Principal Medical Writer

This is a contract-to-full-time opportunity.

We actively look to convert top-performing contractors to full-time employees after 6 months, based on performance and company needs.

Overview

Cactus Life Sciences is a remote-first organization, and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture.

If you are looking for challenging and rewarding work which combines your understanding of medical science and aptitude for writing into one unique job, the Senior Medical Writer role is for you. This is an opportunity to grow your career and make a greater impact on the lives around you.

Responsibilities

• Taking ownership and responsibility for development (write, review, proofread, and data-check) of high-quality, client-ready scientific, medical, and educational materials like slides, abstracts, posters, manuscripts, MSL/training slide decks, infographics, congress and meetings materials, literature searches and reviews, standard response letters/medical information letters, and HCP engagement content according to client and audience needs with excellent attention to detail.
• Actively involved in reviewing materials developed by scientific writers to ensure strategic alignment and scientific accuracy as needed and providing clear constructive feedback, support, and supervision to writers. Mentor and train scientific writers by sharing best practices and client preferences, thereby contributing to skill development within the team.
• – Having excellent knowledge of product/account to enable meaningful interactions with clients and authors, including consultancy where necessary. Liaising and building and maintaining strong and long-standing professional relationships with international pharmaceutical clients, healthcare professionals, internal and external stakeholders including authors, reviewers and key opinion leaders across therapeutic areas — learning to anticipate their needs. This includes educating and advising clients on how to best implement their strategic and tactical plans and proactively provide recommendations to clients on how to improve scientific content and propose new document types/ways to disseminate client date more effectively. Be a key client contact and closely involved in account management.
• Effectively and proactively communicate with team members, authors/faculty, clients and vendors
• Attend workshops/seminars/trainings to hone your skills and contribute to organizational objectives.
• Attend client and other external meetings and supporting senior team members as needed
• Apply your scientific and creative knowledge and work closely with client directors in developing ideas and executing effective medical communications initiatives in the digital space, including publication extenders, creation of infographics, interactive assets, website content, patient narratives, and medical information engagement plans. Also, Supporting with the development of visual content and materials using effective data visualization techniques and approaches. Contributing to innovative “out of the box” solutions for medical writing projects.
• Responsible for ensuring all materials follow/comply with client requirements/SOPs, style guides, client templates, client preferences (as applicable), and CACTUS’ internal SOPs. Any updates to either of these items should be made consistently and documents should remain up to date.
• Perform as a document specialist, provide intellectual input across document types, and contribute to making cutting-edge research accessible to specific audiences as appropriate, by maintaining current awareness of developments across therapeutic areas or disciplines.
• Work cross-functionally with in-house technology and creative teams on building innovative digital solutions for Medical Affairs clients, including digital HCP and patient engagement materials
• Participate in client pitches and business development meetings as required
• Ensure organic growth through delivery quality and client engagement
• Effectively manage a team of writers and reviewers if on the managerial track

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• Minimum 5 years of medical writing experience in medical communications or life sciences agency.
• PhD/MD (Pharmacology) OR PhD (Life Sciences) OR PharmD OR MPharm/M.Sc with a good understanding of clinical research and medical communication.
• Clear, concise, scientific style of writing, with a high level of attention to detail and excellent language skills.
• Ability to adapt writing style to different materials and target audiences.
• Basic knowledge of biostatistics.
• Literature reviewing and evaluation capabilities.

Application Process

Before applying, please ensure you meet the role requirements listed above and have legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised. Our selection process typically involves a Technical Interview with the Hiring Managers, followed by a Medical Writing Assessment, where candidates will agree upon timeline to complete the task. All interviews will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.

Equal Opportunity

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Accelerating from Anywhere

As a remote-first organization, these are essential attributes we look for in all our candidates.

• Taking ownership of your work with minimal supervision, showing strong ability to organize, prioritize and deliver results independently.
• Documenting work that brings everyone on the same page.
• Maturity to choose between synchronous and asynchronous collaboration.
• Effectively collaborating with colleagues across different time zones by setting dedicated hours for collaboration and keeping team members updated through your MS Teams status.

About Cactus Life Sciences

At Cactus Life Sciences (cactuslifesciences.com), we believe the future of medical communications lies at the intersection of science, technology, and human connection. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan, we help biopharmaceutical organizations redefine scientific exchange—leveraging AI, automation, and innovation while keeping patients at the heart of everything we do.

Our expertise spans medical strategy, scientific content development, and medical education across therapeutic areas and the product lifecycle. By blending scientific rigor, agile operational models, and future-ready technologies, we partner with medical affairs teams to catalyze their transformation, adapt to a changing landscape, and drive meaningful outcomes for healthcare communities worldwide.