Group Director, Global Medical Strategy

VML South Africa; London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000

Job description

VML Health

VML HEALTH is a global healthcare agency that partners with healthcare clients across a broad definition of health, from high science to wellness and everything in between. It operates fluidly within the VML agency, as a core group of health specialists (a ‘vertical’) that has the benefit of autonomy in management, but with support of non-health expertise.

At the heart of health is the story of life – all the highs and lows, ambitions, and possibilities. But facing a health challenge can suddenly pull people away from these stories, knocking them off course.

Our purpose is to bridge this gap, bringing people closer to life and all its meaning. We gain a deeper understanding of Healthcare Professionals’ and patients’ needs, behaviors and lived experiences through what we call ‘radical empathy’.

VML Health creates connected brands that get to the heart, bringing people closer to the lives they want to live.

Get to the heart. Connect for life.

Position Summary

As Group Director of Global Medical Strategy, you will lead the strategy development for multiple major client accounts in medical communications. You will build strong and productive relationships with clients, ensuring that we not only meet but exceed their expectations. You will also lead and support new business initiatives and help lead medical agency-wide initiatives. You will work closely with key cross-functional leads (account, creative, engagement strategy, scientific communications, and medical affairs) to ensure a holistic approach across strategy, creative development and key tactics that drive the client’s business objectives and growth.

With a focus on our growing med comms business, you will define how we approach med comms from a strategic perspective, oversee the tactical implementation and reshape the strategic direction over time as we continue to learn in partnership with our clients.

You have an insatiable curiosity, are an innate problem-solver, welcome multiple perspectives, and have a passion for driving growth. You are team-oriented and lead by example, bringing energy, initiative, and a collaborative mindset not only to delivering for clients but in becoming a thought leader within the agency and a mentor to your team.

Key Responsibilities

• Profound expertise in building strategy for med comms and strong interpersonal and leadership skills to establish medical strategy as the strategic lead across the global med comms business and over time, expand the team, guiding junior strategists in the implementation of these strategies.
• Serve as the medical strategy lead for assets in development and in-market through collaboration with medical and commercial clients to support development of scientific/ medical strategy and content.
• Act as the medical strategy lead for new business and in medical/legal/regulatory reviews.
• Oversee all deliverables from a medical strategy perspective to ensure alignment with medical and commercial goals.
• Craft the overarching strategic approach to drive shifts in audience mindsets and shape the direction for medical education needs based on research founded in ‘radical empathy’.
• Guide development of the scientific platform and scientific lexicon in collaboration with medical writers to create the foundation for all medical communications.
• Create the strategic narrative, key message and content pillars working collaboratively with creative/medical writers, ensuring clarity on messages and medical strategy for the project with medical and regulatory accuracy of content/copy.
• Direct unbranded and branded educational content development, highlighting unmet needs and treatment challenges as well as establishing deep scientific understanding of novel assets, including differentiation of clinical trial design, data, and outcomes.
• Establish relationships with top KOLs beyond projects, following KOL/DOL activity through social media, publications, congress activity.
• Lead content development of speaker decks, congress symposia, and AdBoards, while also facilitating AdBoard meetings and guiding output synthesis and implications.
• Provide thought leadership within the disease category and competitive landscape to establish a strong strategic partnership with our clients.

Core Competencies

• Analytical Thinking: Recognizes when and what analytical work is needed to inform and guide the client's project, creating a clear and compelling analysis.
• Communication: Responsible for content and impact of client presentations. Drives emphasis and differentiation to shift minds and behaviors. Identifies when and what communication is needed to client or internal partners.
• Collaboration: Ensures effective collaboration by setting a positive tone, assigning roles as needed and ensuring accountability. Learns to recognize how to motivate junior team members - what they need to learn and where they can contribute. Resolves conflict and overcomes roadblocks.
• Leadership: Leads client work for med comms accounts. Participates in thoughtful and strategic conversations with senior clients about their business needs. Mentors junior strategists and medical writers.
• Managing Self: Responsible to drive own personal growth by articulating career goals to supervisors; Manages at least one client team and 1-2 direct reports (once the team grows). Accountable to clients for timely delivery on agency work product. Responsible for reports' development.
• Creative Thinking: Challenges self and team’s current thinking and processes to find new inspiration and strategic approaches to deliver client work. Inspires team to take risks and challenge convention with bold ideas to drive differentiation of the brand.
• Innovation: Ensures innovation is central to client work and new business projects.
• Growth Mindset: Full immersion into clients’ business challenges and customer needs, finding new paths for opportunities. Ensures regular environmental monitoring, bringing relevant insights forward to the team and clients.

Experience and Education

Minimum work experience and/or equivalent education to meet requirements of position.

• PharmD, MD, or PhD
• 7+ years of healthcare communication experience
• Experience using Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Based in UK or Milan