Associate Director, Sales Strategy, Operations & Execution- Rare Disease Franchise

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.

This is a remote based position with flexibility to be located anywhere in the U.S., near a major airport. 30% travel is estimated. 

 

Position Summary:

The Associate Director, Sales Operations & Execution serves as a key strategic partner and operational leader supporting the Vice President, Rare Disease Sales and Senior Director of Rare Disease Strategy and Operations. This role strengthens sales force effectiveness by driving sales planning, analytics, operational rigor, and execution excellence across the rare disease field organization.  In addition, this role will have an opportunity to work on key strategic projects for the marketing team including high visibility with the commercial leadership team.

This individual serves as the connective tissue between sales leadership, field teams, marketing team and cross-functional partners, delivering insights, enabling execution, shaping sales operating rhythms, and supporting high-impact initiatives that elevate performance. The role blends strategic thought partnership with hands-on execution support, enabling the VP of Sales and the broader field team to operate with greater clarity, consistency, and efficiency.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Operations & Business Planning

• Partner with the VP of Sales to refine and operationalize short‑ and long‑term sales strategy.
• Support annual and quarterly sales planning processes, including goal-setting, resource allocation, and prioritization aligned to brand and enterprise objectives.
• Anticipate market dynamics, competitive shifts, and execution risks; recommend data‑driven adjustments to strengthen sales impact.
• Lead preparation for leadership meetings, QBRs, field leadership summits, national sales meetings, and executive updates.

 

Sales Analytics & Performance Insights

• Partner with Commercial Operations & Business Optimization (COBO) to enhance KPI monitoring, field reporting, and incentive compensation support.
• Translate complex data sets into clear, actionable insights for Sales Leadership and field teams.
• Partner with COBO to support clear sales dashboards, performance tracking tools, scorecards, and executive-level summaries.
• Support territory database management needs in collaboration with Sales Leadership and COBO.

 

Operational Excellence & Field Enablement

• Establish and optimize sales operating rhythms (e.g., weekly priorities, monthly business reviews, quarterly business review prep, communication cadence).
• Build and maintain sales‑facing communication, messaging, and operational materials to ensure clarity and alignment.
• Identify process inefficiencies across the sales operating model and proactively bring forth solutions that improve consistency, speed, and execution.
• Serve as a key liaison between headquarters and the field organization to ensure timely feedback loops, alignment, and cross‑functional coordination.

 

Strategic Project Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead or support high-impact projects that enhance sales execution, field readiness, or customer engagement quality.
• Partner with Marketing, Market Access, Medical Affairs, Training, Advocacy, and Commercial Operations to ensure tools, data, and resources are aligned with sales needs.
• Manage special projects on behalf of the VP of Sales, including ad hoc analyses, strategic recommendations, and operational initiatives.
• Support change management efforts associated with new systems, capabilities, or field resources, ensuring clear communication, training, and adoption.
• Lead key projects for brand planning, national and regional sales meetings, and support for key commercial executive and board of directors presentations.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.
• Experience in sales operations, commercial operations, sales strategy, analytics, or relevant commercial roles within pharma/biotech preferred.
• Proven track record supporting senior commercial or sales leaders with insights, analytics, and operational leadership preferred.
• Strong expertise with analytical and reporting tools (Power BI, Veeva, Salesforce CRM, advanced Excel).
• Deep understanding of sales force effectiveness, territory alignment, targeting, call planning, incentives, and KPI frameworks.
• Exceptional communication required, and executive‑level presentation skills preferred.
• Strong project management capability with ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment required.
• High emotional intelligence with strong relationship-building skills across leadership levels.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and operate effectively within a complex, matrixed environment.
• Adaptable, proactive, and comfortable navigating ambiguity; consistently models Acadia values and sales‑aligned culture.
• A desire for growth and a versatility to be a commercial and/or sales leader.

 

Work Location/Travel Expectations:

This is a remote-based corporate role with 30% travel expected. While the position may be performed remotely, the individual will be expected to travel periodically for business needs, including field meetings, national and regional sales meetings, leadership meetings, and in-person collaboration with Rare Disease Sales, Commercial Operations/Strategy, Marketing, and other cross-functional partners. This may include travel to corporate office locations, including Princeton, NJ and San Diego, CA, as needed to support business planning, execution, and key strategic initiatives.

#LI-SM1 #LI-REMOTE

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$152,000—$190,400 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.

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.

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

Canadian Applicants: Please see Additional Information for Canadian Residents within 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.