Talent Acquisition & Human Resources Coordinator

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 65,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A biopharmaceutical company is seeking a Talent Acquisition & Human Resources Coordinator for a 12-month contract in Vancouver, BC. This hybrid role involves full-cycle recruitment coordination, onboarding activities, and HR administration. Candidates should have a Bachelor's in Business Administration, and experience in HR coordination. The salary range is CAD 65,400 to CAD 72,600, with various employee benefits. A detail-oriented approach is essential for this fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Tuition Assistance for advanced degrees

Vacation and personal days

Retirement savings with matching contributions

Qualifications

• 2-4 years of Human Resources experience in an operational role.
• Experience in high-volume recruitment coordination.
• Knowledge of Canadian and US employment laws.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end interview scheduling across multiple time zones.
• Coordinate onboarding activities including employee training.
• Maintain accurate records in the HR information system.

Skills

Recruiting coordination

Attention to detail

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration

Tools

Dayforce

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Who We Are: Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to drug discovery, clinical development, and commercialization of life-changing therapeutics for patients in need. We are looking for great people who thrive in a respectful, collaborative, inclusive, and productive culture to join the Xenon team.

What We Do: We are advancing an exciting product pipeline to address indications with high unmet medical need, including epilepsy and depression. Our Phase 3 azetukalner program represents the most advanced, clinically validated potassium channel modulator in late-stage clinical development for multiple indications. Building upon the positive results and compelling data from our Phase 2b X-TOLE study in adult patients with focal epilepsy, our Phase 3 epilepsy program includes multiple clinical trials evaluating azetukalner in patients with focal onset seizures and primary generalized tonic‑clonic seizures. In November 2025, we announced the completion of patient enrollment in our Phase 3 X-TOLE2 study, and topline data are anticipated in early 2026. We also have multiple Phase 3 azetukalner clinical trials in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BPD) underway, based on topline data from our Phase 2 X‑NOVA clinical trial. In addition, we are proud of the leading‑edge science coming out of our discovery labs, including early‑stage research programs that leverage our extensive ion channel expertise and drug discovery capabilities to identify validated drug targets and develop new product candidates. We have recently initiated Phase 1 studies for our follow‑on Kv7 channel opener, XEN1120, and our lead Nav1.7 development candidate, XEN1701, in pain. Backed by a strong balance sheet to support our growth plans, we continue to build a fully integrated, premier neuroscience company with strong discovery, clinical development, corporate, and commercial operations.

About the Role: We are seeking a Talent Acquisition & Human Resources Coordinator to join the HR Operations team on a 12 month contract. This role will be primarily supporting a high volume of full‑cycle recruitment coordination and will have the opportunity to work with various hiring managers, HRBPs and Talent Acquisition team members in delivering an exceptional candidate experience. The Human Resources Coordinator will also be responsible for onboarding and orientation activities, employee life‑cycle transactions, and may support other programs/projects, where applicable. The Human Resources Coordinator will join a supportive and efficient HR Operations team in ensuring the entering and coordination of data, documents and processes into the various HR systems in an accurate and timely manner to ensure flawless execution. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who is process‑driven, has exceptional attention to detail, and can efficiently juggle a variety of operational activities. The ideal candidate thrives working in a fast‑paced, data‑driven, and complex organization.

This position reports to the Associate Director, Human Resources and will be in the Vancouver, BC, Canada location. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. This role is a hybrid position, requiring a minimum of 2 days per week in the office.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Acquisition Coordination (65%‑75%):

• Manage end‑to‑end interview scheduling for candidates across multiple time zones in Canada and the United States, ensuring accuracy, speed, and a smooth process.
• Manage core recruiting operations tasks, including job approvals, job postings, and employment agreement preparation.
• Deliver a high‑touch candidate experience through timely, professional communication (both verbal and written).
• Maintain and update candidate records and interview progress in Xenon’s Applicant Tracking System with strong data integrity.
• Coordinate closely with hiring managers and interviewers to align availability, manage schedule changes, and proactively communicate updates.
• Facilitate background & reference checks and manage associated documentation and all vendor coordination as required.
• Support Xenon’s student programs with hiring managers and local post‑secondary institutions, as applicable.

Human Resources Coordination (25%‑35%)

• Coordinate onboarding activities, including scheduling pre‑arrival communication with new hires, supporting hiring managers with the Manager Checklist, arranging Corporate Orientation schedules with internal trainers, administrating applicable work authorization processes such as Form I‑9 verifications and following up with new hires to ensure required corporate training is completed.
• Coordinate employee life‑cycle activities including but not limited to tracking annual objectives and performance management activities, drafting employee change forms and letters, compensation administration, and departure letters.
• Collaborate with the Payroll team to ensure timely submission of HR information as required.
• On a regular basis, ensure high quality and accurate data entry and maintenance activities for Xenon’s Human Resources Information System (HRIS) Dayforce, for Core, Onboarding and Performance modules in collaboration with the HR team.
• Coordinate all aspects of HR administration in accordance with set guidelines, including but not limited to maintaining employee files, preparing org charts upon request, expense management, maintaining templates and business records and other duties as assigned.

General

• Stay up to date with relevant training and processes for relevant systems and tools that Xenon utilizes.
• Provide clear information and explanations to employees regarding established and routine human resource programs, policies, and procedures. As necessary, exercise judgment and escalate sensitive and/or complex matters to a senior member of the HR team in a timely fashion.
• Conduct all behaviour in a professional and respectful manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Conduct work with a high level of accuracy and quality; proactively seeking ways for process improvements and streamlining.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resources Management is desired.
• Experience managing high‑volume recruiting coordination, including coordinating complex schedules across multiple interviewers.
• 2‑4 years of Human Resources experience in an operational and administrative capacity.
• Excellent computer and software skills, specifically with Microsoft products (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and SharePoint. High aptitude for learning new technology is preferred.
• Previous experience with Dayforce (Core, Onboarding, Recruitment) or Ashby is an asset.
• Knowledge of and experience with Canadian and US employment, human rights, privacy and immigration laws is preferred.
• Strong operational discipline – proactive and organized, with a strong track record of delivering high quality results.
• Excellent prioritization and time management skills.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Process oriented with a high attention to detail.
• Demonstrates maturity and sound judgment; able to manage sensitive information/situations in a professional and confidential manner.
• Ability to multi‑task, propose and establish priorities in accordance with company objectives.
• Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and interact with all levels in the organization.
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic/matrix team setting; collaborating with various team and cross‑functional members on different tasks and projects.

The base salary range for this role is $65,400 to $72,600 CAD; we will consider above this range for exceptional candidates. Base salary is determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, education and other qualifications, years of relevant experience, and internal equity.

Our Total Rewards program includes base salary, target bonus, and stock options, as well as a full range of benefits including medical, dental, vision, short‑& long‑term disability, accidental death & dismemberment, and life insurance programs, Employee Assistance Program, travel insurance, and retirement savings programs with company matching contributions.

Xenon encourages time to rest and re‑charge through vacation, personal days, sick days, and an end‑of‑year company shutdown. Xenon highly values employee development and has an expanding Training, Learning & Development program, including a Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees.

As part of our hiring process, Xenon conducts background checks for finalist candidates. The types of checks conducted will vary depending on the relevance to the position.

US positions only: Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. participates in the E‑Verify program in all states in which we hire. Learn more about the E‑Verify program here.

To apply for this position, click Apply Now to complete the application. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, due to the volume of applicants, only those chosen for interview will be contacted.