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 total pay for a senior medical writer, according to Talent.com, is $107,500 per year or $55.13 per hour. The senior medical writer’s base salary is $80,128 per year without additional pay and benefits. Early-career senior medical writers make at least $95,000 annually, while most experienced senior medical writer employees earn up to $132,500 annually.
According to Glassdoor, the highest salary for a senior medical writer in the United States is $145,277 annually. And a senior medical writer’s lowest salary in the US is $88,107 per year.
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: $66,608
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: $96,235
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: $132,286
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: $87,490 (14% lower than the national average)
- Atlanta: $89,390 (2% above the national average)
- Austin: $132,683 (3% lower than the national average)
- Dallas: $137,661 (2% above the national average)
- Nashville: $116,046 (3% lower than the national average)
US West
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US West:
- San Francisco: $128,301 (80% above the national average)
- Seattle: $115,447 (49% above the national average)
- San Diego: $132,618 (44% above the national average)
- Los Angeles: $132,802 (43% above the national average)
- San Jose: $112,990 (49% above the national average)
US Midwest
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US Midwest:
- Chicago: $103,561 (23% above the national average)
- Kansas City: $79,684 (8% lower than the national average)
- Minneapolis: $96,090 (5% above the national average)
- Detroit: $121,018 (3% lower than the national average)
- Indianapolis: $96,239 (8% lower than the national average)
US Northeast
Average salaries for senior medical writers in the US Northeast:
- New York: $110,184 (129% above the national average)
- Boston: $101,590 (48% above the national average)
- Philadelphia: $96,790 (17% above the national average)
- Hartford: $132,711 (17% above the national average)
- Providence: $94,390 (9% above the national average)
Canada
According to Glassdoor, the average senior medical writer’s salary in Canada is CA$120,087 per year, varying from province to province. Here are the annual average wages for senior medical writers in different cities in Canada:
- Toronto: CA$119,684
- Montreal: CA$116,018
- Vancouver: CA$108,979
- Calgary: CA$95,619
- Hamilton: CA$112,550
Canada is a vast country; as of 2022, it is the 25th most expensive country to live in. Different regions have different costs of living. Of all the places, Vancouver and Toronto have the highest living costs in the country.
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: €56,370
- Rome, Italy: €64,153
- Berlin, Germany: €63,066
- Copenhagen, Denmark: €100,784
- Bern, Switzerland: €107,181
- Oslo, Norway: €99,398
- London, UK: €52,705
- Reykjavík, Iceland: €77,869
- Vienna, Austria: €85,422
- Stockholm, Sweden: €68,454
Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland are the top European countries with the highest cost of living.
Australia
In Australia, a senior medical writer earns an average base salary of AU$145,178 annually. Salaries differ from one region to another due to various factors. Here are the average wages for senior medical writers in the main cities of Australia:
- Sydney: AU$117,000
- Melbourne: AU$135,064
- Perth: AU$111,823
- Brisbane: AU$107,819
- Adelaide: AU$104,411
The cost of living in Australia is 85% higher than everywhere worldwide. Its cities, i.e., Sydney and Perth, are among the most expensive cities to live in the world.
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.
