Principal Writer

Principal Writer 

Location: 12 Bishop's Bridge Rd, Greater, London W2 6AA

 

About DDB Remedy:

We strive to be the most innovative and inspiring creative healthcare agency in the world, making things happen.

Through deep partnerships, smart strategy and applied creativity, we create exceptional experiences and communications. We make meaningful change in healthcare happen.

Our ethos? “It happens here”. It’s our promise, our challenge, and our invitation.

And if you’ve got potential to unlock, talent to unleash and a desire to wow clients, we want to make it happen.

DDB Remedy. It happens here.

 

The opportunity:

As a Principal Writer (PW) you will lead a team of talented writers in creating high quality copy and concepts across a variety of channels and audiences. You will demonstrate a passion and skill for writing and ideas, and help inspire others to do so. You will develop a respected reputation within the agency for your brand knowledge, strategic understanding and for overseeing quality creative and medical writing. You will support the Copy Leadership Team in the smooth running of the copy department and play an active role in shaping and developing it. You will work collaboratively with cross-functional teams across the agency, while keeping calm and resolute in the face of pressure and deadlines. You will make sure your team of writers receive the guidance, direction, and support they need to realise their full potential.

What you’re gonna need to bring:

• Science graduate or equivalent (unless purely creative writer)
• Can lead client meetings, professional, client-focused communication at all times
• Encourages teamwork and innovation
• Able to give and receive feedback in a constructive manner
• Confident presenter
• Excellent proofreading and QC skills
• Excellent understanding of relevant UK and International code – e.g. ABPI
• Maintains awareness of developments in relevant therapeutic areas and disciplines
• Experience managing 2–3 people
• Experience with Veeva/other client referencing software systems
• Champions ‘it happens here’ and seeks creative solutions to briefs
• Is proactive and solutions-orientated, and always approachable
• Able to manage pressure and deadlines
• Has strong relationships with clients and internal agency teams
• Champion creative and strategic collaboration

What We’ll Need You to Do:

Creativity:

• Adept at turning clinical data into compelling, medically accurate, approvable copy
• Writes powerful, emotive ‘storyselling’ copy, empowering team members to do the same
• Able to create ‘award-worthy’, UW-driven ideas with an Art Director/Designer/Digital or other team member
• Champions UW and always seeks creative solutions to briefs
• Proactively feeds their imagination
• Creatively thinks about the client’s business and demonstrates initiative to identify new business opportunities
• Can lead idea generation at a tactical and concept level
• Demonstrates passion for creativity and ideas
• Inputs into briefs and suggest improvements when appropriate
• Exercises excellent creative judgement and always endeavours to push ideas further
• Knowledgeable about different types of creative awards, entry requirements and the judging process

Productivity:

• Inputs into systems and processes, and challenges them to improve the functioning and output of the copy department
• Remains calm under pressure, does not pass stress on to co-workers
• Takes an active role in the smooth-running of the copy department and the agency
• Has strong time management skills, prioritising and delegating tasks efficiently within their writing team
• Manages the day-to-day workload and SOW of their accounts with the Copy Leadership Team, traffic department, project managers and key account people
• Has a high degree of accuracy and reliability with everything they do, empowering their writing team to do the same
• Ensures a high level of accuracy in using client reference systems, taking responsibility for their writing team
• Works with Accounts and Project Managers to make sure that jobs in their writing team are on track and on budget, and encourages more junior members to do the same
• Completes AX timesheets on time each week

Relationships/Communication:

• Develops and maintains strong relationships with clients and agency counterparts; has earned their trust and respect
• Cultivates strong working relationships with Art Directors, Designers and other cross-functional agency team members
• Takes an active role in creating an inclusive and inspiring environment
• Acts as an ambassador for DDBR, actively promoting its culture both at work and outside of work, and upholding our four freedoms

Knowledge & Skills:

• Possesses excellent healthcare writing skills and capable of developing talents of their writing team
• Works with their strategy counterpart to help create and shape brand strategy, applying it skilfully, to unlock great ideas
• Excellent understanding of external regulatory/approval processes and codes of practice
• Excellent understanding of a brand’s clinical data, and is able to source it and appraise it
• Presents work confidently, professionally and persuasively to clients
• Shares knowledge regularly and passionately
• Seeks out new data and new messages
• Has good knowledge of different companies and individual brands language and lexicon
• Helps others build an understanding of client’s business, brands and category
• Keeps CPD record up-to-date

Management & Leadership

• Maintains a high profile within the agency for content knowledge and expertise, and leads the content for designated accounts
• Takes ownership of their writing team and responsibility for their output and behaviour
• Manages and motivates their writing team effectively and empathetically
• Proactively finds ways to grow and develop their writing team
• Inspires copy colleagues to create or contribute to UW-driven, ‘award-worthy’ ideas and copy
• Models creative collaboration with their art/design partner, helping others to do the same
• Capable of being the lead writer on an account or a pitch
• Able to positively challenge the status quo to improve the way we work or the quality of our work

 

What’s next:

For us, people always come first, and ours are amazing. Everyone who comes through our door is not only talented and nice, but they’re themselves. Unique and diverse. We’re only as strong as our people. And It Happens Here is an invitation to empower each other to thrive. To create an environment where you develop personally and professionally. It’s an invitation to define your own pathway.

The most important part of the process is you. We’re all wonderfully different with unique identifying characteristics, and we are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities and for candidates in our application process. If you need assistance or adjustment due to a disability, please let us know.

For us, inclusivity and diversity aren’t “nice-to-have” – they’re central to our business strategy. The more inclusive we are, the more people feel they can bring their whole selves to work, the better our work will be.

Please contact our Talent Partner Kayla Mayston (kayla.mayston@ddbremedy.co.uk), to find out more.