Director, Scientific Communications

Edwards Lifesciences • Irvine, CA

1d • $174,000 - $246,000

About The Position

The Director, Scientific Communications will lead and develop a team responsible for shaping and executing the Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) publication strategy. The role combines people leadership with evidence strategy and cross-functional scientific collaboration. The Director will lead scientific communication plans and publication and podium strategies, maintain Edwards’ presence at national and international conferences, and ensure activities comply with regulatory requirements.

The role oversees sub-functions or functional areas and may include financial budget responsibilities. It also involves developing talent, tracking the impact of scientific communication programs, sharing knowledge of the competitive landscape and emerging products, integrating clinical data into training and education, and identifying clinical evidence gaps and strategies to address them. The Director may also conduct pre-conference assessments to ensure speakers have access to current clinical data.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, plus related experience in clinical, research, or healthcare work, with skill levels exceeding Manager requirements; equivalent work experience may be considered based on Edwards criteria.
• Demonstrated track record in people management or equivalent work experience based on Edwards criteria.
• Ability to manage one or more teams, provide coaching and feedback, and take responsibility for employee actions, including hiring and termination authority and partnering with HR on employee relations.
• Excellent problem-solving, organizational, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, with sound discretion and judgment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, including negotiation and relationship management, with the ability to drive achievement of objectives.
• Expert understanding of scientific communication procedures and their application to complex problems.
• Expertise in developing scientific or medical conference proceedings and manuscripts for publication in major scientific journals.
• Expert scientific acumen to work with stakeholders and physicians to identify evidence gaps and opportunities.
• Expert knowledge of ACCME, AdvaMed, EUcomed, FDA, and ISO regulations.
• Ability to develop and integrate metrics into projects and operations to demonstrate the value of scientific communications to the business.
• Strict attention to detail.
• Ability to interact professionally at all organizational levels and proactively escalate issues to appropriate management levels.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and changing environment.
• Ability to interact frequently with internal and external management and senior-level stakeholders on projects, operational decisions, scheduling, and contractual clarifications.
• Ability to lead briefings and technical meetings for internal and external representatives.
• Ability to influence thinking or gain acceptance in sensitive situations without damaging relationships.
• Commitment to quality client service and responsiveness to client needs.
• Ability to develop peer, cross-functional, and cross-business relationships to maximize best-practice sharing and team effectiveness.
• Ability to support and solicit input from team members at all levels.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or doctoral degree in a related field.
• 8–10 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience working in a regulated industry or equivalent work experience based on Edwards criteria.
• Proven project management leadership skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and related tools and systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead podium and publication strategies with internal and external stakeholders, including physician investigators and key opinion leaders.
• Execute the scientific communication plan and maintain Edwards’ presence at national and international conferences while ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Develop and lead a cross-functional scientific communication strategy.
• Manage and oversee sub-functions or areas and, where applicable, financial budgets.
• Develop a talent development plan aligned with the department’s functional growth strategies.
• Develop, maintain, and disseminate knowledge of the competitive landscape, future product entries, and key scientific conference sessions.
• Develop processes and use metrics to assess the impact of scientific communication programs.
• Work with internal stakeholders to integrate current clinical data and insights into training and education curricula and meet healthcare professional scientific information needs.
• Identify clinical evidence gaps and propose or lead evidence development strategies to address them.
• Conduct pre-conference assessments of scientific programs to ensure speakers have access to the latest clinical data.
• Manage and develop teams, including coaching, feedback, employee actions, and collaboration with HR on employee relations.
• Lead briefings and technical meetings for internal and external representatives.
• Provide leadership and direction to cross-functional teams implementing global enterprise systems and related solutions.
• Develop relationships and use them to influence change, support team members, and promote cross-functional collaboration and best-practice sharing.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries.
• Performance-based incentives.
• A wide variety of benefits programs to address the diverse individual needs of employees and their families.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director