Director, Scientific Communications

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals is a commercial‑stage biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel therapies for diseases with unmet need, with a focus on cardiovascular indications. With deep expertise in immunology and inflammation, Kiniksa is advancing a growing portfolio of approved and investigational medicines, anchored by its lead product, ARCALYST®, the first and only FDA‑approved therapy for recurrent pericarditis. Grounded in rigorous science and bold innovation, the company fosters a highly collaborative, patient‑first culture led by accomplished life sciences leaders. At Kiniksa, talented individuals are trusted and empowered to make a real impact—shaping the future of medicine while improving the lives of patients who need it most.

We're looking for a Director, Scientific Communications, reporting to Medical Director, Global Medical Affairs. Someone who will be the key driver, responsible for developing and implementing a publication strategy aligned across the multiple disciplines within the Kiniksa organization. It is of critical importance to liaise with the internal team to ensure the publication strategy incorporates relevant, data-driven, disease and product messages. The priority is to ensure that key pre-clinical and clinical scientific information is disseminated to the medical community appropriately and timely while ensuring plans are fully integrated with congresses and subject matter expert (SME) development plans. Responsibilities include leading and executing on the planning, writing, reviewing, editing, and production of scientific resources, including abstracts, posters, publications, and presentations. In this role, it is important to engage and develop relationships with internal as well as external stakeholders such as clinical investigators, SMEs and consultants.

Our office-based employees work on an onsite schedule of five days a week onsite in Lexington, MA. While we prioritize in-person teamwork, remote options will be considered for highly qualified individuals who can maintain strong engagement and collaboration in a virtual environment. 

Responsibilities (including, but not limited to):

• Conduct a strategic analysis across the portfolio to review existing and planned clinical data and identify any unmet data needs, define the publication planning objectives and confirm relevant stakeholders
• Hire, develop, and manage a team, as appropriate, to execute the Company’s publication strategy and meet important timelines/deadlines
• Appropriately disseminate knowledge of company strategy to key team members, assuring strategic alignment in key deliverables
• Understand and embed emerging evidence dissemination formats (plain-language summaries, graphical abstracts, digital congress materials), where appropriate, within key deliverables
• Implement omnichannel publishing, as appropriate and in alignment corporate needs and policies (web, mobile, social, print)
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional colleagues (e.g., Commercial, Clinical Development, Investor Relations) to ensure publication priorities and lexicon aligned with the Kiniksa strategy
• Determine appropriate publication metrics for effective internal expectations and communication
• Manage publication plans across the portfolio in collaboration with internal stakeholders to ensure consistency and medical accuracy as well as compliance with current good publication practice guidelines
• Ensure that policies and procedures applicable to scientific communications are kept current and align with good publication practices
• Develop and manage the scientific communications budget in collaboration with the head of Medical Affairs
• Provide thorough and critical review of scientific, medical, and writing in creation of abstracts, posters, presentations, and manuscripts
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external partners and authors
• Serve as central contact to ensure efficient communication with partners and authors regarding all aspects of scientific communication and publications
• Support the development of resources that communicate medical data on Kiniksa’s products and therapeutic areas of interest such as standard response letters, unbranded disease state educational materials (e.g., slide decks) for use by field medical, and scientific training curriculum across multiple disciplines
• Attend scientific congresses as appropriate
• Present on the scientific data as appropriate
• Partner with the Global Field Medical Affairs team to determine a strategy for encore presentations and assist them in the rules of engagement for the local, regional, national, and international conferences

Standout Skills for Impact:

Execution & Adaptability

• End-to-end publication leadership - drives planning, development, and delivery of abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and presentations.
• Portfolio-level prioritization - manages multiple programs and timelines while ensuring strategic consistency.
• Agile response to evolving data - adapts publication plans based on emerging clinical and pre-clinical insights.

Ownership & Leadership Mindset

• Strategic ownership of publication planning - defines objectives, identifies gaps, and ensures alignment with corporate strategy
• Team leadership & development - hires, mentors, and guides high-performing scientific communications teams
• Accountability for delivery excellence -  ensures timely execution of high-impact deliverables across the portfolio

Scientific & Analytical Expertise

• Data-driven storytelling - integrates clinical and preclinical data into cohesive, scientifically rigorous narratives
• Critical scientific review - evaluates accuracy, quality, and integrity of medical writing and publications
• Gap analysis & insight generation - identifies unmet data needs and shapes evidence generation priorities

Quality, Compliance & Governance

• Good publication practice (GPP) compliance – ensures all outputs meet ethical, regulatory, and industry standards
• Content accuracy & medical integrity – maintains scientific rigor and consistency across all deliverables
• Policy & process stewardship – develops and enforces SOPs aligned with scientific communications best practice

Operational & Business Acumen

• Budget ownership & resource allocation - manages scientific communications budget in alignment with organizational priorities
• Program integration with congress strategy - aligns publications with key scientific meetings and field medical initiatives
• Centralized coordination - ensures seamless communication and execution across authors, partners, and stakeholders

Team & Patient Impact

• Amplifies scientific awareness - timely dissemination of critical data to the medical community
• Drives field enablement - supports development of training, educational materials, and response resources
• Mission-driven leadership - motivated by advancing science and improving patient outcomes through effective communication

Innovation & Omnichannel Communication

• Omnichannel publication strategy-deploys content across digital, print, congress, and social platforms
• Emerging format adoption-integrates plain-language summaries, graphical abstracts, and digital congress assets and metrics-driven optimization-defines and tracks publication impact to continuously refine strategy

Qualifications and Experience: 

• Requires an advanced scientific degree (PhD, PharmD, MD) or relevant advanced science degree (MS, MPH)
• 7 years of experience in related fields with a concentration in medical/scientific communications, or 5+ years directly in publications at a pharmaceutical/biotechnology company; prior rheumatology, immunology, cardiology and/or rare disease experience a plus
• Ability to demonstrate a solid understanding of process for submission of abstracts and manuscripts to scientific congresses and journals
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders and external authors
• Demonstrated reputation as a well-respected, dynamic team leader, player, and coach
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, presentation skills, conflict management and problem-solving skills are required
• Ability to work under deadlines in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of flexibility
• Ability to effectively facilitate meetings and manage cross-functional teams
• Collaborates at all levels in the organization, including effective interface at the senior management level
• High proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CoPilot, and Outlook; experience with document management systems preferred
• Strong analytical skills and experience with clinical data presentation and interpretation
• Up to 20% travel

Kiniksa is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, genetics, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status, or any other legally protected category. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. 

Kiniksa does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing agencies or search firms. Any resumes submitted without a signed agreement will be considered property of Kiniksa, and no fees will be paid.