Opportunity Snapshot

About Amgen Careers

Amgen is a biotechnology company focused on serious illnesses across areas such as oncology, inflammation, general medicine, and rare disease. Its corporate affairs and communications teams help explain scientific progress, company priorities, patient impact, and product milestones to media, stakeholders, employees, and the public.

For current openings, always check Amgen’s official careers website before applying through any older job article.

Official Amgen Careers Page: Amgen Careers

Amgen Public Relations Jobs: View Amgen Public Relations Roles

What a Media Relations Director Does

A Media Relations Director leads external communications strategies that shape how a company is understood by journalists, industry analysts, healthcare stakeholders, investors, patients, and the wider public. In biotech and pharmaceutical companies, this work often involves scientific data, clinical trial updates, product milestones, regulatory developments, disease education, corporate reputation, and executive visibility.

This role is not just about writing press releases. Strong candidates know how to build trust with reporters, prepare executives for interviews, manage sensitive issues, translate complex medical information into clear messages, and coordinate communications across legal, medical, regulatory, investor relations, commercial, and agency teams.

Common Responsibilities

• Develop media relations strategies for company news, pipeline updates, product milestones, and corporate announcements.
• Build and maintain relationships with healthcare, biotech, business, and industry journalists.
• Prepare executives, scientists, and company spokespeople for interviews and public statements.
• Create press releases, briefing documents, talking points, Q&A documents, media statements, and background materials.
• Partner with legal, medical, regulatory, investor relations, commercial, and internal communications teams.
• Manage PR agency partners and guide external communications execution.
• Monitor media coverage, sentiment, industry conversations, and reputation risks.
• Support communications around conferences, medical meetings, product updates, and scientific publications.
• Respond to media inquiries with accurate, approved, and timely information.
• Help leaders communicate clearly during sensitive, complex, or high-visibility moments.

Skills Employers Want

• Corporate media relations
• Healthcare and biotech communications
• Reporter relationship management
• Executive communications
• Scientific storytelling
• Press release writing
• Spokesperson preparation
• Crisis and issues management
• Regulatory and compliance awareness
• PR agency management
• Message development
• Media monitoring and analytics
• Cross-functional stakeholder management
• Conference and event communications
• Clear writing under deadline pressure

Salary Context

The older Amgen listing referenced a salary range of approximately $160,844 to $191,993. Current compensation can vary by job level, location, company size, therapeutic area experience, leadership scope, and whether the role is associate director, director, senior director, or executive director level.

• Senior Manager, Media Relations: $115,000–$155,000
• Associate Director, Corporate Communications: $145,000–$190,000
• Director, Media Relations: $165,000–$225,000+
• Senior Director or Executive Communications Leader: $210,000–$280,000+

Higher-paying roles usually require biotech or pharmaceutical experience, strong executive presence, proven media relationships, crisis communications experience, and the ability to manage high-stakes announcements.

Resume Tips for Biotech Media Relations Jobs

• Lead with your strongest healthcare, biotech, pharmaceutical, or scientific communications experience.
• Show measurable results, such as media placements, message reach, sentiment improvement, executive visibility, or campaign impact.
• Mention the types of announcements you have supported, such as clinical data, product launches, regulatory milestones, partnerships, or earnings-related communications.
• Include examples of spokesperson preparation, executive briefing, crisis response, and reporter engagement.
• Use clear metrics where possible: number of placements, tier-one coverage, share of voice, response time, or media engagement outcomes.
• Highlight agency management, cross-functional collaboration, and ability to work with legal, medical, and regulatory reviewers.
• Avoid generic PR language. Show that you understand the complexity of communicating science responsibly.

Interview Preparation

For senior media relations interviews, employers usually want proof that you can manage pressure, judgment, stakeholders, and complex information.

• How have you built relationships with healthcare or business journalists?
• Tell us about a high-stakes announcement you supported.
• How do you prepare an executive or scientist for a difficult interview?
• How do you translate complex scientific information for a general audience?
• How do you work with legal, medical, and regulatory teams without slowing communication?
• Describe a time you managed negative coverage or reputational risk.
• How do you measure media relations success?
• How do you decide whether to respond to a reporter inquiry?
• What makes a biotech story newsworthy?
• How would you handle an urgent media request during a sensitive company announcement?

Similar Job Titles to Search

• Media Relations Director
• Corporate Affairs Director
• Public Relations Director
• Healthcare Communications Director
• Biotech Communications Director
• Pharmaceutical Communications Manager
• Executive Communications Director
• External Communications Director
• Scientific Communications Lead
• Corporate Communications Associate Director