Band
Level 5
Job Description Summary
The Scientific Writing Lead is accountable for leading a team of scientific writers and ensuring the high‑quality, on‑time execution of scientific and medical content for the assigned TA. The role ensures deliverables are scientifically accurate, clear, consistent, and compliant, and aligned with TA medical strategy, and overarching scientific narrative for the brand.
As a people leader, the Scientific Writing Lead sets direction, prioritizes deliverables, allocates resources, and coaches writers to deliver against agreed timelines and quality expectations. The role establishes and reinforces standardized ways of working, templates, and quality controls across the end‑to‑end content lifecycle (intake, authoring, review, approval, distribution, and updates) and ensures content is developed in accordance with agreed frameworks and standards (e.g., IMEx and related medical content principles) to enable consistency, reuse, and effective field and stakeholder engagement.
Working closely with other Scientific Writing Leads and partners across IMACE, IMA, GMA, and cross‑functional teams, the Scientific Writing Lead contributes to continuous improvement of content strategy and governance, driving harmonization across and within TAs and markets and strengthening overall scientific writing excellence.
#LI-Hybrid
Job Description
Note: There are two open vacancies in Ireland or the United Kingdom, covering therapeutic areas within CRM, Immunology, or Neuroscience. Final allocation of therapeutic area will depend on candidate experience and location.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership & Team Management
* Lead, coach, and develop Scientific Writers across locations by ensuring robust onboarding, continuous capability growth, and performance support. Build and sustain a high‑performance culture grounded in scientific excellence, curiosity, ownership, accountability, and results orientation. Foster collaboration, psychological safety, trust, and customer‑centricity while driving innovation, agility, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the team.
* Oversee project planning, resource coordination, prioritization, and timelines to ensure consistent, timely, high‑quality content delivery, while upholding content standards and enabling best‑practice sharing across the team.
* Manage recruitment, performance, and talent development to build critical capabilities and a strong, future‑ready talent pipeline. Coach and mentor team members on scientific rigor, strategic thinking, communication impact, and stakeholder engagement. Role‑model Novartis Leadership Expectations by inspiring high performance and transformation, demonstrating self‑awareness and a growth mindset, and promoting inclusivity, collaboration, and psychological safety.
Scientific Content Development
* Lead the creation of high‑quality scientific content (e.g., slide decks, symposia materials, Ad Board outputs, training content) aligned with TA strategy.
* Ensure scientific accuracy, messaging consistency, evidence‑based referencing, and clarity across all deliverables.
* Conduct scientific reviews, guide data interpretation, and translate complex scientific information into clear, audience‑appropriate communication.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
* Partner with cross‑functional stakeholders to clarify scientific priorities, refine key messages, and ensure content meets strategic needs.
* Improve content formats, delivery approaches, and user experience across channels.
Quality, Standards & Compliance
* Oversee QC, proofreading, compliance with SOPs/GPP/industry standards, and ensure audit‑ready documentation and governance.
Essential Requirements:
* Advanced degree in life sciences/healthcare (PhD, PharmD, MD or equivalent); additional training in Scientific Content is an advantage.
* Fluent oral and written English; additional languages desirable.
* 10+ years' experience in pharma/healthcare/life sciences or medical communications, with strong scientific writing and content development expertise. Demonstrated people leadership or experience leading writers/project teams, including coaching, onboarding, and performance support.
* Proven ability to develop diverse scientific materials (e.g., slide decks, symposia content, Ad Board materials, training documents, backgrounders).
* Strong track record reviewing/refining scientific content for accuracy, consistency, clarity, referencing, and alignment with standards (e.g., GPP, ICMJE).
* Experience managing structured review workflows, timelines, multiple priorities, stakeholder inputs, and maintaining version‑controlled, audit‑ready documentation.
* Ability to interpret and synthesize complex scientific data and translate it into clear, audience‑appropriate communications across channels.
Benefits & Rewards:
UK: Competitive salary, Sales incentive bonus, Pension scheme, Share purchase scheme, Health insurance, 25 days annual leave, Flexible working arrangements, subsidized dining facilities, Employee recognition scheme, learning and development opportunities.
Other locations: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we'll help you thrive personally and professionally:
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.
Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients' lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?
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Skills Desired