Back to jobs
New

Scientific Director

New York, New York, United States

 

Scientific Director

About Us

Virgo Health works for pharmaceutical, biotech, and device companies to inform and educate healthcare professionals about the latest developments in clinical research and therapeutic approaches. We leverage our meetings, digital, and interactive expertise to understand what’s easy and relevant for healthcare professionals to engage with. We tailor our content and design it to offer choice and active participation. Real, relevant, and human.

Job Overview
The scientific director (SD) will take ownership and oversee the production of high-quality educational materials for the pharmaceutical industry and other educational bodies, with the main aim of supporting clients in communicating their scientific and strategic objectives.

The Scientific Director will also demonstrate scientific expertise and contribute to the organic growth of accounts and development of new business proposals through the application of therapeutic and strategic marketing knowledge.

Core Responsibilities
Research and Writing
• Take responsibility for researching and developing editorial aspects of educational materials
• Prepare high-level, strategic medical/marketing materials
• Manage delivery of communications program aligned with client objectives
• Incorporate and manage client feedback and evaluate success/quality of medical writing materials
• Seek additional opportunities to develop research and writing skills

Client/Thought Leader Handling
• Demonstrate high-level, strategic visibility to clients and act at senior level in client meetings
• Demonstrate excellent opinion leader knowledge and management

Team Working
• Assist manager by proactively managing workload and forecasting resource requirements to ensure adequate coverage to meet clients’ needs
• Oversee scientific aspects of specific accounts and review work of medical writers to ensure scientific accuracy and technical quality
• Provide strategic counsel as needed
• Provide high-level mentoring and coaching to medical writers
• Identify areas of development for medical writers and alert manager
• Assist with recruitment when necessary
• Provide inspiration and actively encourage team members to be more creative and innovative in their approach
• Share ideas and best practice across account teams
• Facilitate cross-divisional relationships through sharing scientific knowledge

Knowledge
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in multiple therapy areas
• Keep updated on the relevant regulatory codes and legislation
• Keep updated on new developments and activities within the med ed environment

Business Skills
• Provide direction and guidance on identified organic growth opportunities
• Contribute to new product offerings within the med ed division
• Develop and lead strategic and scientific aspects of new business proposal documents and pitch strategy
• Identify new business opportunities through maintaining client and thought leader relationships and monitoring new drug developments
• Support new business pitches through effective presentation skills

Management
• Ensure assigned tasks are completed on time and within the budget allocated in the project estimate
• Support med ed management team through an understanding of its vision and business plan objectives
• Demonstrate clear communication with med ed management team on any issues arising

Experience/Skills Required
• Excellent scientific writing style with skills to adapt content and style to different audiences
• Excellent attention to detail: style/consistency, good grammar, scientific accuracy, and experience in QCing work and sign-off of printer proofs
• Experience in developing in-depth knowledge of therapeutic areas/medical products
• Excellent verbal communication and client influencing skills
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and work under pressure
• Ability to use initiative
• Commercial awareness

Level of Experience
• At least 4 years of experience at a healthcare communications agency

Qualification
• Educated to degree level (or preferably higher) in a medical/science discipline

Virgo Characteristics
• Team player
• Passionate commitment
• Professionalism and client focus
• Open communication
• Self-development
• Coaching
• Detail focus
• Organization
• Commercial awareness
• Embraces change

Key Performance Indicators
• Client feedback
• Client retention
• Annual performance objectives and performance appraisal 

Salary: $130,000-$155,000

Virgo is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Virgo recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or citizenship status.

We make our careers website accessible to any and all users. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application process, please contact us at JobAppAccommodation@ipgdxtra.com. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or vendors; rather it is strictly for applicants who require special assistance accessing our employment website. Due to volume, messages sent to this email address that are not related to an accommodation cannot be answered.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

To submit this application you must agree to the IPG DXTRA eRecruiting Privacy Notice. At IPG DXTRA, we oversee several core award-winning agencies such as Weber Shandwick, Golin, FutureBrand, Jack Morton, Octagon, DeVries and Momentum.

I also certify that the information contained on this form, my resume/C.V., any other attachments and any other information that I or anyone acting on my behalf provides to the Company during the hiring process is correct and complete. I understand that any misrepresentation or omission in this application will be cause for denial or termination of employment.

I understand that all employment offers are contingent based upon the results of employment and educational background checks. I agree to execute any consent forms necessary for the Company to conduct its lawful pre-employment checks. I hereby authorize the Company to conduct a criminal and/or credit history background check. I also release the Company and its employees, my prior employers and listed educational institutions from any and all liability in connection with any such contact or disclosures.

If hired, I agree to abide by all of the Company rules and regulations and I understand that if employed my employment is “at will”. By this, I understand that my employment can be terminated with or without cause and with or without notice at any time, at the option of myself or the Company.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Circa - IPG DXTRA’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.