Back to jobs
New

Principal Medical Writer

Edinburgh - UK; London - UK; Manchester - UK

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.

Discover your purpose. Embrace innovation. Experience #LifeatRealChem.

Principle Medical Writer

Our Principals 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

All Principals share the following core 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 competent 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 opportunitiesThe Principal, Medical Content additionally has the following responsibilities
  • Project expertise: Co-lead excellent medical content across a broad range of deliverables, demonstrating versatility
  • Content excellence:
    • 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

  • Business development:
    • 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. Learn more about our great benefits and perks at: http://www.realchemistry.com/

 

Real Chemistry is proud to be Great Place to Work® certified; check out what our people shared about our culture and workplace on our Great Places to Work Profile here.

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 vison 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.  Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com.

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. We are not looking for attendance for the sake of attendance but believe that the opportunity to coordinate in-office team meetings, 1:1 meetings with managers, taking advantage of on-site learning, and connecting with client partners is a critical to delivering on our purpose of making healthcare what it should be. Outside of these offices, we have regions, where people work remotely but come together quarterly for collaboration, culture and learning opportunities. We call this our Real Hybrid and Regional Teams (Real HART) approach. 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. We encourage motivated and qualified applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Real Chemistry operates. Should you require accommodations throughout the interview process please let your recruiter know.

*Notice: Real Chemistry and its affiliates' names are being misused by scammers through messaging services, fake websites, and apps. Do not share personal or financial information or make payments to any unverified sources claiming to be connected to Real Chemistry. We are working to stop these unauthorized activities and protect our community. Read more here.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Real Chemistry? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

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...

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 Real Chemistry’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.