The Senior Medical Director provides scientific and strategic direction for all tactical medical communications activities for assigned therapeutic areas and products and partners with the Account Services, Strategic Services, Creative Services, Editorial Services, and Project Management departments and clients to develop branded and unbranded medical and promotional communications for healthcare professional (HCP) and patient audiences. The Senior Medical Director participates as a department representative at internal functions requiring scientific input, participates in strategy and scientific/medical components of new-business development activities, represents the company at client meetings at which scientific expertise is needed for the planning or acquisition of future projects, and interacts with clients, faculty, key clinical experts, and patients in support of pharmaceutical advertising/promotional initiatives.Job DutiesMedical ServicesProvide scientific direction, support, and leadership for all strategic and tactical communications activities for assigned therapeutic areas and productsDevelop clinical content for branded and unbranded promotional communications tactics and activities, including hands-on writing and annotation of content for HCP and patient educational material/brochures, videos, websites, and other multimedia initiativesEffectively communicate complex medical and scientific concepts in a clear, engaging, audience-appropriate mannerEnsure scientific integrity, accuracy, and clinical relevance of all materialsSupport projects toward development across multiple brandsReview, analyze, and interpret current product literature and leverage information to support promotional claims Interpret and apply clinical data; use clinical expertise to benchmark client versus competitor productsAssume final responsibility for content of assigned projects, including relevance, technical accuracy, audience appropriateness, strategy, and consistency with communications planPresent and appropriately defend promotional materials to client review committees for approval and apply resulting comments while maintaining the integrity and objectives of the materialMaintain up-to-date knowledge of medical scientific information related to assigned therapeutic areas, products, and competitorsGenerate strategically sound project ideas and maintain a proactive approach on initiatives for existing and prospective clientsWork in conjunction with Account Services and Project Management departments to develop logical and attainable timelines for project completionProvide mentorship/guidance, support, and feedback to junior medical team members, copywriters, and freelance contract writers as needed during the content development processFollow all internal processes and procedures with regard to workflow and development of deliverablesAttend professional meetings (live or virtual) to maintain relationships with clients and opinion leaders, and to remain abreast of up-to-date therapeutic area and competitive landscape informationAssist in designing healthcare professional and patient market research to more clearly define audience attitudes and behaviorsKeep core teams and management informed of status of ongoing projectsInternal and External RelationshipsBuild effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholdersBuild strong client relationships; inspire client confidenceCollaborate with internal and external personnel from all disciplines to ensure innovative solutions to client needs related to new business and existing workCommunicate and collaborate with faculty and key opinion leaders on programs to meet strategic objectives through relationship building and use of scientific expertise; note, synthesize, and interpret feedback and insights to drive actionable strategy and tacticsBusiness DevelopmentSupport new-business teams to ensure data are medically sound and teams are well informed about all medical aspects of the productAssist in the development of new-business presentations by analyzing and synthesizing literature, pharmacologic attributes, clinical data, product profile and strategy, and market research into a strategic application for capabilitiesRepresent Synchrony at capabilities presentations and other new business–related meetings as a full-time, permanent resource that has had extensive relevant training and expertiseSupport the execution of healthcare professional and patient interviews as part of qualitative research for new-business presentationsHelp to identify potential clinical experts as advisors or research participantsKey Competencies Sound strategic and analytical thinking, planning, prioritization, and execution skillsAbility to manage outcomes to win-win resolutionsStrong creative design, conceptual, and visual story-telling skillsAbility to effectively communicate both verbally and in writingSolid medical writing skillsExceptional organizational skills with adeptness at multitaskingFlexibility and adaptability to change; ability to work under time constraints Effective attention to detail and high degree of scientific and medical accuracyAbility to identify key issues and to creatively and strategically overcome challenges or obstaclesHigh level of integrity, ethics, confidentiality, and accountabilityAbility to interact effectively in a team environmentProficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)Ability to oversee, manage, and support priorities and workflow to ensure high-quality project execution according to project timelines and budgetsStrong presentation and persuasion skillsDevelops a clear point of view and tells a meaningful “story”Demonstrates effectiveness in a variety of settings and group sizes with clients, peers, subordinates, and managementConfidently expresses both data/facts and more controversial topicsCommands attention and can manage group dynamics
