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 neuro-psychiatric and neuro-rare diseases. For more information, visit us at Acadia.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Position Summary
We are seeking an accomplished scientific and strategic leader to join our team as the Executive Director, External Innovation. In this high-impact role, you will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, and advancing external opportunities that align with our corporate strategy and expand our R&D pipeline across neuroscience, psychiatry, neuro-rare, and non-neuro rare diseases.
This role is at the forefront of scientific innovation and corporate growth, serving as a key member of the Business Development and External Innovation team. You will lead scientific assessments of potential assets and partnerships, guide cross-functional diligence processes, and play an integral role in negotiation and execution activities. With deep therapeutic area expertise and a strong business mindset, you will help shape the strategic direction of our external portfolio.
As the Executive Director, you will cultivate relationships across the biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic ecosystems, translating cutting-edge science into transformative opportunities for patients. This is a unique opportunity to combine scientific rigor with business acumen and make a meaningful impact on the future of our pipeline.
*Please note that this position is based in either Princeton, NJ, or San Diego, CA. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.*
Primary Responsibilities
- Responsible for search and evaluation efforts within the Business Development External Innovation organization and contributes to all processes and activities designed to identify, evaluate, and execute on growth opportunities for new potential products and product candidates
- Generates leads, researches, and identifies potential new in-licensing and acquisition opportunities in existing, as well as new geographic markets
- Assesses the scientific value of in-licensing opportunities, taking into account resource requirements within the organization for identifying, evaluating, negotiating, and executing new investment and partnership opportunities
- Contributes to the preparation and presentation of findings on research to company executive leadership
- Participates in the development of the proposals and term sheets for prospective business partnerships, as well as internal documentation required for approval
- Develops timetables for new assets
- Participates in the assessment of the potential returns on investment
- Provides leadership from a scientific perspective on transaction processes, including coordination of internal working groups, management of external consultants and advisors, development of relationships with target company management teams, agreement negotiation, due diligence process, etc
- Participates in establishing and engaging relationships with the scientific and R&D community within the pharmaceutical and biotech community, as well asthe academic community within the scope of the company's therapeutic focus and product development interests
- Serves as a knowledge base for the company on all matters regarding current and past transactions
- Perform other duties as assigned
Education/Experience/Skills
Requires a Ph.D. in a related field. Targeting 15 years of progressively responsible experience within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, including 3 years of experience in external innovation. Must have experience with CNS, including rare neurologic/psychiatric disorders and/or non-neuro rare diseases. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.
Key Skills:
- Superior knowledge and understanding of neuroscience and/or rare diseases from both a clinical and/or preclinical and basic science perspective
- Experience in external search and scientific evaluation, transactional/licensing, and/or mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry
- Experience working with genetic technologies is a plus
- Understanding of scientific trends and new concepts in pharmaceutical development
- Established reputation and unquestioned credibility in the scientific and business community
- Ability to work independently and cross-functionally
- Strong persuasion skills and the ability to work successfully with peers and colleagues at all levels in the organization
- R&D savvy, with a good understanding of principles of new product development, high-level commercial assessment, and business case building
- Familiarity with IP issues within pharmaceutical development
- Ability to work with business teams to identify fundamental business drivers and risks to those drivers, and translate them into modeling parameters
- Ability to work in a results-oriented, project-driven, real-time team environment, prioritize projects, and deliver quality results within tight time constraints
- Ability to think strategically as well as to act tactically
- Ability to connect with people and work multi-culturally
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially in relation to verbal communication of complex scientific concepts to senior leadership and board-level audiences
- Ability to travel both domestically and internationally
Scope
Establishes strategic plans for designated function(s) and participates with others to align objectives across the organization. Develops methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for projects, programs, and people. Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth knowledge of the functional area and related organizational objectives. Erroneous decisions will have a serious impact on the overall success of the functional area and may impact the long-term success of the company.
Physical Requirements
This role involves regular standing, walking, sitting, and the use of hands for handling or operating equipment. The employee may also need to reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and maintain visual, verbal, and auditory communication in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. This position requires the ability to travel independently overnight and/or work after hours as required by travel schedules or business needs.
#LI-SW1 #LI-HYBRID
In addition to a competitive base salary, this position is also eligible for discretionary bonus and equity awards based on factors such as individual and organizational performance. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance, and location.
Salary Range
$255,900—$319,900 USD
EEO Statement (US-Based Employees): Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications in the exact way they are described in job postings. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and innovative company and we are looking for the BEST candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background or may meet the qualifications in a different way. We would strongly encourage you to apply – especially if the reason you are the best candidate isn’t exactly as we describe it here.
It is the policy of Acadia to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to considerations of race, including related to hairstyle, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender transition, country of origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, legally-protected medical condition or information, marital status, domestic partner status, family care status, military caregiver status, veteran or military status (including reserve status, National Guard status, and military service or obligation), status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, enrollment in a public assistance program, or any basis protected under federal, state or local law.
As an equal opportunity employer, Acadia is committed to a diverse workforce. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. Furthermore, you may request additional support if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Acadia’s career website due to your disability, along with any accommodations throughout the interview process. To request or inquire about your reasonable accommodation, please complete our Reasonable Accommodation Request Form or contact us at [email protected] or 858-261-2923.
Please note that reasonable accommodations granted throughout the recruiting process are not guaranteed to be the same accommodation given if hired. A new request will need to be submitted for any ADA accommodations after starting employment.
Notice for California Applicants: Please see our California Applicant Privacy Notice within our Privacy Policy.
Notice to Search Firms/Third-Party Recruitment Agencies (Recruiters): The Talent Acquisition team manages the recruitment and employment process for Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Acadia”). Acadia does not accept resumes from recruiters or search firms without an executed search agreement in place. Resumes sent to Acadia employees in absence of an executed search agreement will not obligate Acadia in any way with the respect to the future employment of those individuals or potential remuneration to any recruiter or search firm. Candidates should never be submitted directly to our hiring managers or employees.
What We Do
Our Acadia family of care-ageous warriors aspire to enable brighter moments for patients and their loved ones. 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 approved therapies for hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis and for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Our clinical-stage development efforts are focused on treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and neuropsychiatric symptoms in central nervous system disorders.
Important Notice for Candidates - Be Aware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activity
Acadia Pharmaceuticals has become aware of fraudulent recruiting activity being circulated via email and LinkedIn by individuals impersonating Acadia Talent Acquisition employees. These communications may appear legitimate due to an official-looking Acadia email address or website, referencing of an actual recruiter and/or manager at Acadia (easily found on LinkedIn), and/or offer documents falsely signed by an Acadia executive. The impostor uses the incentive of a job interview and job offer to solicit sensitive personal information from the intended victim.
Please note that the Acadia Talent Acquisition and HR Team will ONLY interact with a candidate from "Acadia-pharm.com" domain sourced emails. We do not request sensitive personal information, such as a Social Security Number, or payments of any kind during the interview or job offer process. Acadia strongly recommends individuals, who receive email solicitations, to carefully verify the authenticity of the correspondence before responding. Never provide personal information or click on links if you are unsure a communication’s legitimacy. If in doubt, please contact [email protected] to verify.
