Associate Director, Enterprise Operations R&D

About Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Acadia is advancing breakthroughs in neuroscience to elevate life. Since our founding, we have been working at the forefront of healthcare to bring vital solutions to people who need them most. We developed and commercialized the first and only FDA-approved drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis and the first and only approved drug in the United States and Canada for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Our clinical-stage development efforts are focused on Prader-Willi syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, and multiple other programs targeting neuropsychiatric symptoms in central nervous system disorders. For more information, visit us at Acadia.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

 

Please note that this position is based in either San Diego, CA OR Princeton, NJ. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.

Position Summary

The Associate Director, R&D Enterprise Operations, will support the Chief of Staff for R&D in managing strategic projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, and facilitating communication to ensure the smooth execution of strategic initiatives and the priorities of the Head of R&D and Chief of Staff for R&D. The ideal candidate will have strong skills in project management, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Assist the Chief of Staff of R&D in planning, executing, and monitoring strategic and special projects.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and timely completion of project milestones.
• Facilitate communication between stakeholders, including the Head of R&D and the R&D leadership team, to ensure clear understanding of project goals and progress.
• Prepare and maintain project documentation, including timelines, status reports, and meeting minutes.
• Identify and mitigate potential risks and issues that may impact project success.
• Support the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to achieve organizational goals.
• Conduct research in industry trends, market conditions, and potential opportunities relevant to the R&D organization strategy to inform decision-making and project planning.
• Assist in the preparation of scientific presentations and reports for senior leadership.
• Support chief of staff and head of R&D in planning and executing culture-building activities and events.
• Support executive scientific communications for the Head of R&D through social media and external-facing presentations, as well as internal newsletters and R&D townhalls.
• Develop R&D and pipeline-related content for a wide variety of audiences in partnership with the Chief of Staff for R&D, Investor Relations, and Corporate Communications.
• Strategize the R&D narrative and supporting materials, including working with internal colleagues to create molecule/mechanism of action/disease state images and videos for multipurpose use (e.g., pipeline/medical booths and medical congresses, investigator meetings, advisory boards).
• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM, communications or other related field.  Targeting 8 years of relevant progressive experience in the pharmaceutical/medical device industry with a focus in R&D scientific communications and/or project management experience. Project management certificate preferred (i.e. PMP, Six Sigma, etc.). An equivalent combination of relevant education and applicable job experience may be considered.
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication to effectively convey scientific information across all levels of the organization. 
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively.
• Adept at building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate collaboration.
• Experience working independently and highly detail oriented when developing, executing, and monitoring project plans to meet deadlines.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with utmost confidentiality. 
• Ability to gather and interpret scientific data to inform decision-making.
• Self-organized, self-directing and highly motivated. 
• Ability to identify opportunities and develop a plan to address challenges.
• In depth knowledge and skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlo