Associate Director, Vendor Partnerships & Governance

Acadia Pharmaceuticals; Princeton (NJ); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base + bonus

Equity awards

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) match

Employee stock purchase plan

Vacation days 15+

Paid holidays 13-15

Paid parental leave

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Acadia Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Vendor & Relationship Management to shape strategic partnerships with CROs, labs, and service providers and drive governance and continuous improvement across R&D operations.

The role partners with Clinical Operations, Quality, Finance and Legal to enable effective oversight, vendor performance, and compliant outsourcing practices, while supporting audits and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life science or related field; advanced degree preferred; target 8 years of experience in clinical trial operations, vendor/CRO oversight, or related roles within biopharmaceuticals.
• Experience managing complex vendor relationships and supporting performance improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of clinical trial operations, ICH GCP, regulatory requirements, and quality expectations for outsourced activities.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute vendor and supplier relationship strategies across CROs, labs, and service providers.
• Coordinate governance, operational and steering committee meetings; resolve issues.
• Create and maintain supplier scorecards, dashboards and KPIs to monitor performance.
• Support inspections, audits, CAPA development, and readiness activities with Quality.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in life science

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Acadia Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director, Vendor & Relationship Management to shape strategic partnerships with CROs, labs, and service providers and drive governance and continuous improvement across R&D operations.

The role partners with Clinical Operations, Quality, Finance and Legal to enable effective oversight, vendor performance, and compliant outsourcing practices, while supporting audits and process improvements.