Associate Director, Medical Training (Pipeline)

Xenon Pharmaceuticals; Boston (MA); Hybrid; PHP 7,357,449 - 9,196,812; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition Assistance Program

Flexible vacation policy

Job summary

Xenon Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Medical Training to lead training strategies across therapeutic areas like epilepsy and depression. The role involves building scalable training programs for internal teams to ensure effective communication of scientific concepts.

The successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams and have a strong scientific background, coupled with excellent stakeholder management skills. This position is primarily based in Boston, MA with potential for remote work for exceptional candidates.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant management experience in Medical Affairs or related functions.
• Experience designing training for various audiences in a biopharmaceutical context.
• Strong communication skills and attention to scientific accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and execution of pipeline training across therapeutic areas.
• Develop engaging training modules and materials tailored for different audiences.
• Ensure compliance and quality in training delivery.

Skills

Training Design

Stakeholder Management

Scientific Communication

Project Management

Education

Advanced degree in a scientific/clinical discipline

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, depression and pain. Our Phase 3 azetukalner program represents the most advanced, clinically validated potassium channel modulator in late-stage clinical development for multiple indications. In March 2026, we announced positive topline data from our Phase 3 X-TOLE2 study of azetukalner in focal onset seizures (FOS), and we anticipate submitting a New Drug Application to the Food and Drug Administration in the third quarter of 2026. Our Phase 3 epilepsy program also includes a second FOS study, X-TOLE3, which would support regulatory submissions outside the U.S., and the X-ACKT study in primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which would support regulatory submissions for an additional epilepsy indication. We also have multiple Phase 3 azetukalner clinical trials underway in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BPD), based on topline data from our Phase 2 X-NOVA clinical trial. In addition, we are proud of our strong heritage in human genetics, deep understanding of ion channel biology, and expertise in novel chemistries to enable potent, selective ion channel targeting. We continue to advance an early-stage pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates, including Phase 1 studies for XEN1701 (targeting Nav1.7) and XEN1120 (targeting Kv7), which are important pain targets. 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 / What You’ll Do:

We are seeking an Associate Director, Medical Training (Pipeline) to lead the strategy, development, and execution of pipeline training across our therapeutic areas (including epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and bipolar depression) and broader neuroscience portfolio. This role will build scalable, audience-tailored training programs and modules to ensure internal teams are confident, consistent, and compliant in how we communicate science, evidence, and unmet need.

To be successful in this role, you will bring strong scientific acumen and a passion for adult learning, translating complex clinical and mechanistic concepts into clear, practical learning experiences. You will partner closely with Medical Directors and cross‑functional stakeholders to develop and maintain FAQs, core talking points, objection‑handling resources, and other enablement tools, and you will lead onboarding and ongoing medical training for new hires.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Medical Affairs, you will work within a multidisciplinary team, interfacing with Clinical Development, Scientific Communications, Commercial, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance to ensure training content is accurate, aligned, and delivered with high quality.

This position is based out of Boston, MA, USA in our Needham office. We will consider remote locations for exceptional candidates. If in the Boston area, we require a minimum of 2 days per week in the office.

Responsibilities:

• Pipeline Training Strategy: Own the end-to-end training strategy for pipeline and disease‑state education (e.g., epilepsy, MDD, bipolar depression), ensuring content and curricula align to program milestones, evidence generation, and evolving scientific communications.
• Training Module Development: Design and develop engaging training modules for different audiences and use‑cases (field medical, sales, congress teams, cross‑functional partners), incorporating adult learning principles, knowledge checks, and practical application exercises.
• Onboarding & Role‑Based Curricula: Lead medical/scientific onboarding for new hires who require medical training, creating role‑based learning paths and ensuring readiness for compliant external engagement.
• Speaker & Presentation Training: Develop and deliver speaker training (internal and external as appropriate) and presentation readiness programs, including story flow, data accuracy, appropriate use of visuals, and Q&A preparation.
• FAQs, Talking Points & Objection Handling: Work with Medical Directors and Scientific Communications to develop, review, and maintain compliant FAQs, talking points, and objection‑handling resources aligned to the latest medical communications platform and publication plan.
• Congress & Publication Readiness: Train field and congress teams on new medical communications materials and publications (e.g., congress data disclosures, manuscripts, slide libraries), ensuring consistent interpretation and appropriate scientific exchange.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with Medical Affairs, Scientific Communications, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Commercial partners to ensure training content is accurate, aligned, and delivered on time.
• Training Delivery & Measurement: Facilitate live and virtual training sessions, manage training calendars, and assess effectiveness through feedback, knowledge checks, and continuous improvement of content and delivery methods. Lead development of certification module tests and partner with field medical on full certification of MSLs.
• Quality & Compliance: Ensure all training materials and delivery are compliant with applicable regulatory requirements and corporate standards, following required review/approval processes and maintaining version control.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
• Some international travel may be required.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a scientific/clinical discipline (PharmD, PhD, MD, MSc, or equivalent) with 5+ years of relevant management biopharmaceutical or agency experience in Medical Affairs, Medical Education, Scientific Communications, or related functions.
• Experience developing and delivering training for multiple audiences (e.g., field medical, congress teams, cross‑functional stakeholders), with demonstrated ability to translate complex data into clear, practical learning.
• Strong instructional design and facilitation skills (live and virtual), including building curricula, developing modules, and using feedback/metrics to continuously improve training effectiveness.
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills; ability to build credibility and partner effectively with Medical Directors, Scientific Communications, Commercial Training, and Compliance.
• Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to prioritize, deliver on timelines, and manage multiple training workstreams in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with high attention to scientific accuracy and a compliance‑first mindset in content development and delivery.
• Ability to travel up to 10%, as needed.

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.