Director of Content

Overview

Director of Content–Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Communications

Compensation: $125K-$160K with full benefits

ONSITE 4 x week – Norwood, MA

The Opportunity

A growing healthcare communications agency is seeking a Director of Content to provide strategic and creative leadership across a portfolio of pharmaceutical clients.

This is a pivotal leadership role for an experienced pharmaceutical content professional who can see the full strategic picture while remaining close to the work. You will shape messaging platforms, guide content strategy, lead high-value client engagements, mentor writers, and ensure that content is clear, compelling, channel-appropriate, and compliant.

This is not a traditional consumer advertising role centered primarily on television campaigns or high-concept brand creative. The work is more specialized, detailed, and strategically complex. It includes websites, messaging frameworks, patient and healthcare provider communications, brochures, digital programs, campaigns, and integrated content experiences within highly regulated pharmaceutical environments.

The ideal candidate has grown from a senior copy or content position into a strategic creative leader—but still enjoys writing, editing, problem-solving, and helping teams produce stronger work.

What You Will Do

Lead Content Strategy

• Develop insight-driven messaging platforms, content strategies, message architectures, and content frameworks for pharmaceutical and healthcare clients.
• Translate complex brand, patient, healthcare provider, caregiver, access, and support-program needs into clear and actionable communications.
• Lead high-value strategic assignments, including the development of new client messaging and foundational content platforms.
• Create content approaches that connect audience needs, business objectives, channel requirements, and regulatory realities.
• Ensure that content works effectively across the customer journey and remains consistent across channels and deliverables.
• Help clients determine what they should communicate, how they should communicate it, and how messaging should evolve across different audiences and touchpoints.

Set the Standard for Content and Copy

• Establish and maintain a high standard for content strategy, writing, editing, and message clarity.
• Direct content development across websites, email, SMS, digital media, presentations, print collateral, brochures, leave-behinds, interactive experiences, and integrated campaigns.
• Ensure that writing is appropriate for the audience, medium, brand, and communication objective.
• Review and refine work at both the strategic and detailed levels—from the overall narrative and messaging system to individual claims, phrases, and word choices.
• Step into the work directly when an important initiative requires senior-level writing, editing, or strategic support.
• Balance creative ambition with clarity, usability, channel realities, client expectations, and compliance requirements.

Navigate Medical, Legal and Regulatory Review

• Apply a deep understanding of pharmaceutical medical, legal, and regulatory review requirements throughout content development.
• Anticipate potential regulatory challenges before work enters formal review.
• Guide writers and internal teams in developing accurate, supportable, and compliant content.
• Participate in MLR discussions and help teams respond constructively to feedback without losing the strategic strength or clarity of the work.
• Recognize when language, claims, positioning, or communication approaches may create regulatory risk.

Lead Clients and Cross-Functional Teams

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to pharmaceutical clients.
• Lead client discussions, present recommendations, explain content decisions, and confidently respond to questions and feedback.
• Participate in pitches, presentations, workshops, and strategic planning conversations.
• Listen for emerging client needs and identify opportunities to strengthen or expand the agency’s work.
• Collaborate closely with creative, digital, design, strategy, account management, project management, and production teams.
• Translate client needs into clear strategic direction and actionable team deliverables.
• Shift comfortably among multiple clients, brands, projects, and priorities in a fast-moving agency environment.

Mentor and Develop Content Talent

• Provide strategic direction, coaching, and day-to-day mentorship to copywriters, senior writers, associate creative directors, and freelance content specialists.
• Help writers strengthen their pharmaceutical knowledge, strategic thinking, client presence, and ability to write effectively across channels.
• Review work constructively and provide clear, actionable feedback.
• Create greater consistency in content quality and strategic rigor across teams and accounts.
• Initially lead through influence and hands-on mentorship, with the potential to assume formal people-management responsibility as the role and team evolve.
• Support content resourcing, team development, utilization, and freelance planning in partnership with agency leadership.

What You Bring

• At least 10 years of progressive pharmaceutical advertising, pharmaceutical communications, or healthcare agency experience; approximately 12 or more years is strongly preferred.
• A career path that demonstrates progression from senior copywriting or content leadership into broader strategic and creative responsibility.
• Deep familiarity with pharmaceutical medical, legal, and regulatory requirements.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating pharmaceutical content across multiple formats and channels.
• Experience developing sophisticated messaging platforms, content strategies, message architectures, or similar foundational communication frameworks.
• Experience creating communications for both patients and healthcare professionals.
• Strong client-facing experience, including presenting recommendations, leading discussions, and influencing senior stakeholders.
• The ability to direct and mentor writers while also remaining personally capable of writing and editing high-priority work.
• Experience managing multiple clients, projects, deadlines, and shifting priorities within an agency environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.

Highly Valued Experience

• Patient support services or patient support program communications.
• Market access, reimbursement, affordability, adherence, or patient services communications.
• Specialty pharmaceutical or complex-treatment communications.
• Content developed for both patient and HCP audiences.
• Branded and unbranded pharmaceutical communications.
• Website content strategy and large-scale digital content development.
• New-business pitches, strategic presentations, client workshops, or account-growth initiatives.
• Experience mentoring or managing copywriters and content teams.

The Person Who Will Thrive in This Role

–You are both a strategist and a doer.

–You can zoom out to shape the larger story, messaging system, audience journey, and content experience—but you are equally comfortable zooming in to improve a headline, challenge a claim, restructure a page, or identify language that may create regulatory concerns.

–You are intellectually curious and interested in the detailed, complex side of pharmaceutical communications. You do not need every assignment to be a large consumer campaign to find the work creatively rewarding.

–You are comfortable operating in a matrixed, collaborative, and relatively flat agency structure. –You know how to lead through expertise, credibility, partnership, and influence—not simply through title or reporting lines.

–You move quickly, switch gears easily, and remain composed when client needs or priorities change. You are service-minded and willing to step into the work when an important client commitment requires senior support.

–Most importantly, you enjoy helping clients solve complicated communication challenges and helping talented writers become stronger strategic thinkers.

Why Join

–This is an opportunity to become an important member of the agency’s senior solutions leadership team and help shape how content strategy and copy leadership operate across a growing pharmaceutical portfolio.

–You will join an environment where content is viewed as a critical strategic discipline—not simply the final execution of an idea. Y

–You will have the opportunity to influence client relationships, elevate important work, mentor a developing content team, and build greater consistency and sophistication across the agency’s content offering.

Benefits

The comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account with employer contribution
• 401(k) with company match
• Profit-sharing bonus plan
• Life insurance
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Family leave
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness resources
• Discounted fitness membership
• Generous onsite café

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