Vice President, Scientific Services (Head of Scientific)

Cactus Life Sciences is a non-traditional, fully integrated medical communication agency that blends science, technology, and strategic communications to deliver personalized, innovative solutions. Following strong growth, we are expanding our leadership team. We are seeking a Vice President, Scientific Services who will play a pivotal leadership role in guiding the strategic direction and operational excellence of our scientific teams, ensuring the highest standards of scientific rigour and innovation across client accounts. This role supports organisational growth and exceptional client service in a dynamic, technology-driven environment.

Location: Remote, anywhere in the UK. You will be expected to travel based on business requirements or for company/team events.

Responsibilities

• Organisational Change
  • Work as a senior leader within a global organization, collaborating across diverse service areas (including Global Capabilities Centers [GCC] and innovative service offerings) and drive organizational change while overseeing large, international teams.
  • Advance technological innovation by supporting the adoption and integration of AI-driven solutions and processes.
• Scientific Skill Base & Service Evolution
  • Ensure onboarding and training of new scientific team members is optimised in collaboration with all stakeholders.
  • Promote scientific rigour by assessing and evolving workforce capabilities to meet changing service needs and industry trends, including integration of AI/automation into ways-of-working.
  • Oversee and refine internal scientific processes to guarantee consistency and compliance across all accounts.
• Scientific Talent Management
  • Play a leading role in performance management, talent development and retention across the organisation. This includes overseeing performance reviews, promotions, and workforce planning, while driving initiatives to enhance employee development, retention, and engagement.
• Global Resourcing
  • Oversee short, medium, and long-term workload planning across accounts, proactively managing peaks, troughs, and unplanned demands.
  • Ensure continuity during account changes, balancing priorities with client needs and project delivery volumes, as well as ensuring adherence to MSA terms.
  • Implementation, education, measurement and performance management of the scientific teams organisational KPIs & metrics such as capacity utilisation.
• Commercial/Account Oversight
  • Lead the scientific setup of new account teams, embedding robust ways-of-working and representing the team during client pitches.
  • Work with senior leaders to define service evolution, costing models (particularly for new services such as those involving AI technologies), review MSA projects and annual Books of Work to ensure deliverables, timelines, and quality standards are accurately reflected.
  • Ensure adherence to client SOPs and KPI tracking, act as lead for escalations, and address account “hot spots” by mobilising the right talent or developing hiring plans as required.
• Industry Meetings
  • Attend industry meetings to ensure incorporation of standards (ISMPP, GPP4/MAPs) into daily practices and stay current with emerging trends to support business advancement.

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• Advanced scientific degree (PhD, MD, or PharmD) with 15 years' experience in Medical Communications agencies.
• In-depth understanding of medical communication services including both medical affairs and publications (GCC services and Medical Information experience an advantage).
• Strong understanding of AI in healthcare with experience integrating technology into scientific workflows and driving service innovation.
• Proven scientific leadership across multidisciplinary teams and multiple therapeutic areas, ensuring scientific rigour and excellence throughout all deliverables.
• Experience leading scientific teams across complex client accounts and full product lifecycles, managing both strategic partnerships and tactical project delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing teams with focus on talent retention, succession planning, and collaborative matrix working.
• Strong capability to interpret complex data and translate insights into strategic/scientific direction for teams and clients.
• In-depth knowledge of pharmaceutical standards, compliance, and regulatory requirements.
• Operational expertise including KPI implementation, capacity optimisation, SOP development, resource planning, and conflict management.
• Self-motivated with ability to thrive in fast-paced environments and willingness to travel regularly (typically monthly to bi-monthly) as required.

Benefits of this Role

• Annual leaves and public holidays.
• Statutory leaves including SSP, maternity and paternity leaves.
• Comprehensive health coverage including eye tests.
• Financial security through life assurance and income protection.
• Retirement savings plan with employer contributions.

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 an initial screening by a recruiter, a technical assessment, and two to three interview rounds. For this role, the process would involve an initial screening with a recruiter, two-three rounds with the hiring manager and peers, a panel presentation, and an HR interview.

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

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.