How to hire a senior medical writer

How to hire a senior medical writer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior medical writer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior medical writer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior medical writer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior medical writer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior medical writer you need to hire. Certain senior medical writer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior medical writer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior medical writers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of senior medical writer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Medical Writer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Medical Writer	Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. They also develop, gather, and disseminate technical information through an organization’s communications channels.	$29-75
   Managing Editor	Managing editors are individuals who coordinate and oversee the editorial activities of a publication. They administer the daily operations or a website or publication, such as generating ideas and planning and editing content... Show more	$28-63
   Content Editor	A content editor is a professional who is responsible for proof-reading articles written by content writers and write blog posts to promote the products and services of an organization. Content editors are responsible for producing monthly newsletters and optimize written pieces to increase user engagement... Show more	$19-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Medical Writing
   • Clinical Data
   • Clinical Study Reports
   • Clinical Research
   • FDA
   • Patients
   • Literature Searches
   • ICH
   • PowerPoint
   • Clinical Trials
   • Patient Care
   • Healthcare Professionals
   • GCP
   • Scientific Content

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the contractor for the eCTD compilation and submission.
   • Prepare CSRs and manage the writing of CSRs by contract writers.
   • Manage the quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) review and response processes for these documents.
   • Create and maintain account profiles for contributors, including writing of biographies, gathering headshots, and creating and managing accounts.
   • Work within the confines of a regulate document management system, prepare documents in eCTD format under GCP and ICH guidelines.
   • Develop a strong knowledge of (GxP, ICH) regulatory guidelines.

   More senior medical writer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior medical writer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior medical writer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior medical writer in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior medical writer. Additionally, a senior medical writer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior medical writer salary

   $99,453yearly

   $47.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior medical writer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average senior medical writer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$129,281	$62
   2	Arizona	$118,374	$57
   3	New Jersey	$109,728	$53
   4	Massachusetts	$104,298	$50
   5	Maryland	$101,024	$49
   6	Pennsylvania	$99,970	$48
   7	Michigan	$98,836	$48
   8	North Carolina	$95,944	$46
   9	New York	$94,451	$45
   10	Washington	$91,706	$44
   11	Texas	$89,051	$43
   12	Rhode Island	$88,759	$43
   13	Delaware	$88,642	$43
   14	Minnesota	$88,300	$42
   15	Illinois	$88,268	$42
   16	Florida	$87,861	$42
   17	Ohio	$86,891	$42
   18	Wyoming	$84,928	$41
   19	Georgia	$82,539	$40
   20	Indiana	$80,485	$39

   Average senior medical writer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Biogen	$130,437	$62.71
   2	Novartis	$121,805	$58.56
   3	Novo Nordisk	$120,091	$57.74
   4	Regeneron	$118,855	$57.14
   5	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$118,432	$56.94	1
   6	Edwards Lifesciences	$116,996	$56.25
   7	Cytokinetics	$115,930	$55.74
   8	Gilead Sciences	$113,770	$54.70
   9	Sanofi US	$112,250	$53.97	5
   10	Exelixis	$105,773	$50.85
   11	Pfizer	$102,268	$49.17
   12	QuintilesIMS	$101,414	$48.76	3
   13	Veristat	$100,526	$48.33
   14	Ariad Pharmaceuticals	$100,470	$48.30
   15	Arthrex	$97,697	$46.97
   16	Peloton Group	$97,689	$46.97
   17	Envision Pharma Group	$96,839	$46.56
   18	MMS	$96,822	$46.55	12
   19	Prime Global	$96,782	$46.53	2
   20	IBM	$96,619	$46.45

4. Writing a senior medical writer job description

   A good senior medical writer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior medical writer job description:

   Senior medical writer job description example

   For more than 25 years, Veristat has built a reputation as a thoughtful partner in the clinical development and regulatory submission process. We have done so by hiring talented people who align to our core values and share a common passion for our mission driven work.
   
   Do you value a collaborative work environment and the opportunity to truly make a difference? If so, you will feel right at home here. At Veristat, you can grow both personally and professionally, with opportunities to discuss your achievements and advance your career through quarterly feedback conversations and meaningful work.
   We do things differently than large CROs and would love to have you join our Veristat team!
   
   The Senior Medical Writer independently plans and prepares a variety of clinical documents necessary for all phases of clinical drug and device development by organizing, analyzing, and interpreting scientific and statistical data. Such documents include Module 2 clinical summaries of marketing applications, integrated summaries of safety and efficacy, agency meeting briefing packages, clinical study reports, study protocols, investigator's brochures, aggregate safety reports, and manuscripts.
   As a Senior Medical Writer You Will... Conduct overall planning of the clinical sections of global submissions. Work with a manager to develop timelines and resource plans for the clinical sections of a submission or for implementation of communication strategy. Review statistical analysis plans as required. Perform “peer” review of documents written by other medical writers as required. Keep management informed on progress of documents and other project-related information. Assist management in projecting resources and perform administrative duties as requested. Work independently with the sponsor representative(s) with regard to document planning, review, revision, and finalization. Documents are to be completed within a time period that supports project needs and deadlines. Furthermore, documents are to be of high quality and scientifically accurate, and are to reflect a consensus among team members that is acceptable to all appropriate reviewers. Documents must meet International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines and company document standards unless required otherwise by client and agreed per procedure.
   Experience + Requirements
   
   Bachelor's Degree in a science or related field. Minimum of 5 years of medical writing experience in a CRO, pharmaceutical, or biotechnology setting. Other professional and/or educational experience may contribute toward this minimum requirement, as determined on a case-by-case basis. Working knowledge of ICH and other regulatory guidelines required. The ability to accurately and clearly present clinical data; strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; and proficiency in Microsoft Word are required. Broad knowledge of global pharmaceutical regulatory requirements required, and experience in clinical research or other areas of the pharmaceutical industry preferred. Excellent regulatory writing skills (e.g., English usage) and a keen attention to detail also are required.
   
   #LI-Remote Automated Decision Making: All applicants are reviewed by a member of the Veristat Talent Acquisition team; Veristat does not utilize an automated decision making process.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior medical writer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior medical writer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior medical writer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior medical writers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior medical writer

   Once you've found the senior medical writer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior medical writer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a senior medical writer?