Science Writer – $25.86 – $45.38/Hour

The Department of Neurology is seeking a casual Science Writer to work closely with the Neurofibroma Therapeutic Acceleration Program (NTAP) team. The primary responsibility of the Science Writer is to assist faculty and staff in the coordination, editing, and formatting of scientific grant applications; develop and produce materials for scientific publications, clinical trial protocols, summary reports, and meetings; translate scientific concepts and proposals for a general audience. The Science Writer will ensure that strategically aligned communication points are conveyed in medical writing deliverables and that the communication points are consistent across program documentation. The Science Writer will mitigate risk associated with medical writing and disclosure processes by establishing and maintaining best practices and SOPs.

The Science Writer is responsible for the development of scientific content in a variety of formats, accurate interpretation of data, clear communication with researchers and other authors, efficient planning and organization, establishing effective working interactions with editorial, graphics, and product management teams, and produce quality products efficiently under multiple timelines. This position requires a high degree of independent action and adherence to strict timelines.

Candidates are requested to please provide three relevant writing samples.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Draft, edit and assist with manuscript publications and submissions to various scientific journals.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to help create and/or edit content for abstracts, exhibits, annual reports, training modules, marketing templates, and web content.
• Provide research support for the content development as well as stylistic and substantive editing of documents and presentation materials.
• Conduct reference- and fact-checking to ensure that documents and presentations are well-organized, well-written, and adhere to appropriate conventions of standard written English and standard medical writing.
• Conduct literature searches as needed, assisting authors with the identification and selection of scientific and medical literature relevant to documents in preparation.
• Develop, produce, and publish posters and presentations for scientific meetings, manuscripts, journal articles, and book chapters while adhering to International Congress of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines.
• Shepherd drafts through all stages of review and approval, which may include peer review, consumer review, interagency review, PI approval, and/or authorship approval.
• Proofread all materials to ensure that they match the approved copy exactly and that the format, organization, alignment, and spacing of copy and graphics are consistent and adhere to established standards for print and electronic publication.
• Maintain accurate and timely records to track the progress of multiple projects and deliverables. Provide regular updates for faculty and NTAP leadership.
• Craft complex concepts into a story for a more general audience.
• Plan and deliver presentations to faculty, staff and leadership as needed.
• Other editorial duties as assigned.

Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to operate independently, with guidance provided by NTAP physicians, faculty and staff.
• Ability to make independent judgments and to act on decisions on a daily basis.
• Ability to prioritize own work and work of others as needed.
• Ability to work with flexibility on several tasks simultaneously and to meet various concurrent deadlines.
• Very strong organizational skills, analytical and problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate projects independently and work constructively as part of a team.
• Ability to work collegially with small, close-knit teams.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.

• Strong medical editing skills, including structural and substantive editing, fact checking, researching, and referencing, with working knowledge of relevant style manuals (AMA, Chicago Manual).
• Thorough understanding of grammar rules and comprehension of medical, pharmaceutical, and scientific literature, concepts, and terminology.
• Attention to detail and accuracy, with demonstrated ability to create high-quality documents that effectively and clearly convey clinical concepts and recommendations to targeted audiences, communicating key messages clearly and concisely.

• Strong ability to collaborate and communicate with multidisciplinary contributors through multiple cycles of editing and revision to produce coherent and authoritative final documents.
• Proficiency with standard Microsoft Office software.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in related Technical/Scientific field.
• One year writing experience, preferably in technical/scientific field.
• If degree is in a non-technical/scientific field, two years technical/scientific writing experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with development of manuscripts for medical peer-reviewed journals preferred. In-depth knowledge of medical terminology and concepts is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of clinical research study design, biostatistics, and ICMJE guidelines preferred.