VP, Head of Epilepsy, R&D

Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 445,000 - 506,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401k retirement savings plan

Flexible paid vacation

Job summary

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharma company, seeks an epilepsy scientific and strategic leader to elevate the organization’s presence in the epilepsy space and align programs with regulatory expectations and patient needs.

You will co-create enterprise category leadership, shape development strategies, oversee multiple epilepsy programs, build external partnerships, and influence stakeholders through data-driven, executive-level communication.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years in drug development in academia and industry.
• National or international recognition as an academic epileptologist and/or epilepsy drug developer.
• Strong experience in clinical research and trial leadership.

Responsibilities

• 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
• Accountable R&D leader for the Jazz Scientific Advisory Board in Epilepsy
• Represent company at congresses, symposia, and regulatory interactions as epilepsy clinical expert
• Drive collaborative research initiatives with academic institutions and external partners advancing epilepsy science
• Bridge preclinical discoveries and clinical development to enhance probability of success for epilepsy programs
• Provide R&D leadership at enterprise-wide epilepsy forums to advance epilepsy pipeline, commercial portfolio, and category leadership
• Embed patient perspectives into development strategy through meaningful community engagement

Skills

Epilepsy drug development

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive presence

Education

MD/PhD with epilepsy specialization

Board certification in Neurology or subspecialty

Job description

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases - often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com for 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, co-creates the enterprise category leadership plan, and drives execution across the epilepsy portfolio. This individual will leverage deep academic expertise and established networks 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 indrug 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: https://careers.jazzpharma.com/benefits.html.