Associate Creative Director, Copy

GSW, powered by Syneos Health; Westerville (OH); On-site; USD 135,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

GSW, powered by Syneos Health, is seeking an Associate Creative Director, Copy to lead copy across healthcare campaigns. You will shape voice, maintain brand tone, and ensure compliant messaging while collaborating with art, account, and strategy teams to resonate with healthcare professionals and patients.

This role demands a seasoned writer with pharma leadership experience, exceptional storytelling, and the ability to mentor junior copywriters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, communications, English, journalism, or related field.
• 8–10 years of agency experience, with at least 6 years in pharmaceutical copy leadership.
• Exceptional copywriting and storytelling skills.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and mentor creative talent.
• Strong conceptual thinking and ability to connect abstract ideas into compelling narratives.
• Deep understanding of social platforms (e.g., X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and emerging cultural trends.
• Experience navigating regulatory processes and medical/legal review (MLR).
• Ability to quickly grasp complex medical and technical content and translate it into clear, engaging messaging.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the creative lead and “owner” of copy across assigned brands and campaigns.
• Partner with art directors on brand and concept development, ensuring cohesive visual and verbal storytelling.
• Lead the development of long-form and short-form content, maintaining brand tone, consistency, and regulatory compliance (MLR).
• Collaborate with UX, Tech, and CX teams to align content with user experience and platform requirements.
• Provide strategic input and creative leadership in client meetings and presentations.
• Participate in market research and message testing to refine promotional content.
• Mentor and manage copywriters, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration.

Skills

Copywriting

Leadership

Mentoring

Storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory knowledge (MLR)

Social platforms knowledge

Communications

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, communications, English, journalism, or a related field

Job description

Description

You look beneath the surface to uncover creative, measurable, and more importantly, impactful solutions. GSW is a full-service healthcare communications agency that goes beyond advertising to create personalized brand experiences that involve, inspire, educate and activate people through ongoing brand journeys.

At GSW, we foster a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous learning. We believe in empowering our team members to bring their unique perspectives and ideas to the table. Our supportive environment encourages growth, innovation, and excellence, making GSW, not just a workplace, but a community where your creativity can thrive.

Role Overview

You inspire and reach people with just a few words. As an Associate Creative Director, Copy, you’ll be a strategic and creative leader, shaping the voice and messaging across campaigns. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams—including art, account and strategy—to deliver compelling, brand-aligned content that resonates with healthcare professionals and patients alike. This role combines creative vision, content strategy, and leadership to drive innovation and excellence in healthcare advertising.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the creative lead and “owner” of copy across assigned brands and campaigns.
• Partner with art directors on brand and concept development, ensuring cohesive visual and verbal storytelling.
• Lead the development of long-form and short-form content, maintaining brand tone, consistency, and regulatory compliance (MLR).
• Collaborate with UX, Tech, and CX teams to align content with user experience and platform requirements.
• Provide strategic input and creative leadership in client meetings and presentations.
• Participate in market research and message testing to refine promotional content.
• Mentor and manage copywriters, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, communications, English, journalism, or a related field.
• 8–10 years of experience in an agency setting, with at least 6 years in pharmaceutical copy leadership.
• Exceptional copywriting, storytelling, and communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and mentor creative talent.
• Strong conceptual thinking and ability to connect abstract ideas into compelling narratives.
• Deep understanding of social platforms (e.g., X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and emerging cultural trends.
• Experience navigating regulatory processes and medical/legal review (MLR).
• Ability to quickly grasp complex medical and technical content and translate it into clear, engaging messaging.

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $135,000 to $155,000. The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high of the Syneos Health range for this position. Actual salary will vary based on various factors such as the candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. In addition, some positions may include eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and / or individual performance.

At GSW, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If your past experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. At times, we will consider transferable skills from previous roles. We also encourage you to join our Talent Network to stay connected to additional career opportunities.

GSW is a full-service healthcare communications agency that goes beyond advertising to create personalized brand experiences that involve, inspire, educate and activate people through ongoing brand journeys. As one of the world’s ten most-awarded healthcare advertising agencies, GSW is hell-bent not to replace the same old with the same old. This is achieved through a provocative premise — if other brands communicated the way healthcare brands do, how many customers would they have? GSW turns against this premise through discovery of beneath-the-surface customer insights that we impact with stories, simplicity and authenticity.

Work Here Matters Everywhere | How are you inspired to change lives?

Syneos Health companies are affirmative action/equal opportunity employers (Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled)

Syneos Health has a voluntary COVID-19 vaccination policy. We strongly encourage all employees to be fully vaccinated. Additionally, certain local governments or Syneos Health customers may have vaccine requirements that apply to some of our employees. These employees are required to submit proof of vaccination to Syneos Health and maintain compliance with these requirements.

At Syneos Health, we believe in providing an environment and culture in which Our People can thrive, develop and advance. We reward and recognize our people by providing valuable benefits and a quality-of-life balance. The benefits for this position will include a competitive compensation package, Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Company match 401k, flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time. Because certain states and municipalities have regulated paid sick time requirements, eligibility for paid sick time may vary depending on where you work. Syneos Health complies with all applicable federal, state, and municipal paid sick time requirements.