What Is the Average Senior Medical Writer Salary?
The average base salary for a senior medical writer differs from one location or company to another. In the US, the estimated median annual salary for a senior medical writer, according to Glassdoor, is $192,000. The senior medical writer’s base salary is between $118,000 and $190,000 per year without additional pay and benefits.
Salaries for Medical Writers
There are multiple positions for senior medical writers in a company, depending on their experience level and qualification. The following section discusses the average annual senior medical writer salary compared to other medical writing positions, along with key duties in an organization (data is taken from ZipRecruiter):
Junior Medical Writer: $63,608
Entry-level medical writers work in a cross-functional team to create scientific documents, coordinate and manage the review process, conduct literature searches, contribute to post-market surveillance activities, and attend conferences to keep up to date with growth in the field.
Medical Writer: $80,364
Medical writers’ duties involve developing clear drafts and incorporating revisions, attending meetings, liaising with clients, providing input on project schedules, specifications, and budget, giving briefings to other writers, and mentoring new writers.
For this position, employers seek candidates with over a year of experience in medical writing. They must have a Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or a related field. PharmD or Ph.D. is quite advantageous. Other requirements for this role are proficiency in using the latest software technology and working both apart and as a team.
Senior Medical Writer: $137,286
Senior medical writers are responsible for preparing, editing, and finalizing documents in collaboration with the project team, ensuring appropriate documented QC checks and documents’ compliance with relevant guidelines, and participating in advisory meetings.
For this role, companies seek senior medical writer employees with a Doctoral degree, over five years of relevant medical writing experience, or a Master’s degree with at least nine years of work experience in writing clinical and regulatory documents for different industries. They must have a thorough knowledge of clinical research concepts and practices, experience managing medical writing responsibilities, and excellent interpersonal and influencing skills.
Remote Medical Writer: $80,364
A remote medical writer’s role involves creating and revising scientific documents related to drugs, devices, and biologics for regulatory submissions and publications. Working remotely, these professionals ensure that their documents comply with regulatory, journal, or other content, format, and structure guidelines.
Remote medical writers typically require a Bachelor’s degree or higher in a life sciences discipline and proficiency in relevant medical literature and guidelines. They should possess strong research skills and the ability to interpret and present scientific data clearly and concisely. Practical communication skills are crucial as they often collaborate with global teams.
Location
There are many factors impacting the salaries of senior medical writers. Besides experience level, location is another factor that affects the senior medical writer salary. High-earning areas in a country tend to have a higher living cost, whereas places with a lower cost of living offer lower salaries.
Talent demand is another factor affecting the salaries of senior medical writers. Where the demand for a role exceeds the supply, salaries increase. The following section contains the average annual salary of senior medical writers in different parts of the world. Consider the cost of living when reviewing the medical writer salary offerings in each region.
US South
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US South:
- San Antonio: $86,909
- Atlanta: $92,545
- Austin: $95,389
- Dallas: $95,182
- Nashville: $92,953
US West
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US West:
- San Francisco: $113,382
- Seattle: $109,580
- San Diego: $145,759
- Los Angeles: $103,695
- San Jose: $112,787
US Midwest
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US Midwest:
- Chicago: $99,215
- Kansas City: $93,795
- Minneapolis: $100,461
- Detroit: $88,012
- Indianapolis: $91,988
US Northeast
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US Northeast:
- New York: $106,090
- Boston: $104,550
- Philadelphia: $97,110
Canada
According to Glassdoor, the median senior medical writer’s salary in Canada is CA$111,000 per year, varying from province to province. Here are the annual average wages for senior medical writers in different cities in Canada:
Europe
Iceland, Norway, and Denmark are known for paying the highest salaries in Europe. Following are the average annual senior medical writer salaries in major European cities:
- Paris, France: €48,000
- Rome, Italy: €50,000
- Berlin, Germany: €52,000
- Copenhagen, Denmark: €92,500
- Oslo, Norway: €79,000
Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland are the top European countries with the highest cost of living.
Education
For the senior medical writer position, companies prefer candidates holding a Master’s degree in a relevant field or an advanced degree in life sciences or clinical discipline. In addition to an appropriate advanced degree and substantial work experience, a senior medical writer also enrolls in education courses and obtains professional certifications.
Some companies prefer employees to have the Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP) certification from ISMPP. Additional qualifications in medical writing, such as the Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC), European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) certification, and American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)’s MWC, are also advantageous.
