Executive Director, Portfolio Management Office

About Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Acadia is advancing breakthroughs in neuroscience to elevate life. For 30 years 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 FDA-approved drug 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 San Diego, CA. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.

Position Summary

The Executive Director, Portfolio Management Office (PMO) will be responsible for the project and portfolio management processes and systems in support of delivery of the Acadia Asset Strategy Teams and overall portfolio and management of program managers that support evolving programs.  In addition, this role is responsible for providing program and portfolio data reporting, visualization, and analysis in support of strategic planning, decision making, and delivering the portfolio of programs at Acadia.  

Primary Responsibilities

• Development, implementation, and management of project and portfolio management standards, processes, and tools to support Asset Strategy Team delivery as well as portfolio-level oversight, strategy development, and decision making.
• Management of PMO program management staff that will support teams and be responsible for the entry and quality oversight of project management data captured in the project and portfolio management systems.
• Providing recurring and ad hoc reporting, along with analysis, to senior management in support of managing the portfolio of Asset Team programs at Acadia.
• Optimization of lifecycle management operating model and governances.
• Work with functional areas to link and visualize project management data managed in functions to the Asset Team and Franchise plans as needed to support efficient and effective cross-functional delivery of Asset Team Programs.
• Leading Projects in support of the portfolio as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skills

Bachelor’s degree in a related field; Advanced degree preferred.  Targeting 15 years of progressively responsible, relevant experience focusing on program management with 10 years in a leadership role which includes leading and managing project manager and teams.  Successful candidate will have a strong understanding of project management roles specifically in the pharmaceutical industry and/or other technically based, regulated research and development environment.  An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.

Key Skills:

• Experience in developing and implementing project and portfolio management methodologies and tools.
• Strong strategic thinking and leadership skills
• Seasoned communication skills and executive presence
• Broad knowledge of project and portfolio management processes in support of drug development in the pharmaceutical industry
• Advanced meeting facilitation skills and ability to lead cross-functional teams
• Ability to accommodate and lead teams through shifting priorities, demands and timelines.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources and to be persuasive, encouraging and motivating.
• Adept at creating and communicating a clear vision for a program among team members to facilitate alignment of resources to achieve program and corporate goals.
• Proven track record of implementing Project Management tools, including SmartSheet, and deep experience with Micr