Principal Medical Writer

Kinetix Health Group

18d

About The Position

The Principal Medical Writer, within Scientific Services, owns the development and delivery of complex scientific and medical communications content, either by writing or reviewing. The role serves as a primary client contact and the agency’s scientific voice, providing strategic communications and therapeutic-area expertise. It leads client and KOL interactions, gives scientific direction, ensures high-quality and compliant materials, and supports timely project delivery. The position includes coaching, mentoring, training, and line-managing junior writers; coordinating freelance writers; forecasting workload and resource needs; and contributing to recruitment. It also supports account growth, business development, pitches, budgeting, scheduling, and commercial awareness. The role models agency processes and compliance, supports internal process development, and may attend congresses, advisory boards, or client meetings, including as an onsite team lead. Success includes consistently delivering quality work on time and to budget, supporting clients and new business, and achieving a billability target of at least 70% on live or active projects.

Requirements

Degree level or higher in a biomedical science.
Extensive medical communications agency experience, with strong evidence of teamwork and leadership.
Excellent attention to detail, grammar, and syntax.
Strong project management and organizational skills, with a good understanding of commercial drivers.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Solid understanding of drug development and EU and US regulations.
Solid understanding of medical publication processes, including ICMJE and GPP.
Highest-quality scientific writing, literature searching, and appraisal skills.
Commitment to coaching junior writers and providing constructive feedback.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

PhD, MD, or PharmD.

Responsibilities

Own the development and delivery of complex content and ensure projects are completed on time.
Research, write, review, and quality-control content across materials and audiences to the highest standards.
Lead the resolution of challenging or complex client comments.
Serve as a strategic communications and therapeutic-area expert, primary client point of contact, and agency voice.
Maintain therapeutic-area expertise and contribute to strategic communications plans and awareness of relevant media coverage and pharmaceutical industry developments.
Lead and participate in client meetings; liaise with and brief KOLs; and serve as a point of contact for clients and KOLs on assigned projects.
Coach, mentor, train, and line-manage writers, including providing constructive feedback and quality assurance.
Demonstrate leadership and maturity, including in challenging or nuanced situations.
Support account expansion, business development, and pitches; contribute scientific expertise and creative concepts.
Act as a senior Scientific Services contact, lead client and KOL meetings, and provide scientific direction for creative work.
Coordinate with Scientific Services and Client Partnerships colleagues to deliver work on time and to high standards.
Sign off final materials before certification or client sign-off.
Forecast workload and resource needs for personal projects and those of line reports.
Brief, review, and provide feedback on freelance writers and integrate them into account teams.
Promote clear and proactive communication across teams.
Model adherence to agency processes and compliance guidelines, and coach and monitor staff in compliance.
Support senior colleagues in developing and refining internal processes and ensure compliance across produced materials.
Follow agency and/or client legal and regulatory compliance processes after training, including ABPI, EFPIA, FDA, PAAB, and IMC codes; upload and reference items for review.
Attend congresses, advisory boards, or client meetings independently or as an onsite team lead, and debrief afterward.
Contribute to budgets and schedules and maintain commercial awareness.
Help flag and justify out-of-scope requests in a timely manner.
Complete timesheets daily.
Support recruitment through CV screening, writing-test review, interviews, and decision-making.
Achieve a billability target of at least 70% on live or active projects.