VP, Head of Epilepsy, R&D

Jazz Pharmaceuticals; California; Hybrid; USD 445,000 - 506,000; Full time

Job summary

Jazz Pharmaceuticals seeks a senior epilepsy leader to shape the clinical development strategy and execution across the epilepsy portfolio. You will leverage academic networks to inform endpoints and trial designs while driving alignment with regulators and stakeholders.

You will lead cross-functional teams, influence executive leadership, and advance differentiated therapies for patients, expanding the company’s role in epilepsy science and partnerships.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years in drug development.
• National or international recognition as an academic epileptologist and/or epilepsy drug developer.
• Strong track record in publications, conferences, and scientific leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and shape epilepsy development strategy aligned with portfolio, regulatory expectations, and unmet needs.
• Define endpoints, trial designs, and patient populations across epilepsy programs.
• Integrate literature, CI, and external insights into program strategies.
• Steward programs through governance, budget, and timeline expectations.
• Lead external engagement as the epilepsy expert in congresses and regulatory interactions.

Skills

Clinical trial leadership

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Leadership in cross-functional teams

Thought leadership

Education

MD/PhD - Epilepsy

Neurology board certification

Job description

If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate totransform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developinglife-changing medicines for people with serious diseases — often with limited or notherapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leadingtherapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments.Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and developmentadvancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology andneuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and developmentlaboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed toserving patients worldwide. Please visitwww.jazzpharmaceuticals.comfor more information.

This role will elevate the organization’s presence and credibility in the epilepsy space, accelerate innovation that matters to patients, and ensure Jazz epilepsy programs are aligned with the evolving expectations of regulators, clinicians, and the epilepsy community.

The role serves as the company’s scientific and strategic leader in epilepsy who drives execution and excellence across the epilepsy portfolio. This individual will leverage deep academic expertise and established networks and partner with multiple Jazz functions to shape the company’s epilepsy pipeline, be accountable for multiple epilepsy development programs, build collaborative ecosystems, and accelerate differentiated therapies for patients.
The role is uniquely designed to enable continued thought leadership, academic engagement, and community influence, while expanding impact through industry-scale drug development.

A boundary-spanning epilepsy leader who bridges:

• Patient-centricity
• Academic priorities
• Clinical trial excellence
• External partnerships and scientific affairs
• Community influence

Essential Functions

Scientific & Clinical Accountability for the R&D Epilepsy Portfolio

• Develop and shape epilepsy clinical development strategy aligned with portfolio, regulatory expectations, and unmet needs.
• Define clinical endpoints, trial designs, and patient populations across epilepsy development programs.
• Integrate scientific insights, literature, and competitive intelligence into actionable program strategies.
• Steward epilepsy programs through governance to align budget and timeline expectations
• Execute multiple epilepsy programs according to budget and timeline

External Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Accountable R&D leader for the Jazz Scientific Advisory Board in Epilepsy
• Serve as a leading external scientific voice, building trusted relationships with epilepsy experts and stakeholders.
• Engage academic epileptologists and experts to inform strategy, evidence generation, and trial design.
• Represent company at congresses, symposia, and regulatory interactions as epilepsy clinical expert.

Research Collaboration & Innovation

• Drive collaborative research initiatives with academic institutions and external partners advancing epilepsy science.
• Establish and oversee collaborative research aligned with strategic priorities.
• Identify emerging scientific opportunities and innovative technologies to advance epilepsy therapeutic development.

Translational Science Leadership

• Bridge preclinical discoveries and clinical development to enhance probability of success for epilepsy programs.
• Translate mechanistic insights and biomarkers into clinical hypotheses, endpoints, and decision frameworks.
• Partner with nonclinical teams to refine target validation and support translational development strategies.

Internal Leadership & Influence

• Provide R&D leadership at enterprise-wide epilepsy forums to advance epilepsy pipeline, commercial portfolio, and category leadership
• Influence Executive Committee and Board stakeholders through clear, data-rich scientific presentations.
• Mentor internal teams and contribute to capability building in epilepsy expertise across organization.

Community & Advocacy Integration

• Embed patient and caregiver perspectives into development strategy through meaningful community engagement.
• Partner with advocacy organizations and patients to incorporate patient centricity into trial design and endpoint selection.
• Ensure development programs reflect diversity, access considerations, and real-world patient priorities.

People Leadership

• Proven experience managing and developing high performing teams in a global organization
• Experience in building leadership capability through mentoring, coaching and talent development programs to enhance performance and engagement
• Experience fostering a learning culture, featuring innovation and operational excellence
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to lead through change, while building trust and credibility across the enterprise.

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• MD, PhD with specialization in Epilepsy
• Board Certification in Neurology or subspecialties

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Minimum of 10 years' experience in drug development in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry.
• National or international recognition as an academic epileptologist and/or epilepsy drug developer
• Significant experience in:
  • Clinical research and trial leadership
  • Investigator-initiated studies
• Strong track record of:
  • Publications
  • Conference presentations
  • Scientific leadership roles
• Established network across:
  • Academic centers
  • Clinical trial sites
  • Epilepsy organizations
• People Leadership:
  • Proven experience leading and developing teams in a global matrixed organization.
  • Ability to proactively lead through change and ambiguity.
• Executive presence and communication – ability to effectively communicate complex ideas concisely with impact within executive level forums.
• Ability to effectively lead cross functional teams and successfully leverage internal and
  external partnerships
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, ability to lead and represent department functions on project teams in a matrix organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with collaborative interpersonal skills
• Ability to travel (up to 10%-20% of time)

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

FOR US BASED CANDIDATES ONLY

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the full and complete base pay range is: $445,000.00 - $506,000.00

Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, and other pertinent factors. The goal is to ensure fair and competitive compensation aligned with the candidate's expertise and contributions, within the established pay framework and our Total Compensation philosophy. Internal equity considerations will also influence individual base pay decisions. This range will be reviewed on a regular basis.

At Jazz, your base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate may also be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation (depending on the role), in accordance with the terms of the Company's Global Cash Bonus Plan or Incentive Compensation Plan, as well as discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz's Long Term Equity Incentive Plan.

The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation. For more information on our Benefits offerings please click here: .