Please note that this position is based in either San Diego, CA, or Princeton, NJ. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.
Position Summary
The Sr. Director, Patient Support Services & HUB Operations is responsible for defining and delivering Acadia’s patient service strategy to enhance access, affordability, and the overall patient and provider experience. This strategic leader oversees the Patient Services organization and directs the evolution of HUB and access support programs, ensuring they are high-performing, insights-driven, and aligned with brand and business priorities.
This role leads the development of access marketing initiatives, including messaging, branding, tools, and training that empower customer-facing teams and reduce barriers to treatment. The Sr. Director partners closely with Brand Marketing, Access & Reimbursement, Field Access, Trade & Distribution, Patient Advocacy, and other cross-functional partners to ensure a seamless and compliant customer experience.
Serving as a key stakeholder for both in-line brands and future pipeline planning, this leader will continuously optimize services and programs through data, user feedback, and market insights. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in the U.S. access environment, a strong patient-centric mindset, and a proven ability to influence across a matrixed organization.
Primary Responsibilities
- Establishes high-performing Patient Services team by providing management, mentorship, coaching, and guidance to direct reports and other key team members.
- Develops patient support services strategy and leads implementation, ensuring executional excellence with HUB services team.
- Leads evaluation and evolution of HUB services, creating efficiencies and improving the customer experience, to drive results aligning to business objectives. Utilizes data, insights, and feedback to continuously optimize support services, positioning, and messaging.
- Leads the evaluation, design and execution of future versions of access support and HUB services based on evolving business priorities, pipeline and patient requirements.
- Leads the Field Access Team strategy and goals, in partnership with Field Access Team leaders, through training and materials, as well as facilitating access to relevant data and information.
- Ensures HUB and Field access team alignment.
- Develops and tracks KPIs: Continually assesses and monitors impact and execution of access services & offerings, including feedback from service users and internal stakeholders.
- Collaborates on market research projects and refines strategies to help generate insights to create/optimize programs that better meet healthcare professionals (HCP) and patient needs.
- Implements and monitors programs with HCPs and patients that help to overcome barriers to access.
- Serves as Patient Support Services lead for pipeline/lifecycle management.
- Supports and provides strategic recommendations on patient support strategy.
- Leads Access marketing strategy, planning, and implementation by:
- Ensuring access services marketing plan and execution align with Brand Marketing and Access & Reimbursement strategies.
- Lead access related Brand Planning process.
- Collaborate closely with Brand Marketing to ensure a seamless customer experience and alignment with brand initiatives.
- Lead planning and development of access marketing and HUB priorities, content, tools, and training for national meetings and customer-facing team training.
- Represents Access and Patient Services in senior Leadership/business review meetings; create relevant presentations for business review, Executive Management Committee, and Board meetings.
- Develops compelling tools and programs for use with HCPs and patients to engage them with the services available through access and patient support HUB, while enhancing the experience, and provides leadership across creative agencies, ePA vendors, e-prescribing vendors, and other partners, as appropriate.
- Collaborates with Trade & Distribution and Payer counterparts, Brand Marketing, Sales, Field Access, Sales & Access Ops, Patient Advocacy teams as well as Pharmacy Providers to ensure best-in-class offerings and services; continually working to optimize and improve.
- Collaborates with internal and external partners to ensure all programs meet Acadia legal, regulatory, quality, and compliance standards.
- Serves as Patient Support Services Budget owner.
- Other duties, as assigned.
Education/Experience/Skills
Bachelor's degree in marketing, health care, business administration or related field; Master's degree preferred. Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible experience within marketing, access, patient support services, or related functions in pharmaceutical/biotech industry, with 7 years in a leadership role. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be considered. Previous patient support experience with Medicare Part D products and rare disease products preferred.
Key Candidate Qualities:
- Previous patient support services, brand marketing and/or sales experience preferred
- Agency/vendor management experience (briefing/execution/budgetary oversight)
- Strong understanding of the US access environment, including reimbursement support services, payer coverage, reimbursement, pricing, patient support programs, field reimbursement specialists, co-pay support programs, etc.
- Knowledge of the U.S. healthcare payer system (commercial and public)
- Patient-centric and service-oriented mindset
- Must be a team player with strong self-awareness and excellent interpersonal skills
- Must be results oriented, attention to detail, accurate, prompt and able to meet established deadlines, including ability to drive multiple projects simultaneously and deliver results
- Demonstrated ability to influence others without authority and successfully partner with cross-functional teams
- Ability to analyze a business problem, synthesize complex information, develop an appropriate strategy and implement effective tactics
- Ability to effectively produce business results, and develop and execute an effective competitive business strategy with direct involvement in the sales process
- Strong enthusiasm with a drive to succeed within a team
- Business acumen and budgeting skills
- Must be a fast learner, creative, flexible and able adjust quickly
- Possess strong presentation skills
- Adaptable and open to an environment of change
- Ability to travel 30%
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 both in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. 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 schedule or business needs.
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.
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.
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 talentacquisition@acadia-pharm.com or 858-261-2923.
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.
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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.