Symposium Content | Advisory Board Materials

Candidates with publicly available scientific publications are encouraged to share a publication list and clearly describe their individual contribution.

Authorship, co‑authorship or acknowledged medical/scientific‑writing contribution to publications would be an advantage.

Good-to-Have

• Brand publications experience.
• Publicly available publications.
• Experience working with authors, KOLs and external scientific experts.
• Medical Communications experience.
• HCP scientific/educational content experience.
• Publication planning experience.
• Therapeutic‑area expertise.
• Experience working in global or matrix organizations.
• Experience with EndNote or similar reference‑management tools.
• Experience with scientific‑content workflow platforms such as iEnvision and Veeva PromoMats.
• AMWA/EMWA or similar professional certification.

Education

Advanced scientific qualification preferred:

PhD / PharmD / M.Pharm / MSc / MBBS or equivalent degree in Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences or a related scientific discipline.

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates may come from:

Pharmaceutical Companies | Biopharmaceutical Companies | Medical Communications Agencies | Scientific Publication Agencies | Medical Affairs Organizations | Healthcare/Life Sciences Companies | CROs with Scientific Publications or Medical Communications teams