Associate Scientific Director - Medical Communications

OpenKrill; United States; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with employer match

Life insurance

Medical, dental and vision

Hybrid and remote work

Global mobility opportunities

Job summary

Avalere Health is seeking an Associate Scientific Director to lead medical scientific services for large-scale projects. You will provide scientific leadership, ensure accuracy, and manage client relationships within major workstreams.

You will mentor junior writers, help develop team capabilities, contribute to business growth, and support pitches with strategic insights. Flexible hybrid/remote options support a global workforce.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a scientific field and proven medical writing experience.
• Ability to provide strategic scientific direction and client alignment.
• Experience mentoring junior writers and leading cross-functional teams.
• Track record in business development and client-focused delivery.
• Excellent communication and collaborative leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead scientific leadership across medical affairs deliverables and client accounts.
• Provide high-level scientific review and align content with client objectives.
• Manage client relationships and responsible delivery within assigned accounts.
• Mentor, develop, and empower junior writers to deepen expertise.

Skills

Medical writing

Scientific leadership

Client relationship management

Mentoring

Business development

Education

Master's degree in a scientific field

PhD preferred

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

CMS familiarity

Job description

About Avalere Health

United by one profound purpose: to reach EVERY 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.

Location: US or Canada (flexible but ideally East Coast)

About the role

We're looking for an Associate Scientific Director to join our Medical Scientific Services team. In this role, you'll provide advanced scientific leadership across a range of med affairs focused projects, taking responsibility for scientific accuracy, strategic oversight, and client relationship management within large workstreams or accounts.

You'll combine content development with high-level reviewing, while line managing, mentoring and onboarding junior writers to deepen their scientific expertise. As a key leader, you'll play an active role in team development and resourcing, contribute to business growth and strategic initiatives, and line manage junior writers.

This is an ideal next step for an Associate Principal Medical Writer, Principal Medical Writer, or equivalent looking to progress towards a Scientific Director role and broaden their impact across medical affairs deliverables.

What you’ll do

• Drive scientific leadership across a range of medical affairs deliverables, including advisory boards, congress materials and slide decks.
• Provide advanced scientific review and strategic input to align content with client objectives.
• Lead client relationships within assigned accounts, ensuring clear communication and trusted delivery.
• Lead, mentor and empower junior writers, fostering professional growth and scientific expertise.
• Contribute to business development, pitching and organic growth through scientific insights.

About you

• Degree in a scientific or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Minimum 6 years’ experience in medical or scientific writing.
• Proven ability to manage diverse scientific content and ensure strategic alignment.
• Skilled in client relationship management and account oversight.
• Collaborative leader with a passion for line management, mentoring and team development.
• Experience supporting business development initiatives and supporting pitches.
• Excellent communication skills and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.
• Oncology or Immunology TA experience is highly advantageous.

What we can offer

You will receive a 401K plan with an employer match contribution up to 4% (immediately vested), as well as life insurance, disability coverage, and medical, dental, and vision plans for peace of mind. Enjoy flexible working arrangements, including hybrid and remote work, along with the option to work from anywhere across the globe two weeks each year. We provide 20 vacation days plus one personal well-being day, recognise 9 public holidays, 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 and personalized health support. Our enhanced maternity, paternity, family leave, and fertility policies provide support across every stage of your family-planning journey. You can also benefit from continuous opportunities to professionally develop with on-demand training, support, and global mobility opportunities across the business.

We encourage all applicants to read our candidate privacy notice before applying to Avalere Health.