Director, Scientific and Medical Communications

Protara Therapeutics, Inc. • New York, NY

5h

About The Position

Protara Therapeutic’s Scientific and Medical Communications leader develops and drives the scientific and medical communication strategy for Protara’s oncology, and rare disease product portfolio. This role ensures scientific accuracy, message consistency, and high‑quality communication across internal and external audiences. The ideal candidate brings strong scientific grounding, exceptional writing and data positioning skills, and experience supporting medical affairs, clinical development, and corporate communications in highly innovative therapeutic areas.

Requirements

• 8–10+ years of experience in scientific or medical communications within biotech/pharma, CROs, or medical communications agencies.
• Advanced degree in life sciences (i.e., MPH, PhD, PharmD, MD) preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in oncology, cell and gene therapy, or rare diseases.
• Proven ability to translate complex scientific concepts into clear, accurate, and engaging content.
• Strong understanding of clinical development, medical affairs, and publication processes.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills with meticulous attention to scientific accuracy.
• Experience in a fast‑paced, high‑growth biotech environment.
• Familiarity with regulatory processes and the scientific components of INDs, BLAs, and briefing documents.
• Experience managing external vendors, agencies, and scientific collaborators.
• Knowledge of digital communication platforms and modern scientific dissemination tools.
• Scientific fluency across oncology and advanced therapeutic modalities.
• Strategic thinking in shaping scientific narratives that support corporate and medical goals.
• Storytelling ability to make complex science accessible without oversimplifying.
• Cross‑functional influence and comfort working with senior scientific and clinical leaders.
• Operational excellence in managing publications, congress activities, and content pipelines
• Must be proficient in MS Office Suite, with advanced skills in Excel.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences and build strong relationships
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task successfully in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail are essential
• It is essential that this individual demonstrates the ability to work with highly confidential information.
• Ability to manage both day-to-day operations as well as project work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative team setting.
• Proficiency in data mining/data extraction.
• Demonstrated experience working with and presenting to senior level management.
• Ability to work through uncertainty.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with NetSuite, Workday Adaptive and/or Smartsheet is a plus

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain the company’s scientific platform, core data narratives, and disease‑area messaging across oncology, cell and gene therapy, and rare diseases.
• Develop and/or oversee the development of high‑quality scientific materials including slide decks, white papers, FAQs, backgrounders, and scientific statements for internal and external use.
• Translate complex clinical, nonclinical, and mechanistic data into clear, compelling content tailored to scientific, clinical, regulatory, and investor audiences.
• Work closely with Corporate Communications colleagues to ensure consistency of scientific messaging across publications, presentations, press releases, and corporate communications.
• Lead development and/or provide oversight of medical affairs materials such as scientific response documents, medical information letters, field medical slide decks, and training modules.
• In collaboration with the Clinical Sciences team, support planning and execution of advisory boards, scientific roundtables, and congress activities.
• Partner with Medical Affairs to ensure alignment between scientific communications and medical strategy.
• Develop publication plans and drive publication planning and execution, including abstracts, posters, oral presentations, and manuscripts.
• Collaborate with internal authors, external investigators, and publication agencies to ensure scientific rigor and timely delivery.
• Develop scientific congress plans and manage congress strategy, including scientific messaging, booth content, symposia materials, and data dissemination plans.
• Work closely with Clinical Development, Clinical Sciences and Regulatory, Corporate Communications, and Commercial to ensure scientific accuracy and alignment across all materials.
• Partner with Corporate Communications to ensure scientific integrity in external announcements, investor materials, and media engagements.
• Develop internal scientific updates, newsletters, and training materials to ensure employees understand the science, pipeline, and therapeutic areas.

Benefits

• Friendly, open, and fun team-oriented culture that values unique & diverse perspectives.
• Company-wide dedication to profoundly impacting patients’ lives.
• Amazing culture whereby core values and behaviors are shared cross-functionally.
• Flexible working hours/schedule.
• Generous Paid Holidays and Unlimited PTO.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree