Publications and Scientific Communications Lead

ICON; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement planning offerings

Employee assistance program

Job summary

ICON Strategic Solutions is seeking a Publications and Scientific Communications Lead to manage scientific aspects of clinical research projects. You will oversee publication strategy, ensure quality and timelines, and coordinate with external authors, agencies, and cross-functional teams.

The role requires budget oversight and adherence to publication practices. You will bring an advanced scientific degree and 5+ years in pharma medical communications, with strong project management,

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a scientific discipline (e.g., PhD, PharmD).
• Minimum 5 years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry.
• Exceptional project management skills and leadership in publication strategy.
• Ability to plan, prioritize and execute multiple projects with rigor.
• Understanding of the clinical development process and data interpretation.
• Strong writing, editing and critical appraisal of literature.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for cross-functional collaboration.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% (US and Europe).
• Experience in oncology and/or dermatology is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of portfolio asset / product publication strategy and plan.
• Produce high-quality publications supporting assets / products and disease education.
• Contribute to strategy and development of scientific platforms / statements.
• Interact with external authors and collaborators to develop publication content.
• Manage external agencies and freelancers involved in writing, editing, formatting.
• Review publications with authors and external reviewers; track progress.
• Write, edit, and format publications including manuscripts, abstracts, slides and posters.
• Responsible for budget planning and milestones.
• Follow authorship guidelines and good publication practices.
• Ensure medical publication activities comply with policies and procedures.
• Contribute to maintenance and roll-out of departmental policies.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Complex medical communication

Travel readiness

Microsoft Office

Publication planning software

Education

Advanced degree in scientific discipline (PhD/PharmD)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Publication planning software

Job description

Publications and Scientific Communications Lead

At ICON Strategic Solutions, you will work in a sponsor-dedicated model, supported by ICON’s global expertise.

As the world’s largest FSP organisation, with over 90 sponsor partnerships, we offer stability, career development and a collaborative environment where your work contributes to the development of treatments that benefit patients worldwide.

As a Publications and Scientific Communications Lead at ICON, you will manage the scientific aspects of clinical research projects, ensuring the highest standards of scientific excellence and operational efficiency.

What You Will Do:

You will oversee scientific operations workstreams, ensuring deliverables meet quality and timeline expectations.

• Lead the development and implementation of portfolio asset / product publication strategy and plan
• Produce high-quality publications supporting company assets / products and disease education
• Contribute to the strategy and development of disease or product scientific platform / statements
• Interact and lead discussions with external authors and collaborators within the Medical Affairs, Drug Development, and Drug Discovery organizations to develop publication content related to company studies
• Manage external agencies and freelancers involved in the writing, editing, formatting and
• Manage the review of publications with authors/reviewers and external authors
• Track and report the progress of publication development. Utilize appropriate software to
• Write, edit, and format publications as needed. These include primary manuscripts, congress abstracts, slide presentations, and posters
• Responsible for budget planning and milestones
• Follow published guidelines for authorship and good publication practices
• Ensure that medical/scientific publication activities are within company policies, procedures
• and good publications practices
• Contribute as needed to the maintenance and roll-out of departmental policies

Your Profile:

You will have solid scientific operations experience, with the ability to manage competing priorities and develop your team.

Required qualifications and experience:

• Advanced degree in a scientific discipline (e.g., PhD, PharmD)
• Minimum 5 years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry, a medical communication
• Exceptional project management skills
• Demonstrated leadership in running a publication strategy and plan, and developing scientific
• Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and execute multiple projects; ability to multitask and
• Understand the clinical development process, especially clinical study data and outcomes
• Ability to critically appraise and apply knowledge gained from the medical/scientific literature.
• High attention to details and scientific rigor
• Strong interpersonal skills for effective professional communications, aiming to cultivate
• strong working relationships with both internal and external groups
• Demonstrated leadership and cross-functional stakeholder management skills to drive business priorities
• Ability to effectively communicate complex medical/scientific information and contribute to medical strategy
• Ability to respond to urgent timelines
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) is essential as well as working knowledge of key software applications relevant to publication planning and implementation
• Experience in oncology and/or dermatology is a plus
• Travel is estimated to be less than 10% of time. Most of the travel activity will be in the U.S. and Europe for conferences

What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country‑specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here.