Associate Director Communications

Syneos Health® is a leading fully-integrated life sciences services organization built to accelerate customer success. We partner with innovators at every point across the drug development and commercialization continuum, helping them navigate complexity, anticipate change and accelerate progress.

Every day we perform better because of how we work together, as one team, each the best at what we do. We bring together talented experts across a broad spectrum of business critical corporate functions. Every role plays an essential part in enabling our customers to achieve their goals. Our teams are agile, collaborative, and committed to delivering—for each other, for our customers, and ultimately for the people who rely on the services we support.

Discover what your 25,000 future colleagues already know:

Why Syneos Health

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to building an inclusive culture - where you can authentically be yourself. Central to this is our purpose - Driven to Deliver - which captures the passion of our colleagues to show up each day and shape solutions that have the ability to dramatically impact someone’s life.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because we know that when we bring together smart colleagues from across the world, we can shape the future of healthcare, driving impact for customers and defining the pace of patient progress.

Associate Director Communications

Job Responsibilities

Syneos Health® is seeking a highly collaborative communicator to develop, plan and execute effective internal communications initiatives that increase employee engagement and align with the Company’s strategy and business priorities.

Ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with excellent content creation skills and the ability to work cross-functionally within a highly matrixed global organization.

The role contributes to business outcomes by prioritizing internal communications initiatives that support enterprise performance, change adoption and employee effectiveness, ensuring communications efforts are aligned with strategic importance and organizational impact.

The candidate will:

• Develop and execute internal communications strategies and integrated campaigns that support enterprise initiatives and business priorities, foster culture and strengthen employee engagement.
• Create compelling, audience-appropriate content and multi-channel distribution strategies (e.g., intranet, Teams, email, video, live events), applying segmentation and channel best practices to maximize reach and relevance.
• Establish measurement plans and reporting dashboards; use analytics, feedback and experimentation to continuously optimize content, cadence and channel performance.
• Drive excellence as part of the Global Corporate Communications & Marketing (GCC&M) team in close alignment with multi-disciplinary, matrixed partners, including supporting editorial governance and communications intake/prioritization.
• Deliver on time, within budget and against agreed scope and quality standards. Proactively manage issues and risks; contribute to process improvements that increase speed, clarity and consistency.
• Influence the prioritization and timing of communications initiatives across multiple programs to ensure effective use of communications resources and alignment with business needs.

General

• Serve as an employee communications subject matter expert and trusted advisor to ensure communication strategies and messages are clear, aligned and successfully implemented.
• Write, edit or produce clear, concise and engaging communications that provide line of sight from corporate initiatives and programs through the organization and give employees the information they need for top business performance.
• Develop strategies and manage timelines for multi-tiered communications initiatives.
• Guide and influence leaders and senior stakeholders on communication approaches, messaging, timing and channel selection, particularly in support of enterprise initiatives and change efforts.
• Make independent decisions regarding communication strategy, content approach and channel mix, with moderate impact on team effectiveness and group-level outcomes.
• Apply understanding of how internal communications supports broader business operations, cross-functional collaboration and organizational performance.

Technical Skills

• Exceptionally writing, editing, and storytelling skills with the ability to distill complexity into clarity.
• Strong digital fluency across internal channels (Teams, intranet, video, newsletters, digital employee experience platforms).
• Strong project management, prioritization and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Strong consultative skills (including effective questioning, critical thinking, stakeholder management and communication methodology application).
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Experience leveraging analytics to optimize communication strategies.
• Working knowledge of responsible generative AI use.
• Data-led communications skills, including measurement planning, dashboarding and basic experimentation (e.g., testing formats, timing and messages) to drive continuous improvement.
• Content operations and governance mindset (intake/prioritization, editorial planning, channel standards, brand voice consistency and quality control).
• Video and audio editing experience; including coordinating with external production partners/creative agencies.
• Event planning/execution experience (small- and large-scale town halls and meetings domestically and abroad).

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BAS degree in relevant field.
• 5-7 years of communications experience.
• Healthcare or scientific experience preferred.
• Global communications experience.
• Travel may be required (up to 15%).
• Strong organizational, interpersonal and team-oriented skills.
• Ability to act independently and proactively.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to provide functional guidance and informal leadership in support of communications initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Native proficiency in English language required; other languages a plus.

Get to know Syneos Health

Over the past 5 years, we have worked with 94% of all Novel FDA Approved Drugs, 95% of EMA Authorized Products and over 200 Studies across 73,000 Sites and 675,000+ Trial patients.

No matter what your role is, you’ll take the initiative and challenge the status quo with us in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment. Learn more about Syneos Health.

Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.

Additional Information

Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.

Summary

Syneos Health® is seeking a highly collaborative communicator to develop, plan and execute effective internal communications initiatives that increase employee engagement and align with the Company’s strategy and business priorities. Ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with excellent content creation skills and the ability to work cross‑functionally within a highly matrixed global organization.

Discover what our more than 29,000 employees already know: work here matters everywhere. We work hard,and smart, all in the name of getting much-needed therapies to those who need them most. A career with Syneos Health means your everyday work improves patients’ lives around the world. Selecting us as an employer secures a career in which you’re guaranteed to:

Syneos Health ® is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization built to accelerate customer success. We translate unique clinical, medical affairs and commercial insights into outcomes to address modern market realities. Together we share insights, use the latest technologies and apply advanced business practices to speed our customers’ delivery of important therapies to patients.