Director, Scientific Communications

Edwards Lifesciences • Irvine, CA

23h

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. It is responsible for developing and executing podium, publication, and broader scientific communication strategies with internal and external stakeholders, including physician investigators and key opinion leaders, while maintaining Edwards’ presence at national and international conferences and ensuring regulatory compliance.

The Director oversees sub-functions and may hold budget responsibilities; develops talent and processes; and uses metrics to assess the impact of scientific communication programs. The role also maintains and disseminates knowledge of the competitive landscape and future product entries, integrates clinical data and insights into education and training, and identifies evidence gaps and leads strategies to address them. An incidental duty is conducting pre-conference assessments to ensure speakers have access to the latest clinical data.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, related experience working in the clinical, research, or healthcare industry, and skill levels exceeding Manager requirements, or equivalent work experience based on Edwards criteria.
• Demonstrated track record in people management or equivalent work experience based on Edwards criteria.

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.
• Successful project management leadership skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and related tools and systems.
• Excellent problem-solving, organizational, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, including discretion and judgment in decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, including negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Expert understanding of scientific communication procedures and the ability to apply functional knowledge and methodologies to complex problems.
• Expertise in developing scientific or medical conference proceedings and manuscript publications in major scientific journals.
• Expert scientific acumen for working with internal stakeholders and physicians to identify evidence gaps and opportunities.
• Expert knowledge of ACCME, AdvaMed, EUcomed, FDA, and ISO regulations.
• Ability to manage one or more teams and provide coaching and feedback, including employee actions and partnering with HR on employee relations.
• 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 with all organizational levels and proactively escalate issues to appropriate management levels.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic, and constantly changing work environment.
• Experience interacting with internal and external management and senior-level stakeholders on projects, operational decisions, scheduling requirements, and contractual clarifications.
• Ability to change others’ 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 share best practices and improve team effectiveness.
• Ability to develop relationships and leverage them to influence change.
• Ability to support and solicit input from team members at all levels.

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 the work of sub-functions and/or areas, with possible financial budget responsibilities.
• Develop a talent development plan aligned with the department’s functional growth strategies.
• Develop, maintain, and disseminate knowledge of the competitive landscape and future product entries, including identifying, summarizing, and sharing key scientific conference sessions.
• Develop processes and use metrics to assess the impact of scientific communication programs.
• Collaborate 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 teams and provide coaching and feedback, including employee actions and partnering 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.

Benefits

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

What This Job Offers

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