Scientific Director

Department: Scientific Innovation (SI)

Location:  Indianapolis or remote (Midwest/East Coast)

Reports to: Senior Vice President, Scientific Innovation

The Scientific Director will be critical to the overall organizational client experience as the scientific lead for internal and client teams. Their ability to plan, develop, and strategically create compelling scientific content appropriate for the end audience will be key to their success. They will be responsible for collaborating with internal team leads and supervising and mentoring team members. They must be able to proactively assist clients with new strategy direction, lead business development from a scientific perspective, and assist the VP in departmental leadership. Applicants must have agency experience and proven success in growing a book of business over time.

Education and experience requirements:

• Advanced degree (PhD) in science, clinical degree (MD, RN, RPh, PharmD), or significant relevant experience to compensate for lack of doctorate  
• At least 2 years Medical Director experience, with strategic planning and execution of promotional medical communication and disease state education  
• Additional experience in medical research, medical education, pharmaceutical writing, or medical writing in an agency setting
• Strong experience in strategic planning and daily client support, including writing
• Mandatory client interaction and customer service
• Proven success in partnering with account management to identify and develop new client business
• Knowledge of multiple therapeutic areas, especially oncology and neuropsychology

This is a full-time position in Indianapolis, but Midwest through Eastern US will be considered as remote locations.

Essential functions:

• Create and support scientifically sound, clinically relevant, and strategically positioned content to meet client needs  
• Lead multiple projects with teammates to produce quality deliverables
• Oversee and mentor work performed by other team members, including research into targeted disease states and products and production of scientific on-message content
• Maintain medical, legal, and regulatory expertise and support others in achieving it
• Initiate, maintain, and expand client relationships and business opportunities based on scientific knowledge, strategic expertise, and company experience
• Support, lead, and mentor internal client-focused cross-functional teams scientifically and strategically
• Develop relationships with external experts and strategic partner organizations as needed to support business vision
• Master relationships with faculty advisors through collaborations on publications, advisory boards, and speaker training initiatives
• Support business development efforts through leveraging strategic understanding of client products and disease states
• Support other team members in literature reviews and searches, fact checking, and writing reports and summaries from notes as needed
• Support FORCE as a content and strategy expert to influence and reinforce the corporate vision and direction

Required skills/attributes:

To be successful in a career position, an individual must not only be able to perform the essential functions of the job, but also excel at them in a competent manner. The following are essential to success:

• Exemplification of FORCE attributes: passion for success, dedication, accountability, inquisitiveness, adaptability, professionalism, approachability, sound judgment, ethics, integrity,  team approach, and ability to build strong working relationships and a positive work environment
• Outstanding operational excellence: These skills include the ability to multitask, to be organized, to manage your time and meet deadlines, understand and follow process, produce high quality deliverables, and align with the direction of the client and organization.
• Expert communication: Clear and effective speech and scientific writing, balance of listening and speaking in conversations and meetings, resilience in difficult situations, and use of feedback for continuous improvement
• Exceptional interpersonal and teaming approach: collaboration, promotion of project objectives, conflict management via open communication, respect of all clients and colleagues, understanding of team role, surpassing of expectations
• Excellent client focus: anticipation of client needs, a sense of urgency, and a focus on results to ensure the highest quality of services
• Proficient business acumen: understanding our business environment, specifically pharma industry knowledge and adherence to applicable regulations
• Superior leadership: Guiding team members toward meeting goals and objectives. Mentoring and coaching team members and appropriately delegating to balance workflow and development

Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States as our organization does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status for this employment position.

FORCE Communications is a full-service medical marketing, communications, and education organization founded in 2001 that specializes in creating unique scientific/medical affairs, medical communication/education, commercial, and payer solutions. Our organization specializes in collaborating with pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, healthcare provider, and industry partners in the development of innovative programs that integrate scientific information with industry/healthcare market insight and adult learning principles. We are a team of passionate and experienced professionals dedicated to providing high-quality medical and marketing services. We partner with our clients and thought leaders to provide clarity and insights that enable HCPs to make better treatment decisions, ultimately improving patient lives. Our approach combines deep scientific and industry knowledge with strategic insight, scientific storytelling, visual and technological prowess, and customer solutions that engage.