Associate Director - Scientific Communications

Description

The Associate Director, Scientific Communications, India, operates as a core member of the global Syneos Health medical communications business. This leader will have line management and content delivery responsibilities for a team of 3-5 local medical writers of varying levels of seniority and experience. They will require the ability to effectively partner with local leadership and other key stakeholders in the organisation's global medical communications ecosystem.

For the group's medical communication agency, Litmus, the Associate Director, Scientific Communications, India is a discipline subject-matter expert, who will join the existing medical writing footprint in India to manage a highly effective medical writing team, delivering high-quality work for one of our portfolios of business. As such, this role is directly accountable to the Director of Scientific Services & Communications Group, India to ensure flawless and strategic execution in support of our global medical communications agencies, and to the satisfaction of our clients.

We are currently looking for an Associate Director, Scientific Communications, India to lead the writing team within one of our medical communications portfolios / business units. The successful candidate will be a dynamic individual who has the necessary people management and technical skills to lead a team of writers from both an editorial and a strategic perspective. The Associate Director, Scientific Communications, India must demonstrate sound scientific knowledge and understanding, keen commercial acumen, an ability to think creatively and a talent for getting the best out of people, as well as a very high standard of writing ability.

Technical skills:

• Managing the delivery of a range of high-quality medical communication materials across global programmes, including peer-to-peer programs, advisory boards, scientific platforms, MSL materials (proactive and reactive), digital medical communications and publications
• Experience across both non-promotional and promotional medical communication activities
• Ensuring maintenance of high scientific and editorial standards through first-pass review of other writers work, as part of defined quality control process
• Proven strategic and scientific thinking and the ability to read and distill data
• Providing strategic direction to team members, to support their delivery against content briefs, based on commercial needs of the business and thorough understanding of clients needs and objectives
• Developing specialist knowledge in specific therapy areas as required
• Ability to multi-task and collaborate internally and externally, to ensure delivery according to agreed project timelines
• Proven leadership and management of multiple accounts
  

Talent Management:

• Leading and managing a team of 3-5 medical writers of all levels of seniority
• Capacity management, including allocation of medical writing tasks to ensure optimal utilization of resources and assignment of appropriate expertise to ensure efficient project delivery
• For the India medical writing team, support delivery of training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to support high-quality medical writing and medical strategy execution
• Identifying, fostering, and monitoring necessary skills development for direct reports
• Supporting and maintaining a healthy local Communications employee culture that drives engagement and retention, and driving connectivity between the India-based Communications teams and the broader global Communications organization
• Providing detailed feedback on direct reports as part of annual performance reviews
• Partnering as needed with other Communications hiring managers and leaders in support of efficient recruitment and onboarding, working proactively to optimize and streamline processes and procedures
• Providing pastoral care and practical guidance to assist team members in the completion of their duties.
  

Team Orientation/Collaboration:

• Allocating resources to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget
• Ability to effectively multi-task and collaborate internally and externally
• Coordinating with studio, production and account management teams for project delivery
• Ability to grow and develop client relationships
• Identifying opportunities for new business within existing accounts
• Assisting in development and maintenance of new business pipeline
• Proactively contribute to the culture of the wider team
• Proactively contribute to Company meetings
• Acting as a role model and setting a visible example for professionalism and work ethic
• Acting as ambassador for the company internally and externally

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in biomedical field, PhD preferred
• Able to communicate fluently in the English language (written and verbal)
• Prior direct line management experience
• Minimum of 7 years professional medical writing and strategy experience in publication planning, publication delivery, medical affairs, medical education promotional, high-science communication experience is a plus
• Broad therapeutic category experience experience in oncology, aesthetics, immunology, and neuroscience preferred
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical drug development, commercialisation and lifecycle management
• Comfortable operating within a highly-matrixed organization
• Strong client and industry relationships
• Excellent computer skills, including PowerPoint, Word, Excel
  

At Syneos Health, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. At times, we will consider transferable skills from previous roles. We also encourage you to join our to stay connected to additional career opportunities.

Litmus Medical Communications acts as a catalyst to accelerate uptake and embed the value of therapies across the product lifecycle, bringing business strategy to science and scientific expertise to your business. With our base in Europe, we are cognizant of the diverse healthcare systems, regulations and market dynamics of the region however, we are not limited by geography and support our customers at a local, European and global level. Whatever the reach required, we specialise in building relationships, understanding and collaboration between the biopharmaceutical industry and medical/healthcare professionals. We develop a range of strategic solutions based on an understanding of both the objectives and issues of our customers as well as their stakeholders, focusing on facilitating peer-to-peer and scientific communications through a range of channels. As effective and compelling communication is key, whether for a marketing story, scientific data or market access support, we have a dedicated editorial excellence team providing content that can be syndicated to deliver solutions to enhance patient care.

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Syneos Health companies are affirmative action/equal opportunity employers (Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled)