Principal Medical Writer & AI Strategy Leader

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact-obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Our #LifeatRealChem culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, if you share our passion for healthcare and connection, we invite you to explore our opportunities.

Principle Medical Writer

Our Principles play a fundamental role in shaping individual projects within an account with the support and direction of others. They co-lead the creation of outstanding medical content across various therapy areas and provide strategic insights to elevate client deliverables. This position is ideal for a proactive communicator who enjoys managing writing teams, ensuring quality and accuracy, and acting as a primary contact for clients. Our Principals have the opportunity to specialise in content development, team leadership, and/or strategic thinking.

Key Responsibilities

• Therapy area and scientific expertise: Co-lead development of high-quality medical content under senior direction across multiple therapy areas and initiatives to meet/exceed client expectations.
• Strategic thinking: Provide strategic input to aligned accounts. Demonstrate confidence and competence in questioning to probe and understand client briefs and distill for Real Chemistry teams. Adopt a questioning mindset to scientifically and strategically challenge and elevate outputs with clients and internal teams.
• AI: Co-lead implementation of AI into new projects and initiatives under senior direction within an account.
• Client relationships: Act as day-to-day medical contact for clients.
• Managing and advising: Manage and mentor junior individuals and teams to work competently, confidently and efficiently to deliver high-quality work in high-pressure situations. Be responsible for guaranteeing the accuracy and quality of assets and that they are crafted and delivered in line with client objectives and expectations. Delegate work within account to ensure everyone is hitting billable targets and learning through new opportunities.

The Principal, Medical Content additionally has the following responsibilities:

• Project expertise: Co-lead excellent medical content across a broad range of deliverables, demonstrating versatility. Uphold and advocate for the highest standards in medical writing within accounts. Identify the most appropriate channel, style and format for a project to achieve client objectives and maximise engagement.
• Quality standards: Uphold the highest standards within accounts. Advocate for best practices in project management and delivery to maintain the highest content quality within account. Lead development of knowledge training for junior members within account.

The Principal, Medical Team additionally has the following responsibilities:

• Coaching and mentoring: Provide coaching and mentorship to JMWs/MWS/SMWs. Coordinate specialised mentorship programs for JMWs.
• Overarching planning to meet KPIs/timelines/budget: Manage and prioritise competing workloads within the account, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the team's projects. Be responsible for guaranteeing that assets are crafted and delivered in line with KPIs, timelines, and budget constraints.
• Financial and resource management: Define and organise resource distribution within accounts to facilitate strategic succession planning and to optimise the alignment of medical colleagues' skills and capacity with account requirements. Participate in general financial oversight of the account.

The Medical Strategist additionally has the following responsibilities:

• Support definition/shape of strategy on new business proposals and pitches. Contribute to identification of opportunities for organic growth through participating in key engagements.
• Strategic leadership: Support the shaping and execution of strategy for projects in collaboration with medical writing and client service teams and key strategic contact. Act as knowledge partner by confidently engaging with clients to exchange ideas, create options etc in conjunction with medical writing and accounts teams. Provide input on how a scientific evidence-base can shape a brand’s go-to market strategy, positioning, evidence generation and medical communication strategy.
• Critical thinking: Identify key actionable insights, recommendations, opportunities, threats, and critical success factors to inform product strategies. Shape and structure meetings/workshops to support decision-making.

Qualifications and Skills

• You should bring previous experience of medical writing at an SMW level or above.
• Previous experience managing medical writers and interacting regularly with clients is essential.
• A profound understanding of healthcare, science, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry is essential.
• A high level of academic achievement is expected.
• You’ll need to be personable, articulate, and capable of nurturing relationships.

What Real Chemistry offers

Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks. We believe we can do our best when feeling our best, which is why we’ve put together a benefits program designed to give you the support you and your family need at every stage of life. Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes offices in our key markets with free snacks to keep you running all day long, generous holiday and paid time off, options for private medical, dental, and vision plans, and support in saving for the future. Other perks include mental wellness coaching and support and access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning.

Working with Real HART: Since the pandemic, we have adapted to how our people told us they want to work. We have office locations in cities in the US, UK, and Europe with many employees and clients that serve as hubs where and when they need us. For employees who are within an hour of one of our offices, we expect attendance in the office two days per week, either at a Real Chemistry office or onsite with clients. We are also actively opening new office locations, so if one opens near you, our Real HART policy will apply.

Real Chemistry believes we are best together – and our workplace strategy fosters connection and collaboration in person – but also supports flexibility for our people.

Real Chemistry is an Equal Opportunity employer. We continually strive to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable work environment where our employees feel empowered to leverage all they bring from their personal lived experience and professional expertise, to make our team the best in the industry.