Sr Scientific Writer

At Houston Methodist, the Senior Scientific Writer is responsible for functioning as the mentor for junior staff with an extensive knowledge of both medical and technical science while working with scientific and clinical teams to concisely and clearly communicate technical medicine and science in writing, in accordance with regulations, standards and guidelines. This role must also have familiarity with scientific and clinical research and will conduct comprehensive literature searches for writing and editing abstracts, manuscripts, review articles, grant applications, clinical study protocols, investigator brochures, consent forms, presentations and progress reports for both scientific and lay audiences.

FLSA STATUS
Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Master’s Degree required
• PhD Preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Six years’ experience in technical or scientific writing
• Two years with grant applications preferred

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Ability to write in a clear, concise, and accurate language that can be understood by technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to understand complex scientific information, theories, and practices.
• Skilled in identifying extramural funding mechanisms for faculty and programs
• Skilled in coordinating strategic writing projects

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Subject matter expert responsible for research, writing, and editing of technical documents.
• Mentors and coaches other scientific writers in editing and compiling appendices of documents related to technical reports.
• Works with departments, agencies and sponsors to ensure that specific requirements are met with respect to document content and formatting.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Independently creates technical documents (collaborating with the team) based on the strategy provided, and is accountable for the format, content, and adherence to global and electronic publishing standards of the individual submission documents that he/she is the author of.
• Interprets data and advises faculty as how to best present data considering scientific communications best practices.
• Works with Principal Investigator(s) to develop, present, and bring to final submission high quality, large, multi-disciplinary, and multi-collaborative grant proposals and publications.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepares moderately complex documents and sections of regulatory submissions and contributes scientific knowledge and analytical skills to the preparation of grant proposals, manuscripts, presentations, protocols, and clinical regulatory documentation.
• Prepares technical documents that adhere to regulatory, financial, policy, and legal requirements.
• Assures compliance with Houston Methodist policies, rules, and regulations to meet government, publisher, and sponsor standards and research development best practices.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Development of grant application budgets, industry contracts and subcontracts, and other financial documents in compliance with Houston Methodist policies and procedures.
• Contributes to quality improvement and success of grants applications.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Finds and implements innovations in scientific writing, grant development and research development to continuously improve best practices.
• Seeks opportunities to for continual professional development.
• Fosters a positive and constructive teaching environment by engaging students and co-workers in learning opportunities that are valuable and in alignment with business objectives.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Master’s Degree required
• PhD Preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Six years’ experience in technical or scientific writing
• Two years with grant applications preferred