Director, R&D Sourcing and Procurement

About Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Acadia is committed to turning scientific promise into meaningful innovation that makes the difference for underserved neurological and rare disease communities around the world. Our commercial portfolio includes the first and only FDA-approved treatments for Parkinson’s disease psychosis and Rett syndrome. We are developing the next wave of therapeutic advancements with a robust and diverse pipeline that includes mid- to late-stage programs in Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and Lewy body dementia psychosis, along with earlier-stage programs that address other underserved patient needs. At Acadia, we’re here to be their difference.

Seeking talent near: Princeton, NJ ; San Diego, CA

Position Summary:

The Director, R&D Sourcing and Procurement will be a strategic leader of the Acadia Sourcing & Procurement team, leading the development of R&D(Clin Ops, Med Affairs, Translation Meds, Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory Affairs)sourcing strategies for key global vendors This position will play a vital role to ensure Acadia has access to top quality services, technologies, and vendor partners required to support company’s growth. It leads the identification, assessment, selection, negotiation, execution of contracts and relationship with key R&D vendors, and will contribute to the corporate sourcing & procurement policy, R&D vendor management and governance framework and SOPs. This role will be based in San Diego, CA, or Princeton, NJ.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop both immediate and long-term sourcing strategies/plans for the R&D vendors with the focus on clinical operations vendors
• Proactively work with cross functional teams including R&D Operation, Clinical Operations and other business leads to identify sourcing needs and ensure sourcing strategies align with business goals
• Assess, benchmark & negotiate existing key R&D vendor contracts and conduct gap analysis.
• Participate and contribute to the establishment of R&D vendor governance program including vendor optimization, risk assessment and operational performance evaluation process
• Works closely with R&D business leads, Operational teams, and FP&A to review and track progress/status of vendor budget, including change orders from CROs, risk reward proposals, volume discount, saving validation etc.
• Assess industry trends, evolving technology such as AI in procurement to ensure continuous improvement of vendor intelligence and sourcing automation processes

Education/Experience/Skills:

• Proven leadership ability to manage and negotiate large and complex R&D vendor spend especially CRO spend and drive cross-functional leverage
• Demonstrated success developing and executing short-term and long-term R&D sourcing strategies in complex environments.
• 12+ years of extensive sourcing experience with deep knowledge of pharmaceutical vendors for Clinical Operations, preclinical, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and regulatory affairs
• Strong negotiation and vendor benchmarking experience across a range of R&D contract types,
• Proficient procurement system knowledge of S2P(Coupa), CLM (Agiloft) and upcoming AI sourcing tools
• Familiarity with sourcing saving report methodology and associated tools such as Smartsheet
• BS/BA or equivalent combination of relevant education

Key candidate qualities:

• Willing to go beyond and look for new innovative ways to bring in tangible results/savings
• Ability to communicate and present sourcing strategies clearly to key stakeholders
• Ensure compliance with corporate compliance SOP and policies
• Available for up to 5% domestic or international travel as needed

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, see, talk or hear in a standard office environment. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.

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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

$178,000—$222,900 USD

What we offer US-based Employees:

• Competitive base, bonus, new hire and ongoing equity packages
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid life, disability, business travel and EAP coverage
• 401(k) Plan with a fully vested company match 1:1 up to 5%
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with a 2-year purchase price lock-in
• 15+ vacation days
• 13 -15 paid holidays, including office closure between December 24th and January 1st
• 10 days of paid sick time
• Paid parental leave benefit
• Tuition assistance

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.