Job Description

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, visitAcadia.comand follow us onLinkedInandX.

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Translational Biology will lead the strategy and execution of disease and drug mechanism of action (MoA) studies to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics from discovery through late-stage clinical programs. This role is critical to bridging early research with clinical application, and requires deep expertise in translational sciences, including biomarker strategy and development, along with a strong grasp of the full drug development lifecycle.

The ideal candidate is a scientific thought leader who can synthesize complex biological data into actionable insights, drive decision-making across cross-functional teams, and deliver high-impact contributions to pipeline advancement. With a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset, the Senior Director will serve as a key partner across discovery, clinical, regulatory, and data science functions, helping to shape and deliver Acadia's translational strategy across therapeutic areas.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop translational biology strategies to interrogate disease and drug MoA, implement and drive execution for candidate targets and therapeutics.


• Partner with colleagues across the drug development paradigm to develop and test hypotheses designed to advance target and candidate molecule evaluation through various stages of development.


• Design biomarker strategies for both preclinical evaluation and clinical development, with an understanding of clinical context-of-use and requisite assay development requirements.


• Synthesize, analyze and integrate complex biological data, providing clear and actionable insights to drive drug development decisions.


• Identify and manage CROs and build strong collaborative relationships with Acadia partners to maximize the application of complementary areas of expertise.


• Present programs and data for asset team, governance and senior / executive management review.


• Contribute to document generation for preclinical studies & clinical protocols, clinical study reports, statistical analysis plans, research partnerships, regulatory materials (IB, IND, NDA, etc.) and publications.


• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skills

PhD in a life science or related field. Targeting 12 years of progressively responsible experience in drug development within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.

Key Skills:

• A track record of working cross-functionally, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.


• Hands-on experience in drug discovery and preclinical programs and clinical-stage drug development (Phase 1-3).


• Tangible clinical biomarker strategy & development expertise.


• Comfortable working with multifactorial datasets to identify novel observations.


• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including experience presenting complex data to program teams, senior / executive management.


• Hands-on experience with regulatory filings (IND, BLA, NDA).


• Experience in rare disease drug development.


• Ability to make decisions in the context of incomplete or ambiguous data, to align with Acadia timelines and objectives.


• Computational literacy with data analysis platforms / experience working closely with computational biology.


• Experience across therapeutic platforms including small molecules, ASO, mRNA is a plus.


• Experience in neurology is a plus.


• Experience in the integration of bioinformatics and experimental biology to enhance data analysis and decision-making is a plus.


• Must be able to travel on occasion.

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.

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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

$234,000—$292,200 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 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 strongly encourage you to apply, especially if the reason you are the best candidate isn't exactly what we describe 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 ourReasonable Accommodation Request Formor contact us attalentacquisition@acadia-pharm.comor858-261-2923.

Please note that reasonable accommodations granted throughout the recruiting process are not guaranteed to be the same accommodations given if hired. A new request will need to be submitted for any ADA accommodations after starting employment.

California Applicants: Please see Additional Information for California Residents within our Privacy Policy.

Canadian Applicants: Please see Additional Information for Canadian Residents with in our Privacy Policy.

Applicants in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Serbia: Please see Additional Information for Individuals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Serbia 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 the absence of an executed search agreement will not obligate Acadia in any way with 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.

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