Executive Director Translational Sciences
Acadia Pharmaceuticals
4 hours ago
Remote friendly (San Diego, CA)
United States
Clinical Research and Development
Primary Responsibilities
- Develop translational biology strategies to interrogate disease and drug MoA; implement and drive execution for candidate targets and therapeutics.
- Lead nonclinical sciences function and mentor scientists across translational sciences.
- Partner across the drug development paradigm to develop/test hypotheses to advance target and candidate evaluation through development stages.
- Partner with Translational Science colleagues on preclinical strategies (indication selection, PK/PD, mechanistic development) supporting IND filing and clinical development.
- Synthesize/integrate complex biological data and provide clear, actionable insights for drug development decisions.
- Identify and leverage cutting-edge technologies to expedite early-stage program development.
- Identify/manage CROs and collaborate with internal partners; present programs/data for governance and senior review.
- Author/strategize documentation for preclinical studies and clinical protocols, clinical study reports, statistical analysis plans, regulatory materials (IB/IND/NDA/etc.), partnerships, and publications.
Qualifications
- PhD in life science (or related field).
- ~15 years progressively responsible drug development experience in pharma/biotech (or equivalent).
Key Skills (Required/Preferred)
- Cross-functional leadership; hands-on experience across discovery, preclinical, and clinical-stage (Phase 1–3) programs, including rare disease.
- Demonstrated IND leadership; expertise in small-molecule INDs and regulatory submissions (IND/NDA/BLA).
- Expertise in preclinical MoA analysis, indication selection, and clinical development strategies.
- Strong clinical biomarker strategy/development.
- Computational literacy; bioinformatics integration is a plus.
- Communicates complex data to senior leadership; high emotional intelligence; decisive under uncertainty.
Benefits (as stated)
- Medical/dental/vision; life/disability/EAP; 401(k) match (1:1 up to 5%); equity/bonus eligibility; paid vacation/holidays/sick; paid parental leave; tuition assistance.
- Develop translational biology strategies to interrogate disease and drug MoA; implement and drive execution for candidate targets and therapeutics.
- Lead nonclinical sciences function and mentor scientists across translational sciences.
- Partner across the drug development paradigm to develop/test hypotheses to advance target and candidate evaluation through development stages.
- Partner with Translational Science colleagues on preclinical strategies (indication selection, PK/PD, mechanistic development) supporting IND filing and clinical development.
- Synthesize/integrate complex biological data and provide clear, actionable insights for drug development decisions.
- Identify and leverage cutting-edge technologies to expedite early-stage program development.
- Identify/manage CROs and collaborate with internal partners; present programs/data for governance and senior review.
- Author/strategize documentation for preclinical studies and clinical protocols, clinical study reports, statistical analysis plans, regulatory materials (IB/IND/NDA/etc.), partnerships, and publications.
Qualifications
- PhD in life science (or related field).
- ~15 years progressively responsible drug development experience in pharma/biotech (or equivalent).
Key Skills (Required/Preferred)
- Cross-functional leadership; hands-on experience across discovery, preclinical, and clinical-stage (Phase 1–3) programs, including rare disease.
- Demonstrated IND leadership; expertise in small-molecule INDs and regulatory submissions (IND/NDA/BLA).
- Expertise in preclinical MoA analysis, indication selection, and clinical development strategies.
- Strong clinical biomarker strategy/development.
- Computational literacy; bioinformatics integration is a plus.
- Communicates complex data to senior leadership; high emotional intelligence; decisive under uncertainty.
Benefits (as stated)
- Medical/dental/vision; life/disability/EAP; 401(k) match (1:1 up to 5%); equity/bonus eligibility; paid vacation/holidays/sick; paid parental leave; tuition assistance.