Senior Medical Writer

A BOLDSCIENCE Senior Medical Writer is starting to gain experience working across a range of deliverables and therapy areas within the medical communications industry. They have developed good technical writing skills and can quickly get up to speed with new therapy areas and client accounts. They have a strong scientific background and enjoy communicating complex scientific messages clearly, accurately, and innovatively.

An SMW gains more autonomy as they build confidence in their role. They produce good drafts for scientific review which meet the brief and are considered “client-ready”. Their work is thoroughly researched, technically accurate, well-written, and presentable. An SMW is proactive in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting deadlines and keeping the team updated on their project actions. They are starting to take the lead on client communications, can go on-site alone, and build trusted relationships across their account teams. An SMW is all about the team, and they are beginning to learn reviewing skills, providing basic reviews and constructive feedback to junior team members.

DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES:

At BOLDSCIENCE, no two days are the same, and our SMWs actively support their account(s) and the Scientific Services team. Some typical activities include:

Technical Writing:

• Design, develop and edit different types of materials across a wide range of project types for various audiences. Materials include:
  • Slide decks
  • Video scripts
  • Leave-behind pieces
  • Website copy
  • Manuscripts and congress publications
  • Gap analyses
  • Meeting summaries and reports
• Delivers well-written materials that are scientifically and technically accurate for review. Work is fully referenced, appropriate to the target audience, and meets client objectives and specifications
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the brief, asking well-informed questions to ensure they have all the relevant information to work independently
• Presents content updates to clients and works with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and subject matter experts to develop and/or approve materials
• Completes written materials within the specified time and budget allocated for the project
• Has expert knowledge of client review and approval systems, such as Veeva, DataVision, etc., and ensures all deliverables comply with industry codes, such as the ABPI
• Proactively volunteers for data checking and performs it accurately and in line with BOLD processes
• Provides a basic review of basic medical communication deliverables with constructive feedback
• Is confident to go on-site without senior scientific supervision to run some meetings deliverables, such as advisory boards

Scientific Knowledge:

• Develops and maintains in-depth knowledge across relevant therapy areas and products
• Researches medical and scientific topics using relevant and appropriate information sources with minimal guidance, annotating those sources while writing
• Is scientifically curious and keen to stay up to date on the latest developments, sharing knowledge with the internal team and clients where appropriate
• Is flexible and eager to work across different client teams, deliverables, and therapy areas
• Gains knowledge of leading experts within a specific therapeutic area

Project Management Skills:

• Attends and contributes as needed to client meetings, including project kick-off, regular status, and ad hoc client and HCP calls
• Ensures that senior team members are regularly updated and have a clear picture of the account activity; foresees and escalates any red flags
• Able to think beyond individual tasks to the broader scope of work and spot interdependencies and pressure points
• Follows standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Effectively manages their time to prioritise tasks across different accounts
• Consistently meets deadlines and alerts senior team members if they believe a project will take more time

Financial Management Skills:

• Demonstrates knowledge of allocated hours and strives to work within them
• Maintains an average billability of ~85%
• Ensures that timesheets are completed accurately and promptly

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Higher degree in a relevant subject (PhD, MD, PharmD, etc.)
• Proactive approach and an enthusiasm for trying new things
• 2–3 years of medical writing experience in medical communications
• Excellent written and verbal communication with a passion for creativity
• Good organisation skills and ability to work under pressure
• Experience working with clients and HCPs
• Ability to provide a basic review of deliverables for scientific accuracy and integrity

Originally posted on Himalayas