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Contract Medical Writing Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Vaxcyte

Director, Clinical Medical Writing

San Carlos, CA · On-site +1

$221K - $258K/yr

This position will lead medical writing activities and will manage contract writers and document QC experts, as well as workflows for document development in Veeva Vault. Key accountabilities include ...

Veristat

Principal Medical Writer

Ontario, CA · On-site +1

Minimum of 7 years of medical writing experience in a contract research organization or pharmaceutical/biotechnology research setting. Other professional and/or educational experience may contribute ...

Trident Consulting

Medical Writer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$40 - $44/hr

Contract (W2) Pay Rate: $40/hr - $44/hr on W2 Duration: 6 Months About the Role We are seeking a Medical Writer II to support clinical and regulatory documentation activities for current and pipeline ...

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Trident Consulting

Clinical Writer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$42 - $44/hr

Irvine, CA (contract-onsite) Duration: 6 Months Pay: $42- $44/hr on W2 (Inclusive all) Shift: 1st ... Stay current with industry trends, regulatory requirements, and best practices in medical writing ...

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Contract Medical Writing information

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How much do contract medical writing jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for contract medical writing in California is $45.66, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $33.22 and $55.29 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is contract medical writing?

A Contract Medical Writing job involves creating regulatory, clinical, or scientific documents for pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical device companies on a contract or freelance basis. Medical writers in these roles develop documents such as clinical study reports, regulatory submissions, or scientific publications. They work independently or through agencies, often collaborating with researchers, clinicians, and regulatory teams. These roles offer flexibility in workload and project selection while requiring strong scientific knowledge and writing expertise.

What types of documents do contract medical writers typically work on, and how does the workflow usually look?

Contract medical writers commonly create regulatory submissions (such as clinical study protocols, investigator brochures, and clinical study reports), medical publications, and educational materials for healthcare professionals or regulatory authorities. The workflow usually begins with a project briefing, followed by extensive literature review, drafting, and rounds of review with subject matter experts, regulatory affairs, or clients. Most projects require frequent communication via email or virtual meetings and adherence to strict deadlines. Contract medical writers often work independently but must be flexible and responsive to feedback and changing priorities, which makes time management and adaptability crucial for success.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in contract medical writing, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Contract Medical Writer, you need a strong background in life sciences or pharmacy, excellent written communication skills, and experience with scientific or regulatory documentation. Familiarity with tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, reference management software, and guidelines like ICH, GCP, or AMA style, as well as relevant certifications (e.g., AMWA), is highly beneficial. Outstanding organization, time management, and the ability to communicate complex information clearly with diverse stakeholders will set you apart. These abilities ensure the creation of accurate, compliant medical documents and support effective collaboration in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

What are the most commonly searched types of Medical Writing jobs in California?

The most popular types of Medical Writing jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Contract Medical Writing jobs in California?

For Contract Medical Writing jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Contract Medical Writing jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Contract Medical Writing jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Contract Medical Writing jobs?

Cities in California with the most Contract Medical Writing job openings:

Contract Medical Writing jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract Medical Writing job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 22% Contract. Highlights an 89% In-person, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,975 per year, or $45.7 per hour.

Associate Director Medical Writing

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals

San Diego, CA • On-site

$180K - $220K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 28 days ago

Job description

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MEDICAL WRITING
Zentalis is a clinical oncology innovator developing a treatment approach for ovarian cancer and multiple tumor types. Leveraging therapeutics development and biomarker expertise, Zentalis is advancing monotherapy and combination studies of its investigational first-in-class WEE1 inhibitor, azenosertib. Focused on translating WEE1 science into clinical practice, we aim to equip physicians with a targeted, non-chemotherapy, orally available medicine that enhances treatment experience, choice, and outcomes. Our mission: to unburden cancer patients with more convenience and care.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Associate Director, Medical Writing will provide strategic and operational medical writing expertise to prepare high-quality complex clinical and regulatory documents for health authority submissions. This position will contribute to the medical and regulatory writing portfolio and will collaborate across functional groups within the company to lead and maintain standardized document development processes for clinical and regulatory documents. The Associate Director will report to the Head of Medical Writing.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop and execute strategies for organizing and preparing documents for clinical and regulatory health authority submissions.
  • Independently author and/or lead the authoring and end-to-end development of clinical and regulatory documents, including protocols and amendments, Investigator Brochure annual updates, CSRs, DSURs, eCTD modules for INDs and NDAs including clinical and nonclinical summaries and overviews, meeting requests, briefing books, and other documents required for oncology drug development.
  • Leverage scientific expertise to write, review, and edit science-based documents such as those included in IND/NDA sections, meeting requests, and briefing books.
  • Provide high-quality medical writing support to documents led by other company functional groups, including regulatory affairs, biostatistics, clinical operations, and clinical development.
  • Manage contract medical writers, as needed, including critically reviewing documents produced by external writers for scientific content and alignment with company position, clarity, accuracy, and consistency, with adherence to timelines and team expectations.
  • Work on multiple concurrent deliverables.
  • Collaborate with relevant company subject matter experts and document owners to develop content that is well-organized, consistent, accurate, and appropriate for clinical and regulatory reviewers.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including clinical development, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, and biostatistics to ensure development of high-quality accurate documents delivered within project timelines.
  • Contribute towards the development of templates, SOPs, company style guide, and processes within medical writing to ensure quality and consistency of documents across programs.
  • Responsible for inspection-readiness of medical writing activities.
  • Collaborate with Regulatory Operations to support document formatting, publishing, and submission readiness.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of global regulatory guidance and industry best practices.
  • Ensure final documents adhere to SOP, GCP, and ICH requirements

KEY QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
  • Advanced degree in life sciences; PhD preferred.
  • At least 5-8 years of sponsor-level biotechnology or pharmaceutical clinical/regulatory medical writing experience required.
  • Extensive experience in oncology-focused medical writing, with significant exposure to regulatory submissions.
  • Recent direct or supportive NDA experience with clinical and regulatory documents, including authoring eCTD Module 2 clinical summaries (m2.7.2, m2.7.3, or m2.7.4) and/or overviews (m2.5), and Assessment Aid.
  • Significant experience with authoring protocols and amendments, Investigator Brochure annual updates, CSRs, and DSURs.
  • Must have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, strong attention to detail, ability to interpret and clearly present clinical data and other complex information, and an internal drive to produce clear and thorough, accurate, and high-quality documents.
  • Commitment to clearly understanding data and text, including proactively reaching out to medical writing senior management and/or subject matter experts to enable authoring clear and concise summary text that is understandable to reviewers from various backgrounds and experience.
  • Strong expertise in interpreting and synthesizing safety and efficacy data into meaningful insights and summaries.
  • Strategic thinker with a big-picture orientation.
  • Strong project management and leadership skills; ability to coordinate the efforts of team members according to timelines, and manage competing priorities.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Exceptional partnership and collaboration skills. Able to prospectively identify potential problems and to partner effectively and positively to solve issues.
  • Understanding of scientific methodology as applied to drug development, including the phases, processes, and techniques used within a clinical development environment from protocol design through regulatory submission.
  • Knowledgeable in the regulatory guidance documents developed for documents authored by medical writing.
  • Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively in a team.
  • Excellent time management skills and a proven ability to prioritize and work on multiple projects at any given time.
  • Working knowledge of AMA style, lean authoring, and regulatory document formatting conventions.
  • Expert in MS Office/Microsoft 365.
  • Experience with Veeva Vault preferred.

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