Principal Medical Writer

MSD; North Wales (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Sick days

Job summary

MSD is seeking a Principal Medical Writer in the Clinical and Regulatory Strategic Communications group at the USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales location. You will develop, author, edit, and lead reviews of regulatory and public-facing documents across multiple programs, acting as a subject matter expert in medical writing best practices and regulatory requirements.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to guide project timelines, provide mentorship to peers, and drive initiatives to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a health, scientific, or relevant discipline (e.g., life sciences, pharmacy, medicine, public health)
• 5+ years of relevant medical writing or industry experience
• Experience managing complex writing projects in a deadline-driven environment and leading teams of medical writers and/or cross-functional team members
• Ability to critically evaluate and interpret clinical data clearly, objectively, and in accordance with regulatory requirements and industry guidelines
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with an ability to innovate, influence, and drive change
• Demonstrated effective leadership across organizational levels, including conflict resolution, negotiation, navigating teams through ambiguity, and decision making
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Technical expertise in commonly used office applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), shared document systems (e.g., SharePoint) and willingness to learn and adopt emerging technology

Responsibilities

• Develop, author, edit, and lead review of accurate, clear, and compliant clinical, regulatory, and public-facing documents across programs and therapeutic areas
• Serve as subject matter expert in medical writing best practices and evolving regulatory requirements
• Provide program oversight by keeping project leads informed and escalate issues impacting timelines, quality, or compliance
• Demonstrate leadership and mentorship to other medical writers and potentially manage direct reports
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, plan, and lead medical writing projects and initiatives
• Lead initiatives to improve medical writing processes and standards and serve as a resource internally and externally

Skills

Subject matter expert

Cross-functional leadership

Critical thinking

Project oversight

Medical writing tools

Process improvement

Clinical development knowledge

Pharma industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

SharePoint

Job description

Job Description The Clinical and Regulatory Strategic Communications (CRSC) department within Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) creates and delivers high-quality regulated content in support of our development pipeline and enables data sharing for our customers. We are a strategic partner that ensures excellence and compliance with applicable laws while incorporating health literacy principles in the development of public-facing materials.

The Principal Medical Writer, in partnership with a project lead, leverages strategic and scientific expertise to develop, author, edit, and lead the review of accurate, clear, and compliant clinical, regulatory, and/or public‑facing documents, across multiple programs and therapeutic areas, in support of the company portfolio. In this role, the Principal Medical Writer:

• Is recognized as a subject matter expert in the design, planning, authoring, editing, and review of accurate, clear, high-quality documents that reflect applicable medical writing best practices (e.g., lean writing, health literacy) and evolving regulatory requirements
• Is recognized as a strong scientific contributor and collaborator on cross‑functional teams and demonstrates an understanding of team and project leadership responsibilities
• Applies critical thinking, problem solving, and negotiation skills to implement innovative solutions to complex challenges across the medical writing scope of work (e.g., documents, content, processes, timelines, tools) while navigating project team dynamics
• Provides program oversight by keeping project leads and/or management informed and escalates, as needed, issues that could impact timelines, quality, or compliance
• Demonstrates expertise in medical writing‑specific tools and technology platforms
• Leads initiatives to improve medical writing processes and standards; may serve as a resource for this work internally and externally, as appropriate
• Applies in‑depth knowledge of clinical development, relevant regulations, disease areas, and company products
• Demonstrates a developing understanding of the pharmaceutical industry beyond clinical research
• Provides scientific and operational mentorship, coaching and/or project oversight to support other medical writers
• May manage direct reports including workload, professional development, and performance management

Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferably in a health, scientific, or relevant discipline (e.g., life sciences, pharmacy, medicine, public health)
• 5+ years of relevant medical writing or industry experience
• Experience managing complex writing projects in a deadline‑driven environment and leading teams of medical writers and/or cross‑functional team members
• Ability to critically evaluate and interpret clinical data clearly, objectively, and in accordance with regulatory requirements and industry guidelines
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem‑solving capabilities, with an ability to innovate, influence, and drive change
• Demonstrated effective leadership across organizational levels, including conflict resolution, negotiation, navigating teams through ambiguity, and decision making
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Technical expertise in commonly used office applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), shared document systems (e.g., SharePoint), and willingness to learn and adapt to emerging technology

Preferred skills & experience:

• Clinical and Regulatory Medical Writer (MW): Experience independently preparing a various set of clinical regulatory documents (e.g., protocols, clinical study reports, clinical submission documents) in accordance with regulatory requirements and industry guidelines.
• Experience in adaptability, clinical studies, clinical trials operations, data analysis, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), health literacy, medical writing, project management, regulatory compliance, stakeholder alignment, standard operating procedure (SOP), strategic thinking.
• Preferred Skills: Clinical Trials, Leadership, Regulatory Submissions, Technical Knowledge.

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: No relocation

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift: 1st - Day

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): N/A

Job Posting End Date: 10/22/2026

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only: Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The primary location for this posting is: USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below. The salary range for the primary location of this role is: $142,400.00 - $224,100.00 This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long‑term incentive, if applicable. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location. Additional location(s) Compensation Information: San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre‑existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.