Executive Director, People Business Partnership

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Princeton (NJ); Hybrid; USD 261,000 - 326,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base and bonus

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) with company match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

15+ vacation days

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is seeking an Executive Director, People Business Partnership to lead its PBP team and serve as a senior advisor to business and People & Performance leadership.

This role translates business strategy into workforce priorities and drives organization, leadership, and talent initiatives to enable growth. The leader will advance PBP capability, clarify ownership, reduce operational burden, and focus the team on high-value priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field, with 15+ years of progressive P&P, HR or related leadership experience.
• An advanced degree is preferred; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Acadia’s People Business Partner team, setting clear expectations and ensuring high-quality support to leaders.
• Translate business strategy into workforce, organization, leadership and talent implications.
• Advise on organization effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership, talent, culture and significant organizational change.
• Partner with leaders to identify capabilities, roles, structures and talent required for current priorities and future growth.
• Lead organization design and effectiveness work including governance and ways of working.
• Strengthen leadership effectiveness through coaching and trusted advisory services.
• Enable organizational change by clarifying rationale and sustaining adoption.
• Collaborate with HR, Legal and other specialists to ensure compliant, business-oriented decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Coaching

Change management

People analytics

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business/Org Dev

15+ years HR/People leadership

Job description

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 Executive Director, People Business Partnership leads Acadia’s People Business Partner team and serves as a senior advisor to business and People & Performance leadership. The role translates business strategy into clear organization, workforce, leadership and talent priorities that enable Acadia’s growth and performance.

This leader strengthens the quality, consistency and business impact of People Business Partnership across Acadia. Working with business leaders, PBPs and People & Performance Centers of Excellence, the Executive Director anticipates organizational needs, shapes workforce and capability plans, improves leadership effectiveness and enables successful change.

The successful candidate combines strong business judgment with deep expertise in organization, talent, workforce planning and change. This leader raises PBP capability, clarifies ownership, reduces operational burden and focuses the team on the highest-value business and organizational priorities.

Primary Responsibilities

PBP Leadership & Business Partnership

• Lead and develop Acadia’s People Business Partner team, setting clear expectations, building capability and ensuring consistent, high-quality support to leaders.
• Develop a deep understanding of Acadia’s strategy, growth priorities and operating environment, and translate them into workforce, organization, leadership and talent implications.
• Serve as a senior advisor to business and P&P leaders on organization effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership, talent, culture and significant organizational change.
• Guide PBPs in creating focused people plans linked to business priorities and measurable organizational outcomes.

Organization, Workforce & Talent Strategy

• Partner with leaders to identify the capabilities, roles, structures and talent required to deliver current priorities and prepare for future growth.
• Build a forward-looking workforce planning approach that informs where to build, buy, deploy or access critical capabilities.
• Lead organization design and effectiveness work involving structures, roles, governance, decision-making and ways of working.
• Partner with Talent Management and leaders to strengthen succession, talent planning, leadership pipelines and future capabilities.

Leadership Effectiveness & Change

• Strengthen leadership effectiveness through trusted advice, coaching, organizational insights and practical support.
• Enable organizational change by clarifying the business rationale, assessing workforce impacts, building leadership alignment and sustaining adoption.
• Support complex and consequential people matters with Employee Relations, Legal and other specialists to ensure balanced, compliant and business-oriented decisions.

Operating Model, Insights & Enterprise Partnership

• Partner with P&P Centers of Excellence and Operations to create scalable solutions, tools, processes and insights that improve the manager and employee experience.
• Clarify ownership across PBPs, Centers of Excellence, People Operations and business leaders so PBPs can focus on strategic priorities rather than transactional activity.
• Use workforce data, business indicators, market intelligence and organizational insights to identify emerging needs and improve decisions.
• Partner with Total Rewards to inform talent investments and contribute to the evolution of Acadia’s P&P operating model, accountability and business impact.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Measures of Success

• A high-performing PBP team that delivers consistent, strategic and business-focused partnership.
• Clear people plans aligned to enterprise and functional priorities.
• Stronger workforce, organization, leadership and talent decisions supported by trusted insights.
• Reduced transactional burden and clearer accountability across PBPs, Centers of Excellence and People Operations.
• Effective organizational change and stronger leadership capability across the business.

Education, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field, with 15+ years of progressive P&P, Human Resources or related leadership experience, including 8+ years leading teams and enterprise-wide people initiatives. An advanced degree is preferred; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Proven experience leading a senior PBP team and advising executive leaders in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare or another highly regulated environment.
• Strong business acumen and demonstrated ability to translate strategy into workforce, organization, leadership, talent and change priorities.
• Demonstrated success in organization design, workforce planning, talent and succession planning, leadership development and large-scale change.
• Ability to use workforce data, business indicators, organizational insights and market intelligence to influence decisions and outcomes.
• Experience delivering outcomes through senior business partners, cross-functional teams and Centers of Excellence, while clarifying operating-model accountabilities and shifting transactional work to the appropriate channels.
• Sound judgment in complex people matters, with working knowledge of employment law, employee relations, performance management and organizational risk.
• Exceptional executive communication, coaching, facilitation, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills; demonstrated ability to build accountable, inclusive and collaborative teams.
• Experience supporting geographically dispersed teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. Ability to travel up to 25%, primarily within the United States.

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 in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. The 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 schedules 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.

Salary Range

$261,000 — $326,300 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 [e-mail] 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.