Associate Director, Medical Communications
Reporting to: General Manager
Location: UK (Remote)
Overview
We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Associate Director to join our senior leadership team within a growing medical communications business. This is a highly strategic, client-facing leadership role with full portfolio accountability. Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will oversee a significant client portfolio, drive strategic growth, and play a central role in new business generation.
This opportunity is suited to an established Associate Director who is already operating at this level, demonstrating leadership maturity, commercial ownership and the gravitas to partner with senior stakeholders across biotech and mid-sized pharma organisations.
The Role
As Associate Director, you will operate as a senior strategic partner to clients while providing leadership across a sizeable multidisciplinary team.
You will:
* Own the overall health, performance and growth of a portfolio of 3–4 key accounts (with scope to expand)
* Provide wider oversight across account teams of up to 25–30 individuals (Client Services and Scientific combined)
* Drive commercial performance, revenue growth and account expansion
* Identify and convert strategic opportunities within existing and new clients
* Lead the end-to-end new business and pitch process
* Contribute to the broader commercial senior leadership direction of the business
Scope of Work
The focus is science-led medical communications with a strong emphasis on medical education, including:
* Early lifecycle planning and disease state strategy
* Strategic and core brand planning
* Medical education programmes (including promotional MedEd initiatives)
* Congress symposia and live events
* Advisory boards and workshops
* Patient engagement initiatives
* Increasing exposure to commercially aligned marketing activity
Therapy areas are broad and varied, including respiratory, dermatology, oncology, rare diseases and other specialist areas. Adaptability and intellectual breadth are important.
New Business & Commercial Leadership
New business is a critical component of this role.
You will:
* Proactively generate and pursue new opportunities, including cold outreach
* Lead and own pitch strategy and conversion
* Contribute strategically to proposals and positioning
* Work fluidly across biotech and mid-sized pharma accounts
* Identify long-term growth opportunities within your portfolio
This role requires confidence in commercial discussions and comfort operating in a growth-focused environment.
Leadership Expectations
As a senior leader within the organisation, you will:
* Demonstrate strong, visible leadership behaviours
* Provide clear strategic direction to Senior Account Directors
* Mentor and develop emerging leaders
* Ensure teams are operating at a consistently high standard
* Bring emotional intelligence, presence and credibility to client and internal interactions
* Influence senior stakeholders with confidence and clarity
This is not an execution-heavy position. It is a role centred on direction-setting, commercial accountability and leadership impact.
Experience & Profile
We are looking for:
* Proven experience at Associate Director level within a medical communications or medical education agency
* Demonstrated ownership of multi-million-pound portfolios
* Strong new business and pitch leadership track record
* Experience managing Account Directors and leading sizeable multidisciplinary teams
* Significant exposure to congress, symposia, workshops and strategic MedEd initiatives
* Commercial acumen and strategic mindset
* Confidence engaging senior client stakeholders