Senior Director, Clinical Development

Scorpion Therapeutics; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Employer-paid life/disability/EAP

401(k) match 1:1 up to 5%

ESPP (2-year lock-in)

15+ vacation days

13–15 paid holidays

10 paid sick days

paid parental leave

tuition assistance

Job summary

Acadia is seeking a Senior Director of Clinical Development to provide scientific leadership across CNS programs and guide strategy, study execution, and regulatory interactions. The role involves partnering with investigators, sites, and internal teams to advance clinical development from discovery through life-cycle management.

The ideal candidate has an MD/MD-PhD with board eligibility in Psychiatry or Neurology and 5+ years in pharma/biotech, with established expertise in CNS trials and

Qualifications

• MD/MD-PhD or equivalent with Board Cert/Eligible in Psychiatry or Neurology.
• 5+ years of industry experience across multiple development phases (preferred).
• Established relationships with thought leaders and investigators.

Responsibilities

• Create and execute global clinical development plans.
• Oversee clinical studies: protocol development, monitoring, data analysis, reports.
• Coordinate regulatory interactions and submissions.
• Collaborate with sites to support recruitment and study conduct.
• Provide scientific leadership from discovery through development and lifecycle management.
• Assess business development opportunities and translate into regulatory-compliant strategies.
• Ensure adherence to GCP and related regulations.

Skills

CNS clinical research

Global study execution

Stakeholder communication

Team collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

MD/MD-PhD

Job description

Position Summary

• Join Acadia as a Senior Director, Clinical Development to provide scientific and medical leadership across clinical development programs, guiding strategy, study execution, and regulatory interactions for innovative CNS therapies.

Primary Responsibilities

• Create and execute global clinical development plans.
• Oversee clinical studies: synopsis/protocol development, medical monitoring, data analysis, and final reports.
• Build relationships with investigators, thought leaders, centers of excellence, and internal stakeholders.
• Partner with sites to support study awareness, patient recruitment, and quality of study conduct.
• Communicate program issues/results to internal and external stakeholders.
• Support regulatory interactions, including submissions and presentations.
• Provide clinical/scientific expertise to transition compounds from discovery through development and life-cycle management.
• Review business development opportunities and translate business needs into cost-effective, regulatory-compliant strategies.
• Ensure compliance with local/international regulations, GCP, and company policies/procedures.

Education/Experience/Skills

• MD, MD-PhD, or equivalent required; Board Certified or Board Eligible in Psychiatry or Neurology.
• 5+ years industry experience across several development phases (desired).
• CNS clinical research experience required (development plans/studies); neurodegenerative/psychiatric experience preferred.
• Established relationships with thought leaders/investigators in relevant therapeutic areas.
• Ability to work in geographically diverse teams; strong oral/written communication.
• Motivated, self-driven, dependable; domestic/international travel as needed.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• employer-paid life/disability/EAP
• 401(k) match 1:1 up to 5%
• ESPP (2-year lock-in)
• 15+ vacation days
• 13–15 paid holidays
• 10 paid sick days
• paid parental leave
• tuition assistance.