Senior Medical Writer- Publications

Cactus Life Sciences; India; Hybrid; INR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

CACTUS Life Sciences seeks a driven leader to manage and support the project management workstream in medical communications. You will lead a small team, mentor writers, review scientific materials, and liaise with global clients to ensure high-quality outputs.

The role requires 4+ years in pharma publications or medical communications, a PhD/MD or PharmD, and strong MS Office and literature evaluation skills. A remote-first culture with occasional Mumbai travel supports agile delivery.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in publications within a pharma company or medical communications agency.
• PhD/MD (Pharmacology) OR PhD (Life Sciences) OR PharmD with a good understanding of clinical research and medical communication.
• Clear, concise, scientific style of writing, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt writing style to suit different materials and target audiences.
• Literature reviewing and evaluation capabilities.
• Very good working knowledge of MS Office and basic knowledge of biostatistics.
• Shows an eagerness to learn and apply AI tools and technologies.

Responsibilities

• Use scientific expertise to develop high-quality client-ready scientific, medical, and educational materials with attention to detail under scientific leads.
• Review materials developed by writers to ensure strategic alignment and scientific accuracy; provide feedback and supervision.
• Perform as a document specialist and contribute to making cutting-edge research accessible to specific audiences.
• Liaise with international pharmaceutical clients, healthcare professionals, internal and external stakeholders including authors, reviewers and thought leaders.
• Communicate proactively with team members, authors/faculty, clients and vendors.
• Attend workshops, trainings and meetings to enhance skills and contribute to objectives.
• Apply scientific and creative knowledge with client directors to develop ideas and execute medical communications in digital space.
• Ensure materials comply with client requirements/SOPs, style guides, templates and CACTUS internal SOPs.
• Share best practices and client preferences to develop team skills.

Skills

Publications experience

PhD/MD

Scientific writing

MS Office

Biostatistics

AI tools

Education

PhD/MD or PharmD

Tools

AI Tools

Job description

Cactus Life Sciences partners with global biopharma to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes through agile, science-driven medical communications — transforming complex data into actionable insights.

As a growing scientific communications agency, we are looking for a driven leader to manage and support our project management workstream. In this role, you will lead a small team, manage diverse stakeholders, maintain full visibility of on-going projects, and ensure all outputs are delivered to the highest quality.

Please note: We are a remote-first organization, and we embrace an "accelerate from anywhere culture". You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events.

Responsibilities

• Use scientific expertise to develop (write, proofread, and data-check) high-quality, client-ready scientific, medical, and educational materials like slides, abstracts, posters, manuscripts, congress and meetings materials, and literature searches and reviews according to client needs with excellent attention to detail under the guidance of the scientific leads.
• Actively involve in reviewing materials developed by scientific writers to ensure strategic alignment and scientific accuracy as needed and provide clear constructive feedback, support, and supervision to writers. Mentor and train scientific writers by sharing best practices and client preferences, thereby contributing to skill development within the team.
• Perform as a document specialist, provide intellectual input across document types, and contribute to making cutting-edge research accessible to specific audiences as appropriate, by maintaining current awareness of developments across therapeutic areas or disciplines.
• Liaise and build trusting and professional relationships with international pharmaceutical clients, healthcare professionals, internal and external stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, and key opinion leaders across therapeutic areas - learning to anticipate their needs.
• Effectively and proactively communicate with team members, authors/faculty, clients, and vendors.
• Attend workshops/seminars/trainings to hone your skills and contribute to organizational objectives.
• Attend client and other external meetings and support senior team members as needed.
• Apply your scientific and creative knowledge and work closely with client directors in developing ideas and executing effective medical communications initiatives in the digital space, including publication extenders, creation of infographics, interactive assets, website content, patient narratives, and medical information engagement plans.
• Ensure all materials follow/comply with client requirements/SOPs, style guides, client templates, client preferences (as applicable), and CACTUS' internal SOPs. Any updates to either of these items should be made consistently and documents should remain up to date.
• Share best practices and client preferences, thereby contributing to skill development within the medical communications team.

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• 4+ years of experience in publications within a pharma company or medical communications agency.
• PhD/MD (Pharmacology) OR PhD (Life Sciences) OR PharmD with a good understanding of clinical research and medical communication.
• Clear, concise, scientific style of writing, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt writing style to suit different materials and target audiences.
• Literature reviewing and evaluation capabilities.
• Very good working knowledge of MS Office and basic knowledge of biostatistics.
• Shows an eagerness to learn and apply AI tools and technologies.

Application Process

Before applying, please ensure you meet the role requirements listed above and have legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised. Our selection process includes two Technical Interviews with the Hiring Manager and peers, and a Technical Assessment, where candidates will have agreed upon timeline to complete the task. The final round will be the HR Interview. All interactions will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.

AI at Cactus Life Sciences

The life sciences industry is undergoing a fundamental shift in how scientific knowledge is created, communicated, and delivered. We are building our work around it.

AI is embedded meaningfully across everything we do, through proprietary platforms purpose-built for life sciences and generative tools that deliver measurable value to our clients. It is core to how we operate, and an expected way of working for everyone who joins us.

We believe in Human-Anchored AI: whatever your discipline - science, communications, strategy, or operations, you will work in an environment where AI augments your expertise rather than replaces it.

You will build skills that are in genuine demand and still taking shape across the industry. If you are curious and focused on building capabilities for the world where human intelligence meets artificial intelligence, this is where you belong.

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

About CACTUS

At Cactus Life Sciences (cactuslifesciences.com), we believe the future of medical communications lies at the intersection of science, technology, and human connection. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan, we help biopharmaceutical organizations redefine scientific exchange—leveraging AI, automation, and innovation while keeping patients at the heart of everything we do.

Our expertise spans medical strategy, scientific content development, and medical education across therapeutic areas and the product lifecycle. By blending scientific rigor, agile operational models, and future-ready technologies, we partner with medical affairs teams to catalyze their transformation, adapt to a changing landscape, and drive meaningful outcomes for healthcare communities worldwide.