Vice President (VP), Medical Services

Be part of something great!

Synchrony Group is an independently owned network of companies, headquartered in West Chester, PA.

At Synchrony, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality products and services in the medical communications industry. Our vision is to create the highest value for our clients and the most opportunity for our team members, while working together to improve the lives of patients. Collectively, we are leaders in strategic planning, development, and execution of best-in-class programs that address medical needs, maximize strategic objectives, and make significant scientific and clinical contributions. Our passion and commitment to improving outcomes for our clients, healthcare professionals, and patients drives us to exceed expectations in everything we do.

Synchrony consists of integrated groups of medical-scientific, clinical, creative, commercial, and industry experts.  Synchrony Healthcare Communications specializes in branded and disease state marketing/promotional campaigns and initiatives. Our teams reflect our commitment to excellence—we’re smart, enthusiastic, and driven. We align the skills, experiences, and perspectives of diverse individuals to achieve unparalleled results in an environment of respect and mutual support. Above all, we are passionate about changing the world and improving the lives of patients.

Our success is built on the foundation of our team, and we’re always striving to strengthen our foundation. More than just seeking out the best and brightest to join us, we also create a work environment in which employees are respected and encouraged to grow.

Are you looking to be part of something great? We’d like to meet you!

The Vice President (VP), Medical Services, provides scientific and strategic leadership and support for the Medical Services department and directly leads medical strategy for all marketing and medical communications activities to create world-class medical and scientific content. The VP, Medical Services also represents the department at all internal functions requiring expert input, represents the company at client meetings at which scientific expertise is needed for the planning or acquisition of future projects, and interacts with clients, faculty, clinical experts, and patients to lead strategic and scientific activities in support of marketing and medical communications initiatives. Through functional leadership, the VP, Medical Services ensures the professional development of Medical Services department personnel, including employee recruitment, mentorship, and retention. The VP, Medical Services also performs all duties and responsibilities of the Medical Director role, as needed (e.g., for assigned accounts).

Job Duties

Leadership

• Continually assess department workflow to efficiently allocate resources and roles and responsibilities, working with other members of management as appropriate
• Assess, improve, and implement processes, procedures, and systems to increase departmental efficiency and effectiveness and optimize quality
• Ensure adherence to all internal processes and procedures with regard to workflow and development of deliverables
• Take a proactive approach to problem-solving to assist in implementation and delivery of tactics according to predetermined timelines and budgets
• Partner with Project Management to anticipate resourcing needs and establish a plan to ensure all upcoming work is appropriately resourced.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry developments as well as medical scientific information across relevant therapeutic areas, products, and competitors through monitoring of relevant literature and news feeds; communicate to the internal client teams and potentially external client teams
• Ensure the professional development and training of Medical Services department personnel, including employee recruitment, mentorship, and retention
• Work with internal team members to ensure they are striving toward meeting company goals and objectives and adhering to corporate values

Medical Services

• Lead medical contributions and communications related to client and product content development across all clients and new business initiatives
• Conceptualize innovative initiatives to support promotional and product strategy while maintaining scientific integrity
• Take responsibility for tactical communication activities for all assigned therapeutic areas and products
• Oversee and directly develop clinical content, including hands-on writing and annotation of content, for print and digital advertising campaigns, disease state and branded presentations, advisory boards, speaker programs, webcasts, videos, websites, and other multimedia initiatives
  • Effectively communicate complex medical and scientific concepts in a clear, engaging, audience-appropriate manner
  • Ensure scientific integrity, accuracy, and clinical relevance of all materials
  • Support projects toward development across multiple brands
  • Review, analyze, and interpret current product literature and leverage information to support promotional claims 
  • Interpret and apply clinical data; use clinical expertise to benchmark client versus competitor products
• Assume final responsibility for content of assigned projects, including relevance, technical accuracy, audience appropriateness, storytelling, and strategy
• Present and appropriately defend content and strategy to client review committees for approval and apply resulting comments while maintaining the integrity and purpose of the material
• Generate strategically sound project ideas and maintain a proactive approach on initiatives for existing and prospective clients
• Direct and support internal and external Medical Directors and Medical Writers on assigned projects
• Work in conjunction with Account Services and Project Management to develop logical and attainable timelines for project completion
• Attend professional meetings and congresses to remain abreast of the most up-to-date therapeutic area and competitive landscape information
• Attend and facilitate advisory board meetings with clinical experts; note, synthesize, and interpret discussions for conversion into actionable strategy and tactics
• Work with Account Services in conducting healthcare professional and patient interviews as part of market research and augment dialogue by delving into medical issues to more clearly define attitudes and behaviors

