Associate Director, Scientific Communications
Encoded Therapeutics
Summary
The Associate Director, Scientific Communications will play a key role within the Medical and Patient Affairs team, supporting the development and delivery of high-quality scientific and patient-friendly content that communicates the value and impact of Encoded’s programs. This role will support scientific/medical and patient-facing content development, conference planning, and cross-functional communication initiatives to ensure consistency and excellence across all external and internal materials.
Job description
- Support development and QC of abstracts, posters, presentations, and manuscripts in collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners.
- Partner with internal stakeholders including Clinical Development/Sciences, Biometrics, and Corporate Communications to gather data and insights required for communication deliverables.
- Maintain internal and external processes for document review, approval, and version control across publication and communication deliverables.
- Draft and revise accurate, scientifically sound materials such as slide decks, data visualizations, message platforms, narratives, FAQs, and lexicon documents for both internal and external audiences in alignment with company strategy and compliance standards.
- Assist with obtaining and implementing feedback from internal cross-functional team members.
- Assist in maintaining high standards in visual and written presentation of complex data to external audiences, including medical and patient communities, regulatory authorities, investors, and Encoded’s Board of Directors.
- Assist with the planning and execution of scientific congress activities, including session coverage, data presentations, booth materials, and internal debrief summaries.
- Attend conferences and cover sessions, as needed.
- Assist in content development and post-meeting reports for advisory boards and expert meetings.
- Support alignment with Research, Clinical Development, Corporate Communications, Regulatory Affairs, Patient Advocacy, and Commercial teams to ensure consistency of medical messaging across programs and audiences.
- Manage Medical–Legal–Regulatory (MLR) review of external documents for the MPA team.
- Manage reactive Patient Advocacy and Medical Information enquiries with timely, compliant, empathetic responses.
- Support for Patient Advocacy and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) communications projects, as needed.
- Manage and collaborate with vendors and external medical writers to deliver projects on time, within scope, and in alignment with company standards.
- Ensure publications adhere to Encoded’s Publication Policies and Authorship Guidelines; Good Publication Practice (GPP) guidelines; the International Committee for Medical Journal Editors Recommendations; and any other relevant conference, journal, legal or regulatory guidelines.
- Travel internationally & domestically as required.
Requirements
- A minimum of twelve years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or eight years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with three to five years of experience; or equivalent experience.
- Three to five years of medical writing, publications, or scientific communications experience within the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry or a medical communications agency.
- Strong understanding of scientific publication processes, data communication, medical terminology, statistical methods, and compliance principles.
- Proven ability to draft clear, concise scientific content and translate technical data for diverse audiences.
- Excellent writing, editing, and project management skills with strong attention to detail.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple deliverables concurrently under standard supervision.
- Collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills and comfort working across cross-functional teams.
- Ability to communicate complex scientific information empathetically with patient communities.
- Flexible, adaptable, and comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe presentation tools.
- Preferred: Advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, or MD) in a life science field.
- Preferred: Experience in gene therapy, epilepsy, neuroscience, or rare disease.
- Preferred: Knowledge of digital and multimedia scientific communication formats.
- Preferred: Comfort with graphic design and video editing tools.
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- 401(k) plan
- Stock option grants
- Paid time off
- Sick time
- Holiday pay
- Parental leave
- Short-term disability
- Long-term disability
- Professional development
- Fitness center
- Fully stocked kitchen
Company overview
Encoded Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision genetic medicines for severe central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in South San Francisco, California, the company is developing potentially disease-modifying gene therapies for pediatric CNS conditions using its proprietary vector engineering platform. Encoded's innovative approach combines novel regulatory elements and payloads with AAV vectors to achieve unprecedented gene specificity and cell selectivity, enabling targeted expression of therapeutic transgenes in specific cell types. The company's flagship program, ETX101, targets Dravet syndrome and has received RMAT designation from the FDA. Encoded's pipeline also includes programs for Angelman syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, STXBP1-related disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and neuropathic pain. With a team of 51-200 employees and significant venture backing including a $135 million Series D round, Encoded is advancing potentially transformative one-time gene therapies that could address significant unmet medical needs in neurological disorders.