Principal Medical Writer - Medical Communications

Responsibilities

• Writing clear, accurate content across medical education and medical affairs deliverables — slide decks, training materials, scientific platforms, plain language summaries, infographics and patient-facing materials — for both healthcare professional and lay audiences
• Delivering clinical trial materials such as patient information brochures, visit guides, retention materials and thank you letters, working accurately from protocols and source documents
• Interrogating briefs that are often light on detail — going back with the right questions rather than filling gaps with assumptions
• Joining client calls and status meetings as a named team member, and handling day-to-day client queries directly
• Reviewing and editing content from in-house and freelance writers, giving timely, constructive feedback
• Getting across new therapy areas quickly and working accurately
• Get up to speed and be confident working within local codes of practice, such as PAAB and ABPI
• Spotting and helping shape organic growth opportunities within the account as you settle in

Requirements

• Proven experience as a senior or principal medical writer in an agency setting, producing high-quality scientific and creative copy with minimal support
• A life sciences undergraduate degree
• Demonstrable experience writing for both healthcare professionals and patients or the public, switching confidently between the two registers
• Experience with medical affairs and medical education deliverables — slide decks, training materials, scientific platforms, plain language summaries, infographics and patient-facing materials
• Confidence leading and contributing to client calls, and acting as an extension of the client’s account team
• Working knowledge of ABPI and other relevant codes, with the judgement to flag concerns and propose compliant solutions
• Experience reviewing and editing copy from in-house or freelance writers, with timely, constructive feedback

Preferred

• A life sciences PhD
• Clinical trial materials experience — patient information brochures, visit guides, retention materials, thank you letters, or equivalent experience working from protocols, investigator brochures and informed consent forms
• Comfort getting across a new indication quickly with no specific therapy area specialism required
• Formal line management experience — this can be developed in role
• Business development exposure — proposals, scoping, pitches or identifying organic growth opportunities within an existing account
• Experience of a single dedicated account, rather than breadth across many clients
• Experience in a small or scaling agency, comfortable with an entrepreneurial environment and evolving processes

Benefits

• Salary of £55,000–£65,000 per annum, dependent on experience
• Annual company performance bonus (one pot, shared equally across the whole team)
• Share options
• Company-paid private health insurance with Vitality (fully covered by us)
• Pension (we contribute 3% if you join the scheme; you contribute 5%)
• Individual and team training / self-development budget
• Enhanced parental leave (full pay — 12 weeks maternity / 4 weeks paternity)
• 25 days’ holiday (3 saved for the Christmas–New Year shutdown), plus UK bank holidays
• Your birthday off — so that’s 26 (day in lieu if it lands on a weekend)
• An extra day’s holiday after 2+ years, building up to 5 additional days over time