Internal and External Relationships

• Work with and support Medical Strategy to represent Synchrony at internal functions requiring expert input and support strategy and scientific/medical components of annual planning and new-business development initiatives
• Work with and support Creative Strategy to develop and support medical education events and activities (e.g., educational webinars, symposia, videos)
• Be a positive force for enhancing the work culture, consensus-building, and internal communications
• Build effective working relationships with internal team members across functional departments
• Foster and develop collaboration among departments, internal groups, and individuals to ensure innovative and collaborative solutions to client needs
• Establish, foster, enrich, and maintain strong relationships with clients and clinical experts; inspire client confidence
• Collaborate with senior management and internal and external personnel from all disciplines regarding communication strategies for new business opportunities and existing work
• Communicate and collaborate with clinical experts on programs to meet strategic objectives through relationship building, advocacy development, and use of scientific expertise

Business Development

• Support new business teams to ensure data are medically sound and teams are well informed about all medical aspects of the product
• Support the development of new business presentations by analyzing and synthesizing literature, pharmacologic attributes, clinical data, product profile and strategy, and market research into strategic application
• Represent Synchrony at capabilities presentations and other new business–related meetings as a full-time, permanent resource that has had extensive medical training and clinical expertise relevant to domestic and international markets
• Work with Account Services to conduct healthcare professional and patient interviews as part of qualitative research for new-business presentations and augment dialogue by delving into medical issues to more clearly define attitudes and behaviors
• Identify and recommend potential faculty and participants for medical meetings/presentations, speaker participation, and advisory roles based on strategic direction and therapeutic expertise

Key Competencies

• High level of integrity, ethics, confidentiality, and accountability
• Sound strategic and analytical thinking, planning, prioritization, and execution skills
• Well-developed professional communication skills, including written and interpersonal
• Exceptional organizational skills with adeptness at multitasking
• Ability to coordinate and execute multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment to serve many therapeutic teams and meet project goals
• Flexibility and adaptability to change; ability to work under time constraints 
• Effective attention to detail and high degree of scientific and medical accuracy
• Effective cross-functional leadership skills
• Ability to oversee and manage priorities and workflow to ensure high-quality project execution according to project timelines and budgets
• Ability to provide direction and developmental support to direct reports in preparation for future positions; provide challenging and stretching assignments; push tasks down to empower others; share ownership and visibility
• Well-defined sense of diplomacy, including solid negotiation, conflict resolution, and people management skills
• Ability to manage outcomes to win-win resolution
• Ability to identify key issues and to creatively and strategically overcome challenges or obstacles
• Ability to interact effectively in a team environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)
• Strong presentation and persuasion skills
  • o Develops a clear point of view and tell a meaningful story
  • o Demonstrates effectiveness in a variety of settings and group sizes with clients, peers, subordinates, and management
  • o Confidently expresses both data/facts and more controversial topics
  • o Commands attention and can manage group dynamics

Requirements

• PhD, PharmD, or MD
• Minimum of 10 years in direct content development role in some combination of advertising, marketing communications, and medical communications with substantial experience leading at least 4 of the following activities: advertising campaigns, pharmaceutical product launches, promotional education activities, disease education campaigns, promotional medical/marketing initiatives, digital and interactive programs, advisory boards, key clinical expert identification and development
• Specific industry or therapeutic expertise

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel as client needs require
• Ability to commit to extra and/or nontraditional hours as client needs require

Synchrony places high value on the well-being of its employees; therefore, Synchrony team members are eligible for a comprehensive array of benefits, including competitive salaries, generous paid time off, excellent health insurance, family leave, and a 401(k) plan with employer matching.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

EOE. Synchrony is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.